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Thread: Western Force player poaching for Global Rapid Rugby ‘can’t be bad’, according to Sco

  1. #16
    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alison View Post
    Just saw an interview Deegan gave after coming off the field ....
    So how did he respond? Did he put the questioner right or toe the line?

    P.S. A pathway for players is fine. But as has been said, half a dozen per year will be unsustainable when the Force are trying to win a competition. But no use worrying about a future that's unclear. I still can see a real possibility that SR will crash and burn.
    ,

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    Last edited by shasta; 02-02-20 at 18:20.

  2. #17
    Legend Contributor Alison's Avatar
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    He toed the line. Said it was much more physical

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  3. #18
    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alison View Post
    He toed the line. Said it was much more physical
    To be fair, I'd agree with that. It's become a collision sport. The attractive thing with RR is the players' first instincts seem to be to run and create space or run to it. Rather than look to a collision and soak up defenders. The rule variations encourage it.

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  4. #19
    Legend Contributor Alison's Avatar
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    Maybe a feature of Wessels’ coaching too.

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    Champion SPaRTAN's Avatar
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    I heard a rumour that the current Force roster gets paid like shit. No surprises considering the level the players are at, but surely they had enough dough to stop Deegan leaving or the 6 others? I guess players follow the $$$

    Any ideas how much the top Force player earns? I wouod assume its Jeremy Thrush? Considering he is a pretty average buy I assume even his pay would be quite low?

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  6. #21
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    I think Deegan and Fines signed while there was uncertainty about whether GRR would happen this year. I believe that some of the 6 really wanted to stay with the Force.

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    I think there’s an element of RA attitude here . The players believe that based in WA they won’t get a fair go at the Wallabies jersey ....So they are forced to make the decision move east to try improve their chances . At a guess I can’t see any real joy for Deegan moving to a losing no culture team or Fines sitting on the bench hoping to get a run ...maybe

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    Last edited by bootsetal06; 04-02-20 at 08:46.

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    Legend Contributor Alison's Avatar
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    That’s it in a nutshell I think, Bootsetal.

    For guys like Deegan and Fines, they will have to join an east coast franchise to have any chance of representative honours. At least until such time as WA is allowed back in from the cold.

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  9. #24
    Champion SPaRTAN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alison View Post
    That’s it in a nutshell I think, Bootsetal.

    For guys like Deegan and Fines, they will have to join an east coast franchise to have any chance of representative honours. At least until such time as WA is allowed back in from the cold.
    Heaps of players dont care for representation honours though, just look how many players have left during the heights of their careers, the Wallaby jersey just doesnt have the same allure to it as it once had. Even in NZL you have Umaga nephew playing in England and countless others that left before getting an All Black cap. Its all about cold hard cash in this day and age, its all about the moolah, show me the money $$$

    If GRR pay peanuts then thats all they will get, most players wont take up a contract because they may or may not make the Wallabies when others are offering good coin. A good example is the All Black Charles Piatau who left NZL chasing cash, even when selected he wasnt convinced to stay in the All Black setup.

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    Veteran Sheikh's Avatar
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    Do you know how much the Force players are actually on? I can't find mention of it anywhere, and there's probably no hard information out there until the 2019/20 annual report gets issued (and even then I'd be surprised if all wages aren't lumped in together).

    The average for a Super Rugby players is about $225k, although I'm not sure if this includes Wallaby top-ups. A-league soccer players get an average of ~$190k, cricketers get ~$200k, while AFL salaries average about $360k and NRL ~$370k.

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  11. #26
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    I think that the issue at hand is the perception of the competition value that Global Rapid Rugby brings to the table. Those experts on the East Coast, wearing their Green-colored glasses. And those on the West Coast with the Blue-colored glasses. I appear to be stuck in the middle with my rose-colored glasses.

    At the start of the FoxSports broadcast of the Brumbies v Reds game on the weekend. Super Rugby was referred to as the Best Provincial Rugby Competition in the world. Personally I don't think that statement is true. And hasn't been true in about 8-10 years. For the record - It was Greg Clark making the outlandish statement.

    I don't believe that Greg Clark is influential in the overall scheme of Australian Rugby. But, that is part of the attitude that we are dealing with. Any Competition that isn't Super Rugby is considered a lesser competition. So, if Global Rapid Rugby is considered a lesser competition. Then it stands to reason that those participating in GRR are of a lower standard compared to the players from Super Rugby.

    GRR features the Western Force along with teams from Fiji, Samoa, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and China. A quick look on the World Rugby Rankings page has Fiji ranked 11, Samoa 15, Hong Kong 21, Malaysia 49 and China 80. And it's fair to say that the players making up those squads are not that Nations best and brightest. Those players are plying their trade in Europe or Japan or North America. Competing in the GRR will improve the standards of Rugby and will in all likelihood improve the standard and ranking of the participating nations. But that will take time.

    In the meantime, I believe that it is fair to say that Global Rapid Rugby and the Western Force's participation in that competition is going to be seen as less than Super Rugby. But what it does do - is put Western Australian born and or bred Rugby Union players in the spotlight to be seen by the recruiting staff of the East Coast Super Teams. It is a tribute to the Future Force Foundation and the Western Force as an organisation that 6 Western Force players have signed on to play Super Rugby and hopefully, one day, make the Wallabies squad.

