Leaguies' flirtation with union just a cash crush
All this talk about rugby league converts returning to ''the greatest game of all'' and ''seeing the light'' is hard to take when you look at what has actually transpired.
First, Wendell Sailor. Well, he had no choice. He also had a career screaming for him in the media and has put rugby league back on the map as far as off-field entertainment goes. It is a credit to Wendell.
Timana Tahu struggled with the concept of playing off the bench and simply thought rugby was going to be easier than it was. Do you really believe he left union to take a pay cut? I can only imagine that Tahu, as a father of three, had a financial incentive.
Lote Tuqiri, who lost his contract, has received nothing but praise for his time in rugby, and why wouldn't he? He has handled every question designed to elicit a negative response to our game with grace and honesty. His union legacy will remain intact for that reason. Some people now say he is a rugby player converting to league.
Mark Gasnier, rugby league royalty, was in the form of his life when he said ''so long'' to St George Illawarra. He made it clear his conversion was a financial decision. Then there is the extreme case of Sonny Bill Williams.
Don't be fooled. Why would the greatest players in their sport flirt with playing rugby union?
Every NRL star coming off contact - Greg Inglis in 2008 and Benji Marshall in 2009 - plays the rugby card. Johnathan Thurston and Israel Folau have also shown interest. It becomes tiresome. Players such as Cameron Smith and Darren Lockyer should be paid more for not starting a media frenzy.
So why are all these players throwing their hats in the rugby ring? Leverage? The chance to travel the world and play for the Wallabies? The money? Here's your answer: rugby union does not have a salary cap.
Why wouldn't any young kid on the verge of professional supremacy want to play rugby? You read the criticism from some corners of the press that we are paid too much, but why wouldn't any parent want that for their children?
Every professional rugby union player has his education paid for by the Rugby Union Players Association. Basically, if you sign a contract, you have a scholarship for whatever field of study you desire.
The Australian Rugby Union is a pioneer when it comes to working conditions and player welfare.
Rugby offers the chance to travel across South Africa and New Zealand in our ''domestic'' competition, and the World Cup is watched by millions around the planet. And now with Argentina set join the Tri Nations, it has become an opportunity that only a golfer or tennis player would imagine.
If you finish the year successfully, we will fly you to Europe and you will play five times for your country in front of about 50,000 each week in Hong Kong, Rome, Paris, London and Dublin. Sound tempting?
Now if you show exceptional skills, speed, agility and endurance, we will give you the opportunity to play for a gold medal in a Commonwealth Games in rugby sevens; better still, if you are good at that, we will make you an Olympian.
Rugby's lows of the past 12 months are a hangover from a massive high in our game. Since the Lions tour in 2001 and the World Cup in our backyard in 2003, we saw the game hit crazy heights in 2004 and 2005. But a poor showing in the 2007 World Cup in France precipitated the downturn.
The crux of the matter is Australia has one of the toughest sports markets in the world. So how do we return to the summit? We don't compete with other codes; we concentrate on what is good in ours. We win back the fans who have wandered, and keep rugby's faithful and passionate supporters fulfilled with exciting rugby and silverware.
Current players need to do all they can to make sure we are accessible to schools and juniors. It is so important that the players accept being role models, and don't leave the responsibility for rugby solely in the hands of those sitting behind desks. We are all custodians.
In the meantime, performances on the field are paramount. The Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies are doing all they can. Let's hope they can all make the Super 14 finals to start a new ascent to the rugby Everest last scaled in 2005.
