Interesting that Genia is indicating that the months-long uncertainty over his stay-or-go negotiations impacted his form:
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...-queensland-reds/story-fn8t7efs-1226343103194
If we look at the RG transfer dramas, and now this, and other ongoing, distracting speculations, there must be a case for establishing a fixed transfer window in Aus rugby, a fixed period out of season when and only when formal discussions and new contracts for changed Aus-based coaching and player positions can take place. Tough if this doesn't correlate with the NH season, that's a manageable problem.
No one can argue that the recent machinations with RG and WG (as examples, there's more to come) have been anything other than negative for the total game and actually or potentially destructive for most parties involved when taking place mid-season.
Remember as well that when the Force came in, the other 3 franchises were given plenty of warning and signed all of their big name players straight up to protect them.
The Force were forced by the way their introduction went, to look to whatever players they could get their hands on. The Reds were picked on because they had not got their act together well enough to protect their top players.
I remember seeing an interview with someone from Force recruitment (cant remember who) saying that basically any super rugby experienced player who was not on contract was offered something, and they accepted all who were keen - there was just a fear that players wouldnt want to make the move to an experimental team.
Blaming the Force is not the way to go. If I were a QLD fan, I would blame the QLD management for being so inept as to not be able to sign their star players like the Brumbies and Tahs did.
And in regard to players in Perth, and the Force not having many players from Perth yet, consider this.
We need to assume that to succeed in rugby, someone needs to have played it from juniors upwards.
If a 12 year old decided to sign up and play rugby when the Force first arrived then they would now be 18. They would just be in the academy.
The growth has been recent so we need to check the player stocks from WA in the U20s and Aus Schoolboys, and there is a good representation in there from WA. This suggests that the Force is working on bringing talent through.
It will take IMO 10 more years for the Force to really start producing talent that reflects their playing numbers, as that is the time taken for someone starting today as a 10 year old junior to move through the system.