Force still considering wayward O'Connor

[Alison]

Looks like we might be butting heads with Toulon for JOC's services!!

http://www.varmatin.com/rct/le-rct-s...r.1468088.html

[chibi]

We could sign Anthony Milford from the Raiders, couldn't be worse than J'OC!

[Alison]

Hey TIF, any of your contacts got the inside track on this from today's ESPNscrum?

"James O'Connor is expected back in Australia playing Super Rugby next year, but he may not be with the early favourites to sign him - Western Force. It was assumed that O'Connor, wanting to play for the Wallabies in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, would head back to Perth. But there appears to be a major stumbling block. Ruck'n Maul's sources in the Wild West say several of the province's directors have an in-principle agreement for the 2015 return of O'Connor to the Force, but there is a proviso: apparently O'Connor lacks faith in one of the Force's key off-field staff members, and the Wallabies exile wants an important personnel change made before he commits himself. Now we'll really see how serious the Force are in wanting to lure back O'Connor, who left that province on poor terms some years ago. O'Connor last year had to head to Europe for a contract after being shunned by both Melbourne Rebels and the Australian Rugby Union following several off-field incidents. Interest from the other Australian provinces remains lukewarm."

Read more at http://www.espnscrum.com/australia/r...QmSEiYLoGcV.99

[chibi]

At this rate he'll be playing Super Rugby for the Buenos Aires team

[GAFFA]

id say its more pie chucking from the Pie Man

[shasta]

Meanwhile, in other news, professor Ima Teapot has given up her search for the mythical spot changing leopard (ignoramus narcissus).
"There had been reports that the leopard's spots had almost faded away until it was picked up by a motion sensing camera outside a fast food outlet in downtown Melbourne, scrounging for food in the dead of nite.. " said Profrssor Teapot.
The trail then went cold for a few weeks until a Perth airport official was forced to call for back-up when she noticed a woman trying to smuggle a highly agitated leapord out of the country in the early hours of the morning.
The leapord was taken into custody and given a thorough examination from which it was determined that this particular specimen had spots so inflamed that they were irreversible. A decision made that best option was to release it into the wild to fend for itself.
Since then there have sporadic reports from Parts of Western Europe and the UK of a spotless leopard. But professor Teapot is convinced they are just fhurphies.

[The InnFORCEr]

I asked Foley directly at the awards night if they had something like this "in principle" agreement and he was adamant that this was not the case.

If it is true that he, JOC, is seeking a staff change, he might as well bypass the west coast. HQ are not going to bend to what he wants, it will the other way if anything.

[Sheikh]

Hey TIF, any of your contacts got the inside track on this from today's ESPNscrum?

"James O'Connor is expected back in Australia playing Super Rugby next year, but he may not be with the early favourites to sign him - Western Force. It was assumed that O'Connor, wanting to play for the Wallabies in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, would head back to Perth. But there appears to be a major stumbling block. Ruck'n Maul's sources in the Wild West say several of the province's directors have an in-principle agreement for the 2015 return of O'Connor to the Force, but there is a proviso: apparently O'Connor lacks faith in one of the Force's key off-field staff members, and the Wallabies exile wants an important personnel change made before he commits himself. Now we'll really see how serious the Force are in wanting to lure back O'Connor, who left that province on poor terms some years ago. O'Connor last year had to head to Europe for a contract after being shunned by both Melbourne Rebels and the Australian Rugby Union following several off-field incidents. Interest from the other Australian provinces remains lukewarm."

Read more at http://www.espnscrum.com/australia/r...QmSEiYLoGcV.99

Methinks this allows the Pie Man to write two stories with no facts. This one, and then next year there are three alternatives:

1. JO'C doesn't resign for the Force, and Growden writes that the Force don't care about winning or Australian rugby as they've denied the chance for a Wallaby to return home.
2. JO'C signs for the Force after a significant or insignificant back-room staff member moves on (eg, the team shop's assistant shelf-stacker) and Growden writes that the Force are a disgrace for caving in to a player's demands.
3. JO'C signs for the Force with absolutely no staff moving on, when Growden can write that JO'C has magnanimously agreed to try and work with the unnamed staff member, for the good of Australian rugby.

Cynical, moi?

[hertryk]

...."apparently O'Connor lacks faith in one of the Force's key off-field staff members, and the Wallabies exile wants an important personnel change made before he commits himself....."

Here we go again... who the heck does he think he is.... Jeepers.. !!! He's got some hide I will give that to him... PLONKER!!

[sandgroperrugby]

Did anyone read more into the reaction of Giteau and Drew on the rugby HQ program last night when they talked about JOC'c impending arrival? Didn't seem like they were thrilled to bits about it, but alot was said in there that was very much tongue in cheek.

Also the fact that Giteau doesn't like Greg Martin means Giteau has gone up in my opinon for whatever it is worth.

[GAFFA]

Hold up people remember this is Greg Growden we are talking about grain of salt people.

If there was any truth to it I think the Pie man has the wrong team it should read like this

"Rumour has it James is keen on a return to his home state of QLD to be close to his mummy, but my spy’s tell me he is not keen on working under who he and many others refer to as 'brain dead dick' again and has asked for him to be replaced. Other sources close to the team say that many senior players at the reds are also keen to see the back of RG but he has a binding contract and we all know what that means...nothing really interesting times ahead for the men up north".

[GIGS20]

Another media beat up. JOC won't ever return to Perth at this rate, he's just getting his manager to use us as a carrot to drive his price up at the Reds (we all know they'll sign anybody)

[chibi]

Maybe the Waratahs can afford him

[Happy]

i miss Action Hardcore - he'd know what to do

[Alison]

I asked Foley directly at the awards night if they had something like this "in principle" agreement and he was adamant that this was not the case.

If it is true that he, JOC, is seeking a staff change, he might as well bypass the west coast. HQ are not going to bend to what he wants, it will the other way if anything.

Yeah, I spoke with Sinderberry at the fans day and his reaction when I mentioned the name gave me the sense that he was totally over him and his games!

I'm pretty sure he also said that JOC hadn't been in touch since he'd left for London and that the first RWA knew about his decision to come back to Aus to try and make the RWC squad was when they saw the media release London Irish put out.

From what I've seen and heard of Sinderberry, he is not a guy that would take kindly to having someone like JOC run rings around him. So I agree with you TIF that there is no way HQ will be accommodating any demands made by JOC. It will definitely be a case of 'well, here's the terms of our offer; take them or leave them cos we ain't changing them'. And I support that stance 100%. No-one should ever be bigger than the team as a whole, however much talent they may have.

Just my take on things.