Digby Going Going Gone

[Mambo No. 5]

Ioane to quit Force for Reds

30th April 2007, 13:00 WST
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ontentID=27417



The Western Force will announce this afternoon that they will release winger Digby Ioane to play for the Queensland Reds, on compassionate grounds.

The formal announcement will be made at a press conference scheduled to be held this afternoon.

While the Western Force had previously indicated they may take legal action if Ioane went ahead and joined the Queensland Reds, The West Australian understands that it is no longer the case.

The Force were dumbfounded when they discovered the Wallaby wing had done a two-year deal with the Reds, three weeks after verbally agreeing to stay in Perth for a similar period.

Speedster Ioane, 21, initially agreed to stay with the Force during the tour of New Zealand but a desire to be closer to his large family and disquiet over his place on the bench against the Brumbies last week led to an agreement with the Reds.

[Burgs]

Shame to see you go Digby but you aren't bigger than the team.
Plenty of others will cover all that, what annoys me is this type of preemptive story that is so prevalent in sport.
Why bother even having media conferences if everything has been already leaked before hand?!
If I was CEO of a sporting club and there were the traditional leaks man, there would be some heads spinning

[Mambo No. 5]

Agree totally Burgs!

He is a player of the future if he can continue this years form!

We had to loose someone that we didn't want to sooner or later.

[Flamethrower]

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ontentID=27408

After reading this I don't think Digby will be on Mitch's Christmas card list anymore.

[AndyS]

"It is a very difficult window for Australian rugby; it is something I have never encountered before in my coaching life. I think performance and competition should be kept separate from negotiations in a season." John Mitchell

People keep talking about changing the rules governing the contracting of players but I'd have to agree with our John, this is the first thing that needs to be sorted. Rumour I've heard is that, with contractual talks going on throughout the trip with a large number of players, the NZ tour was not a happy place for anyone.

I'd have thought that common sense should dictate that it will change anyway - one of the main objectives of the ARC should be to identify potential for the Super 14 teams and it would seem sensible to me to make the end of the year the common period for all contractual negotiations.

[gustafsl]

In most sports if you discussed a contract with a player while they were still in contract with another team it would be player tampering. Guess it goes both ways as we got Giteau well before the end of last year. Rugby players aren't exactly ones that would give up, but how can you trust a player to give his all on the field if he already knows he's going to a new team the next year, especially if they are playing against their new team.

[prop53]

bye bye Digby

[stejwill]

Can't say I'm that unhappy - he can run alright but has only recently learned to catch (without knocking-on).

[ruzfah]

Digby, hope you feel you made right decision. Who knows , looking back at this 'wonderful Force in the West, all of it', you might feel to come back -always assuming there will be a place again?

[Mtbeaver]

He probably did make the right decision.

He'll get a run on every game this way.

[WF2006]

Maybe he preferrs timber implements for stiring his baked beans!!!

He got one last year.................missed out on one this year..............so hes hoping for another for the next couple of years!!