Melbourne Rebels 2011

[jauzy19]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

OK - send us your namesake Jauzion instead. We'll find a spot for him somewhere. Poitrenaud is having a good season too, we'll take him off your hands.

Seriously i think Finau Maka could be a good prospect for the Rebels, he's out of contract and he won't be kept because he's often injured and he's 33 this year. If he can't be at 100% during a whole season in Europe (10 months), i think he could do a very good job in a shorter time.

 

[RugbyReg]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Wasps centre Lachlan Mitchell has been released by the Premiership club to return home to Australia.

The 22-year-old joined the then-Premiership champions in August 2008 on a two-year deal.

The former Sydney University student played at New South Wales Waratahs academy before moving to Adams Park.

Mitchell made 31 appearances in Wasps colours as both a regular support player for the first XV and in the club's A league side.

London Wasps confirmed on Monday that Lachlan Mitchell has been released from the club in order to return home to Australia.

The 22-year-old centre joined the Club in 2008 from Sydney University and has since made 31 appearances as a regular support player for the First XV and strong figure in the A League side.

Departing the Club last week, Wasps thanked him for his service and wish him well in his next endeavour back on home soil.

 

[Doc]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

fuck. We're getting pillaged again.

oh well, stiff upper lip, all for the good of Australian Rugby (grumble grumble)

I'd agree but this certainly isn't for the good of Australian rugby. Victorian rugby yes, but not Australian rugby and the Wallabies.

 

[Groucho]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

fuck. We're getting pillaged again.

oh well, stiff upper lip, all for the good of Australian Rugby (grumble grumble)

I'd agree but this certainly isn't for the good of Australian rugby. Victorian rugby yes, but not Australian rugby and the Wallabies.

I agree with Noddy. One of the weaknesses of Australian rugby has always been the queueing of emerging players behind established players at S14 level. We see players like Kingi, a Wallaby, going a full season at a crucial stage of their development with no full elite-level rugby games.

 

[RugbyReg]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

yeah, it is good for the Wallabies to be honest.

Guys like Kingi and Benny Tapuai need to be playing. And we don't really want guys like Lachie Mitchell playing overseas. We want them here in Oz.

 

[Geronimo]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

I agree with Noddy. One of the weaknesses of Australian rugby has always been the queueing of emerging players behind established players at S14 level. We see players like Kingi, a Wallaby, going a full season at a crucial stage of their development with no full elite-level rugby games.

The problem here is simple, Kingi is not yet S14 standard, let alone test standard.

 

[James Buchanan]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

The problem here is simple, Kingi is not yet S14 standard, let alone test standard.

I disagree that he's not S14 standard. He's definitely not test standard, but he won't get there without exposure to higher levels of the game. He won't get that exposure behind Genia.

 

[fatprop]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

I read somewhere (but I can't find the link :angryfire that Freier & the Rebels were looking for a 3 year contract. The ARU said that they would give Freier one and the Rebels could fill in the following two years top up.


Some of these older fringe players may lose their top ups, like Mortlock who I just can't see as a 3 year option as well.

 

[louie]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Kingi should be playing rugby. the more the better. We'll never know how good he can be if he it's on a bench.

having guys like Tim Davidson and Lachlan Mitchell play super 14 can only be a good thing.

The ARU shouldn't be topping up Freier or Mortlock. Neither of them will be playing for Australia anytime soon. their both past it. The ARU shouldn't waste their money

 

[Zinzan]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Are there any new confirmed signings or is it just me but does it seem like no one wants to play for the Rebels.

Can someone please post a list of who's signed & who's had talks & undecided.

 

[waratahjesus]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

its funny five teams in australia, the most important two who need to recruit are the rebels followed by the force and neither seem like there going to be able to get anyone they want. then the reds, tahs and brumbies possibly in that order locking downt he stars they already have at pace. no one seems keen on the move south or west really

 

[Lee Grant]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Have to agree about the Rebels benefiting Oz rugby.

As I've said before: it's not going to help Oz teams get to the finals because talent gets diluted, but it serves a lot of other purposes.

- whether or not the rumours are true about the likes of Freier, it gives a lifeline to players like them to get more starting game time and to be assessed better (and sooner) for national honours down the track.

- it increases the number of Oz professional players (once the foreigners leave) by 25% and I'm picking that there will be a bit of serendipity - that an odd Wallaby or two will be identified that would not have been had they been stuck behind other players in 4 teams.

