Force wants Super Rugby draft

[AndyS]

Agree with much of that - I can't see much value in a draft. If it is talent equalisation they want at the entry level to Super Rugby, it is the relative splits of the development money they need to look at. It won't do anything to address the stacking of teams with senior talent.

[Tonkar]

The coach of Australia's wealthiest and arguably most powerful Super Rugby franchise has backed the creation of a draft system to spread talent more evenly among the five teams.

I remember this mob asking the ARU for more money a few yrs back as they were broke like QLD

[shasta]

Understand the criticisms. But at least it seems the boss is making some headway. He's done well already with player dispensations. Any improvement is better than the present corruption.

[James]

I reckon a draft would create a lot of headaches. We are better off focusing on the WA talent pool and supplementing it from outside Australia. Have some exciting young players coming through. I don't reckon it will be too long before we are into the double figures of local players in the Force squad.

[shasta]

I reckon a draft would create a lot of headaches. We are better off focusing on the WA talent pool and supplementing it from outside Australia. Have some exciting young players coming through. I don't reckon it will be too long before we are into the double figures of local players in the Force squad.

Fair point. But bringing through local talent is not the only mission. Playing and winning finals is priority #1. That requires more top flight Wallabies.

[GIGS20]

Is a more equitable contracting system looking a little more likely?...........

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/un...11-10fi6r.html

Not without scrapping top ups, we will see a slew of 18 year olds heading west because they're drafted, playing out their two years as a starter in a routinely beaten side, doing the hard yards, learning the hard lessons and then running back "home" to an ARU top up and a house on the north shore.

No wonder Cheika is in favour of it.

[GIGS20]

Fair point. But bringing through local talent is not the only mission. Playing and winning finals is priority #1. That requires more top flight Wallabies.

True, but there is more than one way to skin the finals cat.

If we get a good pool of talent from areas where they aren't looking east every five minutes we will build a consistent squad.....with smart contracting we will improve that squad incrementally and over time become REGULAR finals contenders. Sometime along that journey, we will see good, talented blokes looking our way from the east for a genuine chance to play finals rather than using us as an opportunity to get noticed by the Tahs.

At least that's the way I'd prefer we ran it.