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Mowen Considering Move To France Over Pay Dispute

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fatprop

George Gregan (70)
Staff member
The system needs to reward current form, not form 12-24 months ago.

If that was the premise, you would only reward by games played, the idea of the "top up" is to give more income protection to senior players, that will always create a lag in reward but the other option would have everyone moving to France or Japan.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
My understanding is that the ARU "value" a player.

The franchise also values the player's $$$$ and come up with a figure THEY are prepared to pay.

Shortfall is the top-up from the ARU

If the franchise is prepared to pay the value the ARU places on the player then no top-up from the ARU

Very simplistic but I think that is correct ???

Is that rigjht ???

I don't think that is how it works at all.

The franchise and ARU deals are now separate and you have to have reached an agreement with your franchise first.

The expectation from the ARU side is that the franchise deal is the bread and butter and the ARU top up is not guaranteed and in many ways should be considered a bonus.

The problem is that players make agreements with their franchise on the basis that they're expecting an ARU top up as well.

If that isn't forthcoming then the player is left in a position where they either renegotiate with their franchise, settle with the lower pay amount of leave.

Players and their agents negotiate all the deals themselves. There is no set player value that the ARU establishes that is then met between the franchise and the ARU.
 

RoffsChoice

Jim Lenehan (48)
I think it's pretty obvious that Higgers is the first choice 6. However, we also know he plays damn well at 8. The best thing Mowen has brought has been his lineout operations (See the second All Blacks game this year for comparison of his calling and then after he goes off).

If Higgers can't call the lineout, we need Mowen. The best bet would be Mowen at 6, Higgers at 8. Mowen has shown he plays well at 6 and in the last two games has been above average at 8.

If, however, Higgers calls the lineout well, then Mowen finds himself out of the 23 all together.

So his demanding a top up? Unless he was promised anything, I'd say it's just playing the system.
 

Brumby Runner

Jason Little (69)
My understanding is that the ARU "value" a player.

The franchise also values the player's $$$$ and come up with a figure THEY are prepared to pay.

Shortfall is the top-up from the ARU

If the franchise is prepared to pay the value the ARU places on the player then no top-up from the ARU

Very simplistic but I think that is correct ???

Is that rigjht ???


You might be right but that doesn't make the system right. In the situation you describe, it would be tempting for any franchise to discount the amount they are prepared to pay for a top class player in the knowledge the ARU will fork out the balance. Maybe exactly what might happen in JOC (James O'Connor)'s case. ARU might have to contribute the equivalent of two or three top up amounts to get the Force to take him. System looks to me to be broken.
 

Richo

John Thornett (49)
I think it's pretty obvious that Higgers is the first choice 6. However, we also know he plays damn well at 8. The best thing Mowen has brought has been his lineout operations (See the second All Blacks game this year for comparison of his calling and then after he goes off).

If Higgers can't call the lineout, we need Mowen. The best bet would be Mowen at 6, Higgers at 8. Mowen has shown he plays well at 6 and in the last two games has been above average at 8.

If, however, Higgers calls the lineout well, then Mowen finds himself out of the 23 all together.

So his demanding a top up? Unless he was promised anything, I'd say it's just playing the system.

Higgers hasn't dominated for the Wallabies yet. At test level, IMO, he's been better at 6 than 8. His form for the Rebs at 8 suggest that might be ready to change, but I don't think we can assume that 8 is his best international position.

Injury free, I see our back row as 6. Higgers 7. Pocock 8. Palu, with Hooper and Mowen on the bench.
 

emuarse

Chilla Wilson (44)
Higgers hasn't dominated for the Wallabies yet. At test level, IMO, he's been better at 6 than 8. His form for the Rebs at 8 suggest that might be ready to change, but I don't think we can assume that 8 is his best international position.

Injury free, I see our back row as 6. Higgers 7. Pocock 8. Palu, with Hooper and Mowen on the bench.


Mowen is a handy utility forward, coming off the bench if those others are playing, for either 6, 8 or lock
 

fatprop

George Gregan (70)
Staff member
Higgers hasn't dominated for the Wallabies yet. At test level, IMO, he's been better at 6 than 8. His form for the Rebs at 8 suggest that might be ready to change, but I don't think we can assume that 8 is his best international position.

Injury free, I see our back row as 6. Higgers 7. Pocock 8. Palu, with Hooper and Mowen on the bench.