- part of the above benefit is that young players will tend to stick around Oz more than they have before. They will still go overseas as will players who can't make the 5 matchday 22s and others who want to see the other side of the world whilst working, and travelling in summer in handy places in Europe - but we may be able to hang on to players like a Nathan Hines and dare I say it: a Brock James, who couldn't see a career path in Oz.

- it increases the number of coaching positions also.

Yarda, yarda - I have digressed from the topic - but to digress further..... The dilution of player ability in teams will be addressed a bit by the Rebel foreigners and will be turned around after a few years as the effect of decisions of Oz players not to go overseas in the first place kicks in.

Final digression - the 5th team and the conference system means that there will be 20 Oz derbies next year instead of the paltry 6 we have this year and the 3 we had in in the Super12. I expect that every one of us would like to have an ARC and 4 Super teams rather than 5 Super teams and no ARC. But since the ARC is not going to happen, the conference system will give us a defacto national comp and heighten interest.

5 teams will be our lot though; we will have passed the point of diminishing returns already with 5 and it will take yonks to bring the quality up.

 

[en_force_er]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Are there any new confirmed signings or is it just me but does it seem like no one wants to play for the Rebels.

I think it is more a case of nobody wants to be their first signing, because it means signing up to the unknown.

Once they force out 1 or 2 more good names a few more will come, then the floodgates will really open. They will be doing fine.

 

[RugbyReg]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Are there any new confirmed signings or is it just me but does it seem like no one wants to play for the Rebels.

Can someone please post a list of who's signed & who's had talks & undecided.

easy:

Confirmed signings = Danny Cipriani.

Rumoured = everyone else.

 

[Epi]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

I'm hearing they are finding it tough getting foreigners who basically want to rule themselves out of contention for RWC...

 

[Blue]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

I'm hearing they are finding it tough getting foreigners who basically want to rule themselves out of contention for RWC...

Hardly a surprise.

Anyone who has WC squad ambitions won't make any move like this.

I must say it's not looking good unless they are keeping some high profile negotiations under wraps. Early days I guess / hope.

 

[Lee Grant]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Blue

Yeah - as has been mentioned before by yours truly: it would have been better to start a 5th Oz team a year after a RWC than the year it happens. European clubs will be putting SH players on short-term contracts to cover themselves for the RWC period and the training time before that and recovery afterwards. If Oz players have the right passports they could stay on longer. Now with the lifting of constraints on Melbourne from hiring more than 2 overseas players, opportunities to hire players of RWC standard will be forgone.

On the plus side: a lot of top-notch RWC players will become available for 2012. As I wrote earlier: there will be a lot of Rebels' 1 year contracts in year 1 for this kind of thing. If the Rebels have the money, look out in year 2 as experienced players cut ties with national teams after the RWC.

 

[topo]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Are there any new confirmed signings or is it just me but does it seem like no one wants to play for the Rebels.

I think it is more a case of nobody wants to be their first signing, because it means signing up to the unknown.

Once they force out 1 or 2 more good names a few more will come, then the floodgates will really open. They will be doing fine.

Trouble is there'll be no one left to sign. It was essential that the Rebels picked up someone like a Robinson, Baxter, Barnes early to lead the way, but the other franchises locked them up. Now all the good quality players are locked in and we are already down to the next tier. I'm a bit puzzled about Freier in the SMH today saying he was still undecided. Last week he was definitely going. ?Cold feet?

 

[waratahjesus]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

Blue

Yeah - as has been mentioned before by yours truly: it would have been better to start a 5th Oz team a year after a RWC than the year it happens. European clubs will be putting SH players on short-term contracts to cover themselves for the RWC period and the training time before that and recovery afterwards. If Oz players have the right passports they could stay on longer. Now with the lifting of constraints on Melbourne from hiring more than 2 overseas players, opportunities to hire players of RWC standard will be forgone.

On the plus side: a lot of top-notch RWC players will become available for 2012. As I wrote earlier: there will be a lot of Rebels' 1 year contracts in year 1 for this kind of thing. If the Rebels have the money, look out in year 2 as experienced players cut ties with national teams after the RWC.

how long are they allowed the overseas players for lee?

 

[en_force_er]

Re: Rebels deadline ends, update here on what you hear.

how long are they allowed the overseas players for lee?

Lee would know better than me but I think it decreases for 2 a year until it is 2 like everyone else.