Aussie Player Exodus

[A mutterer]

If you're going to throw grenades, eventually you'll get a fish.

it helps to sell his rag. but perhaps this is just the beginning of him spreading his wings as a self-published fiction author?

 

[qwerty51]

 

[Wilson]

Troubling, but who knows how many of those will come off. Worth noting that they've also said Folau is more likely to go to Japan:


Whatever happens with sabbaticals I hope the ARU allows players to play for the new Argentinian and potential Asian sides and still get selected.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Doubtful. They don't allow them to play for NZ or SA sides currently. They only begrudgingly select players from the Force by necessity!

 

[Slim 293]

I doubt many would be surprised if Moore and Alexander went o/s after the World Cup...........

 

[wamberal]

If Folau goes anywhere, it will be back to loig. They will throw the bank at him, to hurt us. And it will hurt a lot if he goes. How many mill a year is he worth, I wonder, to our game?

 

[qwerty51]

I actually don't think he's any chance of going back to be honest. He's loving rugby in Sydney, the only reason he would leave would be money. Rugby whether in France or Japan could pay him much more than any NRL team could.

 

[wamberal]

The NRL will buy him back, I have absolutely no doubt about it. If he is interested, they will pay whatever it takes. It will not be up to individual clubs, it will be funded by the NRL itself(or most of it will, obviously the lucky club will have to pay a fair whack, but the big bucks will fall out of the sky).

 

[Omar Comin']

If Izzy wants to go back to league they'll pay for it. But if he wants to stay I think he'll get the same or more money to do so.

Remember when the 'friends of the Waratahs' tried to sign Andrew Johns? If the ARU had backed the signing he would have come over.

I wonder if the same or other friends will pitch in to keep Izzy?

I'd guess his marketing value is higher in rugby than in league. There's a story about him in the paper every 2nd day and his profile is now pretty big throughout the rugby world. If he has a brilliant world cup it'll skyrocket even more, and part of that will be tied to him playing for the Wallabies.

I think Sonny Bill's profile has fallen away a little bit since he went back to league. He's competing with more players for media space in league, and really only in Australia.

 

[Train Without a Station]

Can the NRL just open the chequebook? As soon as they do another 10 stars will be crying poor and putting their hand out for more. Yes the NRL have funds, but they still need to exercise prudence or they may not have those funds forever.

 

[It is what it is]

Can the NRL just open the chequebook? As soon as they do another 10 stars will be crying poor and putting their hand out for more. Yes the NRL have funds, but they still need to exercise prudence or they may not have those funds forever.

Spot on TWAS. The NRL have gone loud and proud about their plans to retain and recruit whoever they want to BUT there is no substance to their plans.

 

[Train Without a Station]

All it will do is raise the market values of players and put more pressure on their salary cap

 

[qwerty51]

Once Izzy experiences the World Cup it should make him stay, he'll realise just how much of a global star he can/could be in rugby.

 

[TOCC]

Can the NRL just open the chequebook? As soon as they do another 10 stars will be crying poor and putting their hand out for more. Yes the NRL have funds, but they still need to exercise prudence or they may not have those funds forever.

Exactly, next minute you will have the likes of Inglis, Hayne, Smith, Cronk, Burgess etc etc all threatening to head overseas unless they also receive a substantial top-up from the NRL.. The NRL might have a big bank balance, but the NRL as an organisation have been frugal and constrained when it comes to player wages since the debacle of the Super League war.

 

[Train Without a Station]

They can obviously offer more now, but there are still limitations and in Folau's case the ARU would likely be able to match it

 

[Tordah]

Once Izzy experiences the World Cup it should make him stay, he'll realise just how much of a global star he can/could be in rugby.

not after the Wallabies crash out in the pool stages

But seriously, I don't know much about League, but I doubt he'd go back there with the offers available in rugby. I'd be surprised if he stays in rugby in Australia, though.

 

[wamberal]

I admire everybody's optimism. I think you chaps are underestimating the depth of angst that losing Folau caused to the mungoes.

First they lost him to the AFL at a time when there was huge concern about their incursions into Western Sydney. Then they managed to bungle his return to the Eels. I am certain that they will move heaven and earth to get him back.

If it comes down to money, they have got deeper pockets than we do, unfortunately. The arguments that some of you have made about precedents apply equally to the precedent that would be set if a rich supporter decided to dig deep to keep Izzy in our game. It cuts both ways. They have a deeper pool, our pool of marquee players is very shallow indeed. How many players draw like Izzy in our code? They could afford to lose a few if it came to a bidding war, we simply cannot afford to lose any drawcards of Izzy's standing.

I hope I am wrong, but I fear the worst. Incidentally, we are very lucky that Johns did not switch to rugby, frankly. Some of his off-field habits have no place in our player ranks.

As for whether or not he would go back to loig, remember, he grew up in loig, his brother plays, and SOO is bigger to mungoes than anything else in their little lives. And it happens every single year, unlike RWCs. The travel drawcard in rugby is over-rated, IMHO. How many times do you want to fly back and forth to Seth Efrica in one lifetime, let alone Argentina?

 

[Train Without a Station]

It's only from Danny Weidler so I'm taking it with a grain of salt, but the word is the natives are already restless at the thought of the NRL coughing up a little cash for Folau.

 

[Train Without a Station]

NRL's top stars silently fume over cash stash

The NRL is about to be hit by a new issue - the game's elite players are fuming about the decision to allow the game's boss Dave Smith to throw money at players from outside the game as he deems fit. And it's a move that could cost the code a star like Greg Inglis - who is again on the radar of French rugby sides. Inglis could make at least 50 per cent more than he is at present, and with half the effort. It's a move that will tempt the Souths star, as well as others who are in his class. What may hold him back is the fact he has just become a father. The opportunity is knocking loudly. The marquee player fund has been the talk of the elite in the game in recent weeks, even more than the scheduling and workload they are forced to endure. The elite players think - quite reasonably - that if Smith can find the money to lure an Israel Folau back to the NRL, or poach a big name from AFL, where is the money for them? What triggered the angst was the Andrew Fifita $850,000-a-year offer from the Bulldogs. And it was re-enforced by the offer made to James Tedesco by the Raiders for $800,000. With many big-name players locked into long-term deals, they would not be getting that kind of money, even with increases in their salary tied to the increase in the TV deal and the salary cap. Toss in the workload of 30-plus games and their argument has validity. The issue for players is they are perceived as greedy if they speak up about their salaries. When you consider that the game has additional funding to throw at outsiders, if it regards them as special enough, the elite players do have a point.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrls-top-stars-silently-fume-over-cash-stash-20140628-3b0e6.html#ixzz36A5woKJt

 

[Braveheart81]

I agree with TWAS, TOCC etc. on this. The NRL might have the funds available to buy marquee players from other sports but they'll open a can of worms that will cost them more if they do it.

The other NRL players couldn't give a stuff if Israel Folau is playing union, league or tiddlywinks. They would very quickly start caring if no expense was spared to recruit those players back into the game whilst they remain on a lower salary despite never leaving the code.

They are already getting antsy that the NRL is generating more revenue and building up a warchest rather than sharing it amongst the players. If the NRL starts building up too much of a surplus you can guarantee that the players will argue for a higher percentage of the game's revenue next time they renew their collective bargaining agreement.

In my opinion the NRL has more to lose by throwing huge money at someone like Folau than they have to gain.