    Is the loss of 6 players each year sustainable? Honestly, I think it is. As Global Rapid Rugby grows in popularity and the love of the Western Force increases. So to will the local player base to Club Rugby in Perth. Two cliches to remember; "Nature abhors a vacuum" and "Cream rises to the top" 6 Players moving east creates the opportunity for 6 new players to move into those gaps left in the Force Squad.

    Andrew Forrest, Matt Hodgson, and Mindaroo foundation rescued the Western Force and developed Global Rapid Rugby to ensure that Western Australian Rugby players had a path for advancement to the highest level of Rugby Union in this country. I see this is a great first step.

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    Legend Contributor Alison's Avatar
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    Neither the RA annual report nor the financial statements lodged with ASIC would ever contain that level of transparency, Sheikh! It’s impossible to break down a lot of the figures for things like salaries and player costs. Plus, they keep changing the way they present the financial statements, which makes it very hard to do year on year comparisons.

    As for the GRR players, I think that with the exception of the Force players (who would be contracted for both GRR and NRC), they are all on short-term contracts that only cover the duration of the GRR season.

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    Is the loss of 6 players each year sustainable? Honestly, I think it is. As Global Rapid Rugby grows in popularity and the love of the Western Force increases. So to will the local player base to Club Rugby in Perth. Two cliches to remember; "Nature abhors a vacuum" and "Cream rises to the top" 6 Players moving east creates the opportunity for 6 new players to move into those gaps left in the Force Squad.

    Andrew Forrest, Matt Hodgson, and Mindaroo foundation rescued the Western Force and developed Global Rapid Rugby to ensure that Western Australian Rugby players had a path for advancement to the highest level of Rugby Union in this country. I see this is a great first step.“

    Matt was asked this very question on the Force being used as a feeder team at one of the question times before a GRR game last year, and his words to the effect were that if players leave, we’ll just keep churning ‘em out. The more the merrier. Honestly, seeing the talent that a lot of these guys coming through the clubs, I certainly agree that there’s more opportunity hence the bar lifts, and GRR will only benefit.

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    Probably explains the RA attitude towards GRR then...that's basically an explicit statement that the Force is a feeder for SR and basically set up as a HP academy on Twiggy's dime. Must have been music to their ears.

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    Quote Originally Posted by .X. View Post
    I think that the issue at hand is the perception of the competition value that Global Rapid Rugby brings to the table. Those experts on the East Coast, wearing their Green-colored glasses. And those on the West Coast with the Blue-colored glasses. I appear to be stuck in the middle with my rose-colored glasses.

    At the start of the FoxSports broadcast of the Brumbies v Reds game on the weekend. Super Rugby was referred to as the Best Provincial Rugby Competition in the world. Personally I don't think that statement is true. And hasn't been true in about 8-10 years. For the record - It was Greg Clark making the outlandish statement.

    I don't believe that Greg Clark is influential in the overall scheme of Australian Rugby. But, that is part of the attitude that we are dealing with. Any Competition that isn't Super Rugby is considered a lesser competition. So, if Global Rapid Rugby is considered a lesser competition. Then it stands to reason that those participating in GRR are of a lower standard compared to the players from Super Rugby.

    GRR features the Western Force along with teams from Fiji, Samoa, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and China. A quick look on the World Rugby Rankings page has Fiji ranked 11, Samoa 15, Hong Kong 21, Malaysia 49 and China 80. And it's fair to say that the players making up those squads are not that Nations best and brightest. Those players are plying their trade in Europe or Japan or North America. Competing in the GRR will improve the standards of Rugby and will in all likelihood improve the standard and ranking of the participating nations. But that will take time.

    In the meantime, I believe that it is fair to say that Global Rapid Rugby and the Western Force's participation in that competition is going to be seen as less than Super Rugby. But what it does do - is put Western Australian born and or bred Rugby Union players in the spotlight to be seen by the recruiting staff of the East Coast Super Teams. It is a tribute to the Future Force Foundation and the Western Force as an organisation that 6 Western Force players have signed on to play Super Rugby and hopefully, one day, make the Wallabies squad.

    Is the loss of 6 players each year sustainable? Honestly, I think it is. As Global Rapid Rugby grows in popularity and the love of the Western Force increases. So to will the local player base to Club Rugby in Perth. Two cliches to remember; "Nature abhors a vacuum" and "Cream rises to the top" 6 Players moving east creates the opportunity for 6 new players to move into those gaps left in the Force Squad.

    Andrew Forrest, Matt Hodgson, and Mindaroo foundation rescued the Western Force and developed Global Rapid Rugby to ensure that Western Australian Rugby players had a path for advancement to the highest level of Rugby Union in this country. I see this is a great first step.
    Well said X. I can see GRR following in the footsteps of MLR, slow starting but give it a few years and as the quality and support improves and suddenly you have all these ex-internationals wanting to be involved and bringing a step change improvement in the competition.

    I’ve watched a few MLR games and while there is lots of mistakes etc they were still enjoyable. Just like GRR. Are these comps going to reach super rugby quality? Probably not and I’m not really sure I would want them to, the games just feel more enjoyable.

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