Aussie Player Exodus

[Braveheart81]

Yeah will be interesting. It won’t cost them much to keep him but considering how fast the cut has come I don’t think they see much potential there at all

At this point it mostly means he won't make their 53 man roster (which wasn't going to happen anyway).

He's injured so before he gets put on their injury reserve or practice squad they have to waive him (and give other teams a chance to sign him). Assuming he makes it through waivers they then can either put him on IR (and later sign him to their practice squad) or cut him completely with an injury settlement.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

This dudes body is a serious issue.

He’s likely to have the NFL push sides to at least pick him up for the year because he’s part of a program. It costs the teams nothing. (Depending on the injury of course)

Timing wise if he chose to come back to Rugby it works fine for the start of next year but he’ll need a fair bit of conditioning to transition back. Especially given his injury rate.

Can’t see the NRL taking a swing on him tbh. Can’t see how he can get through 24 rounds.

 

[Major Tom]

I just read another Qld red academy prop has been poached by France.

University of Queensland loosehead prop Kingbenjamin Swerling is living proof that a strong club rugby campaign can open doors, both in Australia and abroad.

The highly-skilled wrecking ball will be taking up a Top 14 Academy contract with French team Castres Olympique upon the conclusion of the club season.

That’s 4 in the last 18 months.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

That names going to sound outrageous with a French accent.

 

[Wilson]

I just read another Qld red academy prop has been poached by France.

University of Queensland loosehead prop Kingbenjamin Swerling is living proof that a strong club rugby campaign can open doors, both in Australia and abroad.

The highly-skilled wrecking ball will be taking up a Top 14 Academy contract with French team Castres Olympique upon the conclusion of the club season.

That’s 4 in the last 18 months.

Any relation to Nuku Swerling?

 

[JRugby2]

Any relation to Nuku Swerling?

younger brother I believe

 

[PhilClinton]

Has Kingbenjamin played much 1st grade or is it mostly Colts 1?

 

[Crashy]

I'm convinced we need much bigger academies - much like what the Swans do in Sydney. By all means make them play club footy as normal but we have to sign as many of these players up as we can before the cheese eating surrender monkeys keep pillaging our talent.

 

[PhilClinton]

I'm convinced we need much bigger academies - much like what the Swans do in Sydney. By all means make them play club footy as normal but we have to sign as many of these players up as we can before the cheese eating surrender monkeys keep pillaging our talent.

Sign them with what? A bag of Doritos and Phil Waugh autographed training shirt?

Every one of our main competitors for young players have a more commercially successful product and more money than us.

 

[Adam84]

Yes money is the issue... But I 100% agree we need bigger squads, I'm certain it's one of the reasons Australia lost the likes of Meafou to France. He trialled with the Rebels and Tahs, he was clearly talented and teams noticed, but when he was in Australia he was well short of pulling on a Super Rugby matchday jersey. He was a project player who needed about 18-24months of investment in a professional S&C environment for him to perform at the top level, of which Australia Super Rugby squads dont have the space to carry, but French clubs do.

A lot of these props French clubs are signing need about 2-3 years of investment before they're at the professional standard also, and Australian clubs already run a tightrope of juggling signing players for their potential, versus their on-field ability today.

Australia Super Rugby squads have reduced in size from where they were in 2005 through successive enterprise agreeements.

 

[Major Tom]

Has Kingbenjamin played much 1st grade or is it mostly Colts 1?

Mostly colts. He’s played a game of HC (rd13) He’s either finishing school or 1 year out.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

They do what the NRL does. NRL clubs can have a top 30 then about another 20 in the development category. After that they have a team worth of players in every age group who are signed to the Club. They can’t move without permission or being released. Some of these guys get very small amounts of money (5-10k) but it’s enough to keep them in the ecosystem. Rugby may have find a way to start giving the 16s and 18s boys a retainer. But also a way to tell France to fuck off ORRR pay a release which may then pay for the next 3-4 players here.

 

[Adam84]

Wiping $60million in debt will save RA about $6million in annual interest repayments. Amongst other things, it would be good if some of that could be put to squad sizes/academies.

 

[PhilClinton]

He was a project player who needed about 18-24months of investment in a professional S&C environment for him to perform at the top level, of which Australia Super Rugby squads dont have the space to carry, but French clubs do.

