Force look to shore up squad for the future

[Nic]

The problem being, WA does not yet have enough players at the required level.
NRC players from other states is all well and good, but what happens once they get good enough to play super rugby? They usually get snaffled up and taken back to the East Coast.
We've spent many years watching them use Perth as a place to get game time, then bugger off back East.
This current system seems to work.
It is by no means what I want in the long term, as WA players are the final wish.
It's the best option for WA retaining players at the moment.

[jono]

SA's playing pool is much larger though. We are dealing with players that have played super rugby before, or have atleast had plenty of exposure to the tournament.
Logistics is much easier than Argentina and the Afrikaner guys still have a better understanding of English than the Argies.
Things may change in a few years time, but I think our ties with SA through coaches/scouts should be utilized to its potential.
I like your thinking though!

i think the argie market is basically untapped by southern hemisphere rugby. with them being allowed into the rugby championship we should have targeted these back then.
missing out on an opportunity here. the ARU should bring them out on 457 visas and get them going here.

[WFDom]

i think the argie market is basically untapped by southern hemisphere rugby. with them being allowed into the rugby championship we should have targeted these back then.
missing out on an opportunity here. the ARU should bring them out on 457 visas and get them going here.

Trouble is they have been hugely tapped by Northern Hemisphere rugby. England and France have had their pickings I'm afraid!

[jono]

with the new laws in NH rugby restricting foreigners it might be worth another go

[WFDom]

with the new laws in NH rugby restricting foreigners it might be worth another go

I didn't know there were new laws Jono. Any idea what they are?

[jono]

I didn't know there were new laws Jono. Any idea what they are?

I cant find the article i was thinking of. thought it was something in Irish rugby. am now unsure if the changes went ahead. was a few years ago now. i must have been mistaken

as you were I guess.

[Rex Messup]

Buy backs with speed. That is it. The pack is awesome.

[Rex Messup]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwNWviK5z0Q&feature=kp

[sittingbison]

Rex, THIS is the vlip you were thinking about...

[Alison]

Rocket Rod is off the list - he's just signed with Biarritz

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/su...-1226950226606

[The InnFORCEr]

That's OK the ARU are putting together a special package to lure Karmichael Hunt to the Force

[Jeansyjive]

That's OK the ARU are putting together a special package to lure Karmichael Hunt to the Force

Serious? Or is my sarcasm detecter malfuctioning =) Has he ever played rugby union?

As for Rod Davies I don't think he is that great, I watch him play for Reds A vs Force A earlier in the season at Aquinas and he didn't even stand out in that game. We have a number of wingers better then him.

[The InnFORCEr]

Serious? Or is my sarcasm detecter malfuctioning =) Has he ever played rugby union?

As for Rod Davies I don't think he is that great, I watch him play for Reds A vs Force A earlier in the season at Aquinas and he didn't even stand out in that game. We have a number of wingers better then him.

He was a three coder before Izzy - Karmichael has already done his French stint

You may a have a malfunction though

[The InnFORCEr]

Jamie Pandaram
The Daily Telegraph
June 08, 2014 10:00PM


TWELVE months after playing Test rugby for the first time, Israel Folau is now undoubtedly one of the most dangerous players in the world and Australia’s most important attacking ace.

It leads to questions over whether Karmichael Hunt – who like Folau has played three footy codes professionally and is now linked with a move to Australian rugby – is needed by the Wallabies.

Folau is paid handsomely for his on-field exploits and undeniable marketing reach, so would it be wise for the ARU to dip into its shrinking coin purse for another triple-code star?

Absolutely.

What the rapid success of Folau shows is that athletes who possess such rare and gifted qualities are worth the risk.

Hunt, who has already played six months of professional rugby in France between stints in the NRL and AFL, could make the transition and make a difference.

Hopefully Hunt’s management is not merely using the ARU as a bargaining chip to bump up his asking price at NRL clubs, now that he seems destined to leave AFL club Gold Coast Suns at the end of the season.

If it is purely about the dollars, Hunt is better off talking exclusively to French clubs who have millions of them to splash and offer a tax rate of 10 per cent.

An attempt by the ARU to snare Hunt can be worthwhile investment if they secure him on a deal of two years or more.

There is an elephant in the rooms of its St Leonards headquarters that few want to think too deeply about; there will be a mass exodus of Australian players after next year’s World Cup.

Folau will be tempted, Quade Cooper will be tempted, Will Genia has already indicated he’ll take a hard look at overseas dollars, and you’d expect Adam Ashley-Cooper, Stephen Moore, Kurtley Beale, Scott Fardy, Nick Cummins, Wycliff Palu and several others to be inundated by big money offers.

Already facing a cash crisis, the ARU simply will not be able to match many of the offers flowing from France, England and Japan, and those who have played in their final World Cup won’t feel the emotional attachment to the national jersey as they do now.

What the ARU could acquire in Hunt is a potentially great rugby player and powerful marketing tool who can keep the local game in the headlines post exodus.

In his exceptional NRL career, Hunt showed traits that mark him as an ideal midfield rugby candidate; fearless hard running, deft passing skills, acceleration through tight spaces, and strong defence.

If the Queensland Reds - who are chasing Hunt - can land his signature, playing him at inside centre, outside Cooper, would fast-track his learning and help him to develop as both a runner and playmaker.

Judging by Sunday’s performance against the Sydney Swans, Hunt has lost none of his athleticism and speed, but there is little doubt his skill-set suits the more confrontational, rectangular settings of league or union.

Speculation that Hunt could be capable of cracking Ewen McKenzie’s Wallabies squad for the 2015 World Cup in England is premature, but Folau has set a precedent.

The Wallabies fullback was imperious against France last Saturday, as he has been all year for the Waratahs.

Folau followed Hunt as the only other man to play professionally in league, Australian Rules and rugby.

If Hunt now wants to follow Folau into the Wallabies, the ARU should pave the path for him.

The undeniable importance of Folau’s tenure is that people who previously had no interest in rugby have started to watch the game.

That is the whole point for any sport.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/is...-1226947512276

[Alison]

How do they know that "people who previously had no interest in rugby have started to watch the game"?? And how do they know it's all down to Folau?? I want to see figures to back that up. Otherwise it's nothing more than pure conjecture.

I hate the whole concept of 'parachuting' cash cows into our game. I know it's to try and stop the code going belly up financially, but I still hate it. It's a kick in the guts to guys who've committed to rugby their whole lives and have made sacrifices that guys like Folau have never had to.

End of rant