Aussie Player Exodus

[PhilClinton]

There is no solution to this though in our current rugby economy. If we don't pay Fraser (who is clearly the best openside in the Australia) he will leave. And then we likely end up overpaying Tizzano to stay.

RA have made the right decision based on what we can afford and if Tizzano leaves, that is life.

If we look back at similar decisions recently, I don't think Liam Gill being unavailable for selection because he was in Japan is the reason why we haven't won a RWC for two decades, the guys who we paid ahead of him (Hooper and Pocock) have regularly been our best players. And I don't think Carlo Tizzano playing in Japan is going to be the reason we don't win another.

 

[Derpus]

Individually no... but together across all positions?

 

[PhilClinton]

I would say across most positions, we end up paying those 2nd, 3rd and 4th string guys quite well because particularly in the backs because they're interchangeable positionally.

Looking at the backs who've gone overseas recently, it was more whom I would consider our best players in each position at that time (Kerevi and Tom Banks come to mind) and they simply got offered massive cash that we couldn't match even for the top guys.

I think over recent history our openside flanker has pretty much been the best player in the team, with a unique skillset and has been paid accordingly. It then becomes hard to justify paying the second string openside a huge bucket of cash when they're likely not to play much.

 

[Drew]

I don't know enough about either player to be sure here, but my sense is Tizzano's temperament is a little different to Gills. I'd wager that the pull of the gold jersey would be stronger for Tizzano in factoring into his decision making.

I’m pretty sure that while in Europe he turned down the opportunity to play for Italy and chose to return to push for gold when he wasn’t as high up the pecking order

 

[PhilClinton]

There comes a time where it would be borderline negligent to turn down life changing cash.

From RA perspective an issue would be Tizzano is 25, his prime timeline is pretty much bang on the same as McReight. If Carlo were say 22 even I can see a situation where RA can probably justify a big contract in a few years to cover the expiring deal of McReight.

 

[LeCheese]

McReight picking up a lingering shoulder injury might ring some alarm bells at RA too - if he's out for any extended period, Tizzano's so far ahead of the other alternatives it isn't funny

 

[Strewthcobber]

Why not just pick him from overseas?

 

[PhilClinton]

Not to go down a rabbit hole but RA must be considering how much influence they should get over marquee players where the top up makes up a fair chunk of cash.

Ive made my position on some other threads clear around Taniela Tupou and I think RA dropped the ball on that investment when he’s clearly needed better support networks.

If for example we lose Tizzano and then McReight busts himself for the Reds and can’t play in the BIL tour, it’s really a bad position for RA and you wonder what type of conversation they’d want to have with the QRU leading up to RWC27.

 

[LeCheese]

Regardless of whether you think it's right or not, open-slather selection is clearly not on RA's mind at the moment.

 

[LeCheese]

Make centralisation chat toxic again

 

[Strewthcobber]

I agree with you. But he'd be Giteau eligible and wouldn't require any special new selection protocol.

For BiLs he'd still be under a RA contract.

I cannot imagine Schmidt being so crazy as to not select our best team for the Lions regardless of where they will be playing after the series

 

[LeCheese]

I forgot about the '5 seasons at Super level' component - he would be eligible, yes.

 

[Major Tom]

Isn’t playing home World Cup life changing?

 

[RebelYell]

They;re already influencing significantly with forced rest periods for players? What else can they do?

 

[PhilClinton]

Nothing stopping him for doing that currently and playing in Japan as he would be eligible for selection.

 

[PhilClinton]

That is my point…

It would be terrible for the Reds if they were ‘encouraged’ to rest McReight for extended periods of time for the benefit of the Wallabies.

I fear we may end up in that situation at some point before the RWC. But I am also torn because I know SRP (Super Rugby Pacific) is barely a needle mover compared to the impact for the longevity of our game as the Wallabies winning a BIL series or a RWC.

 

[Derpus]

Yeah but Super Rugby is a second rate competition that runs at a loss. Priorities be what they be.

 

[PhilClinton]

Yep which just adds layers to the whole paradox about spending heaps of money to keep our best players in a comp which is really just a feeder competition for the national team because the only thing that really matters is our national team being successful.

Are we better off spending that money to keep 1 Fraser McReight, or letting him be the one to go overseas, open the floodgates for selection so we can pick him for the Wallabies and use that same money to keep 3 Carlo Tizzano’s in Australia and/or sign the best 5 schoolboy players instead of letting the NRL get them.

 

[Derpus]

Inevitable, IMO.

 

[Adam84]

Do you know for a fact that McReight has signed for 3x what Tizzano would stay for..