I mentioned this program in the Reds threads recently - but why not bring back the National Talent Squads?

The squads were specifically implemented to capture 14/15 yr olds who received year round nutritional advice, guided gym sessions and weekly skills sessions.

Also, they weren't just identifying the absolute cream of the crop - I recall plenty of project players who made it through 2-3 years of the program before being cut loose.

 

[Strewthcobber]

One of the issues is that we follow the letter of the WR (World Rugby) guidelines around contracting U18s (in that we don't do it). The French clubs are less stringent around that

4.5.12 No Union, Rugby Body or Club shall enter into an agreement with any Player which enables the Player to receive Material Benefit unless:

(a) such Player has reached the age of contractual majority within the jurisdiction of such Union, Rugby Body, or Club; or

(b) in the case of Players under the age of contractual majority who are aged 16 years or over, unless such Material Benefit takes the form of a non refundable financial grant to be applied only for the purposes of a Player’s academic and/or vocational training for a period of 12 months or longer.

 

[Major Tom]

One of the issues is that we follow the letter of the WR (World Rugby) (World Rugby) guidelines around contracting U18s (in that we don't do it). The French clubs are less stringent around that

I mean is there any evidence that French clubs aren’t doing exactly what the guideline say you can do?

 

[TSR]

Ted Condon?

He’s just a bloke they signed because of his size. He’s 22, still in the Academy and seems like doesn’t get a game.

He’ll have a great MLR career. Seems like a Greg Peterson repeat.

I think Ted is a really good news story about French rugby from an Australian perspective. I know him a little being a CQ boy. From my recollection he always featured heavily in local rep but I’m not sure he was ever on the radar for anything higher. When he finished school he was playing league and Union and, like most of those kids locally I figured we’d probably eventually lose him altogether as most of his mates were playing league.

But he is a big human and had enough foresight to line himself up with an opportunity to go spend a couple of years in France, and enough self assurance to back himself to have a crack at it. Will he make it further than that - no idea. Good kid, and I’d love to see it but I think it’s very unlikely. However worst case he spends a couple of great years in another country playing rugby, getting an education and getting paid for it. Which is more than a whole bunch of his mates who were all more highly rated at school will get to do.

And I refer to it often when I’m talking to a lot of local kids who have a good frame to play in the tight 5. Rugby might not have the profile of league but it does offer some fantastic opportunities that league simply doesn’t.

I do think it’s regrettable that France are raidinibg you talent in other countries but I can also see that in Ted’s case they’ve given him an opportunity no one else was offering.

 

[Highlander35]

France is France. You have 30 teams playing professional seasons in excess of 30 games, plus at least another half a dozen in the Nationale with ambitions of professionalism with 25+ games.

Shit needs so many players.

 

[Rebel man]

Yes money is the issue... But I 100% agree we need bigger squads, I'm certain it's one of the reasons Australia lost the likes of Meafou to France. He trialled with the Rebels and Tahs, he was clearly talented and teams noticed, but when he was in Australia he was well short of pulling on a Super Rugby matchday jersey. He was a project player who needed about 18-24months of investment in a professional S&C environment for him to perform at the top level, of which Australia Super Rugby squads dont have the space to carry, but French clubs do.

A lot of these props French clubs are signing need about 2-3 years of investment before they're at the professional standard also, and Australian clubs already run a tightrope of juggling signing players for their potential, versus their on-field ability today.

Australia Super Rugby squads have reduced in size from where they were in 2005 through successive enterprise agreeements.

It’s not squad size that’s the issue it’s the short season and lack of rugby. If we carried another 5-10 development players how many minutes would they see? Where those longer European seasons give squad players an opportunity as you have to manage your roster

 

[Strewthcobber]

Christie with some R360 rumours at the Roar

The Roar last week revealed that 148 people had signed conditional contracts to join the league, including two current Wallabies. Several other Wallabies, including Taniela Tupou, Len Ikitau and Fraser McReight, have turned down approaches.

Last week, Jye Gray, the rising South Sydney back who enjoyed a background in the XV-man game at the Southport School, became the latest NRL player to attract interest from R360. The talented back is managed by Clinton Schifcofske – the former cross-coder, who manages Wallabies young gun Max Jorgensen.

Other NRL stars to have been linked to the game include Ryan Papenhuyzen, Kayln Ponga, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Nelson Asofa-Solomona.