True, but Higgers was daylight ahead of the other options this season, the move to the Rebels, the captaincy appears to be an epiphany for the guy.
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
True, but Higgers was daylight ahead of the other options this season, the move to the Rebels, the captaincy appears to be an epiphany for the guy.
Next year will be really interesting in Super Rugby.
I look forward to seeing how Mowen, Fardy, Quirk et al do at 6, Pocock, Hooper and Gill battling it out, and Higginbotham, Palu and Auelua especially at 8. Obviously guys like McMeniman, McCalman and Dennis can be added to that list, and maybe a smokey like Lopeti Timani at the rebels.
So many names we have not seen enough of lately, for various reasons.
I have to believe there is at least one really good backrow from all of those!!
 

Bullrush

Geoff Shaw (53)
I dislike this thinking.

Australian rugby has serious depth issues. If this attitude is given to every fringe wallaby and even half decide to walk then it effects every level - less successin Super Rugby, less fans at games etc. In the inevitable event that 1 or 2 injuries occur in few positions we are looking very thin at national level.

The system needs to reward current form, not form 12-24 months ago.

Do they want to play for the Wallabies or not?

It seems that part of the on-field problems with the Wallabies is around heart, passion fire etc...the intangibles so to speak.

If 'fringe' players don't have the heart to force their way into being considered as starters, let them go. They can be average somewhere else.
 

Phil

Chris McKivat (8)
Mowen is playing the system. Nothing wrong in him doing that. He isn't getting any younger and this is his living don't forget.
I would say Ben's manager is playing the system and,you are right,nothing wrong with that.Judging by comments in press today,he will be staying anyway.
 

fatprop

George Gregan (70)
Staff member
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Richo

John Thornett (49)
True, but Higgers was daylight ahead of the other options this season, the move to the Rebels, the captaincy appears to be an epiphany for the guy.

Absolutely. Such a shame he got hurt. But the point remains that he hasn't been great in Gold -- yet. I thought 2013 would be the year and the Lions the stage. Sadly not to be.
 

barbarian

Phil Kearns (64)
Staff member
Fuck top-ups, just focus on winning games, Benny-boy.

Although as I said on the podcast, the original story sounded distinctly like Ben's manager talking to the journo, not Ben himself. So I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

There may be a few issues with the top-up system, but this isn't one of them. It needs to reward long-term Wallabies who are proven at the top level. As of yet Mowen falls into neither of those categories. He may well do by this time next year, though.
.
 
G

Gekko

Guest
Here we go again, what's wrong with these guys. I'll be completely upfront and declare I do not know the in's & outs of this dispute. On one hand, Mowen is a relatively new Wannabe. Conversely, he has captained his country.

Firstly, what's more important, playing for your country, or money? This is the problem with these guys because if someone can tell me, I'd like to know how many potential & former Wallabies are playing overseas right now? For me it would be easy, my country comes first.

And because money is so important to these divas, this is why Australian rugby is in a rut.

Regardless of what Mowen thinks, he and all Wallabies need to be educated by somebody about the economics & demographics of Australia. For starters, the ARU has lost $19 million in two years, not a bad effort for prostituting yourself and branding everything, including the national team, with the major sponsors name. Even the Wallabies tweeter account includes the sponsors name, it was in the story about homebrand hair gel today!

Let's have a reality check here. Since 2003 what have the Wannabe's won? What, one Tri Nations in 2011 when NZ really didn't care and had their eyes on the big prize. Apart from that, not much.

Therefore, if everything was performance based, which it should be but isn't, the Wannabe's would be making less than Bunnings workers, and maybe the ARU would not be going broke.

This weekend we may witness something special, not from Australia, from Argentina. I have always loved their style of rugby. Like the French, they chance their hands ans play expansive rugby. I also love the Pumas because of their passion, something we have none of, and pride in their jumper.

Usually when the Argentine anthem plays you will see the Puma's holding each other tight, singing the national anthem with pride, and you will see the odd tear or two. With their tail up
and I believe a genuine chance of beating Australia and thereby relegating them as last place finishers in the RC, watch the Puma's go. They will leave nothing in the tank.

So, I pose this question. When was the last time you saw a Wallaby crying while singing the national anthem?
 

Scrubber2050

Mark Ella (57)
Gelko

Understand the ARU lost a squillion. There are obvious plenty of areas that don't pay for themselves - women's rugby, probably the sevens program, under 20's, juniors - Do you cut all of them and only retain the 'profit centre"???

If so, it would fuck the whole system, the growth of the Code, etc wouldn't it
 
M

Muttonbird

Guest
Jesus. Shiggins pulls out a ripper on Mowen-gate. Congrats!

Didn't realise the ARU had been sitting on their hands for so long.
 
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