Quade Cooper; where does he go, what does he do?

[Cave Dweller]

Is tweeting prowess one of modern rugby's KPI's now?

If your injured and need some Kiwi slander and some Aussie love thrown at you. Then yes

 

[Gnostic]

Obviously Khoder Nasser is something of a different level but don't hate on the player managers.

They have no club loyalty for obvious reasons, they are merely businessmen trading in assets and the assets they happen to trade in are athletes.

It's up to the players to mitigate and rationalise their deals with personal values, managers just deal the hand they're dealt.

Would that be because player managers have no integrity, honour or other personal values?

 

[Waylon]

The salary cap is a farce

If QLD develop their players, they should be allowed to keep them and pay them whatever it takes to keep them......as long as they can afford to. That will depend how much is in the kitty obviously.

It seems unfair to have to watch great talent leave when they would like to stay

 

[Riptide]

In the NBA in the US, a situation arose many years ago when the Boston Celtics could not re-sign Larry Bird as he couldn't fit under the salary cap that was part of the collective bargaining agreement. The NBA realized how ridiculous that a player synonymous with that franchise's revival would have to accept a contract at a fraction of his market value in order to stay with the Celtics, when the Celtics wanted to keep him and the player wanted to stay. An exception was made for Larry Bird that allowed the Celtics and all other teams to exceed the salary cap to re-sign their own free agents if a player had have played three consecutive seasons at the franchise at an amount up to the maximum salary in the league.

The game must encourage links between the players and the community in which they play. It is best served when players have the option to play for the team in which they came of age without having to take a massive financial penalty for staying. If the Reds can afford it, they should be allowed to retain Cooper and make him a competitive offer.

 

[Forcefield]

The salary cap is a farce

If QLD develop their players, they should be allowed to keep them and pay them whatever it takes to keep them......as long as they can afford to. That will depend how much is in the kitty obviously.

It seems unfair to have to watch great talent leave when they would like to stay

I absolutely agree IF the ARU puts exactly the same funding into each Super Rugby state for academies, local competitions, etc etc.

Now this is the point that the Queenslanders and NSWelshmen will argue that their states should get more money because they produce more players and have bigger local competitions. But that attitude won't grow the game. The salary cap and smaller squad sizes are poor measures to ensure that talent is well spread across franchises. Talent almost exclusively produced in those two states. That has to change and it appears that in small steps it is changing.

I can't remember who it was, but some enlightened poster on here suggested the ARU fund an U20s competition. I would love to see that.

 

[Bowside]

I absolutely agree IF the ARU puts exactly the same funding into each Super Rugby state for academies, local competitions, etc etc.

Now this is the point that the Queenslanders and NSWelshmen will argue that their states should get more money because they produce more players and have bigger local competitions. But that attitude won't grow the game. The salary cap and smaller squad sizes are poor measures to ensure that talent is well spread across franchises. Talent almost exclusively produced in those two states. That has to change and it appears that in small steps it is changing.

I can't remember who it was, but some enlightened poster on here suggested the ARU fund an U20s competition. I would love to see that.

It might have been me. The one I suggested was 10 team trans-tasman U21 comp.

I am totally unashamedly parochial when it come to rugby. I think in ACT, WA and Vic the change has to start at the grass roots, and as such I think their needs to be a clear pathway for a WA junior to make it to super rugby level, without having to leave his home at 18 to travel to the other side of the country to further his rugby. I also think there needs to be a way for blokes who miss out of making it in QLD or NSW but are obviously very good players to get a chance in the weaker states - provided they are wanted.

The situation we have at the moment is a result of Australian rugby being broke and as such only being able to afford 2 academies. The system is totally unfair on the brumbies, force and rebels and in a perfect world their would be 5 academies, and they would play each other in regular competition.

 

[emuarse]

There are a lot of detractors of Quade, especially from the other side of the ditch, but that in itself tells us what a super rugby star he is.
He will have learnt a lot from the world cup, and if he stays with rugby, along with Will Ginea, could become the greatest halves pairing to dance the world stage.
I have no doubt he will be wearing the gold jersey this June.
You can never keep the champions away from the front line for too long.
My mouth waters with the prospect of Ginea (9), Cooper (10), Ioane (11), O'Connor (12), & Beale (15) on the field together