Rugby League players who could have/could make the switch

[I like to watch]

Seriously,the contact bit is not that different.
People just over analyse some things.
Just remember,he was recruited into Mungo off the back of his performance with the jnr Brumbies or whatever they call it.
So how do you reckon he was coping in Rugby,before he was poached?

 

[EatSleepDrinkRuck]

About the difference between the S&C regimes of AFL & Rugby,or the amount a below average 16 yo Rugby player can squat?

Both, I guess.

I was mostly wondering if you were sneaking into gyms and then comparing Izzy's glutes and squats to those of 16 year old female rugby players. Because you should probably be a on a list if that is the case.

 

[JSRF10]

Seriously,the contact bit is not that different.
People just over analyse some things.
Just remember,he was recruited into Mungo off the back of his performance with the jnr Brumbies or whatever they call it.
So how do you reckon he was coping in Rugby,before he was poached?

If he carries like a league player in rugby he'll be turned over with choke tackles 9 times out 10. How you approach contact is radically different IMO and would require a fair deal of coaching even if he has previously played rugby as defense has changed a hell of a lot since he last played.

 

[wamberal]

This is Kevin Maloney's big opportunity. Sign the local boy up for the Southern Districts Rebels, pay him a bit over the odds if necessary.

 

[qwerty51]

Kevin Maloney left Souths ages ago

 

[Train Without a Station]

I think that after 1 season, provided he was able to spend a good pre-season with his Super Franchise so they could work on developing him physically into what they need, he would could be a pretty great player for Australian rugby.

Even Izzy had shaky moments in his first 3 months, being a back he doesn't have the technical aspect to deal with nearly as much and can rely on his natural ability and instincts as a footy player.

The question becomes, can you afford to pay him $700-850k on what would likely be a 3 year deal when you are probably only going to get the value out of the last 2 years?

A lot of the things that Fifita would need to work on are aspects Izzy hasn't needed to as much due to positional differences.

 

[p.Tah]

Another reason I like the NRC, a step below Super Rugby that will assist the development of converts such as Fifita.

 

[TOCC]

He could be convinced to sign a 12month contract, have a crack at the RWC, prove his worth and receive a bigger contract the following year...

Not a completely unreasonable proposition especially in a RWC year, but he would still need a reasonable offer from the ARU..

 

[wamberal]

I think that after 1 season, provided he was able to spend a good pre-season with his Super Franchise so they could work on developing him physically into what they need, he would could be a pretty great player for Australian rugby.

Maybe, if he is motivated and willing to work very hard.

The question becomes, can you afford to pay him $700-850k on what would likely be a 3 year deal when you are probably only going to get the value out of the last 2 years?

The ARU probably cannot afford to pay a newcomer like Fifita those sorts of numbers. Apart from anything else, there are relativity issues with the whole of the squad. It would be interesting to know what every player earns, but we don't. However, my guess would be that only a handful earn over $700k.

So that would create actual and potential problems in itself. No matter if he becomes the greatest number 8 ever to walk the face of the earth, relativities have to be maintained. We need to put our best possible 23 onto the field, we cannot afford to lose established players because their noses are put out of joint.

If he wants to get paid very big bucks, he needs to stay in the NRL, if they will have him, or head to France.

 

[Train Without a Station]

I get what you are saying pTah, but I imagine the ARU would be hoping big money recruits like Izzy and potentially Fifita would not be playing in the NRC

 

[p.Tah]

I get what you are saying pTah, but I imagine the ARU would be hoping big money recruits like Izzy and potentially Fifita would not be playing in the NRC

Probably but it would give the NRC a decent amount of exposure.
I remember SBW playing for Canterbury in the ITM cup (as well Belfast in club rugby in NZ)

 

[qwerty51]

Probably but it would give the NRC a decent amount of exposure.
I remember SBW playing for Canterbury in the ITM cup (as well Belfast in club rugby in NZ)

People often forget he wasn't very good early on. Was very average in France and decent in the ITM Cup before he played Super rugby.

 

[Train Without a Station]

And that's my point. He played ITM because it was before he played super rugby. Fifita on the other hand would be under contract to league during the NRC then would play super rugby, and if he wasn't a wallaby squad member and played the following NRC it would be consider somewhat of a failure at his price

 

[tranquility]

SBW was absolutely awesome in the ITM cup.

 

[qwerty51]

SBW was absolutely awesome in the ITM cup.

He played 6 games in a dominant team but ok

 

[Train Without a Station]

If you watched the news reports he was amazing. If you watched the games you saw that he was not as amazing as he was made out to be

 

[I like to watch]

People often forget he wasn't very good early on. Was very average in France and decent in the ITM Cup before he played Super rugby.

That's because the dicks played him at 13 when he first converted.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

If you watched the news reports he was amazing. If you watched the games you saw that he was not as amazing as he was made out to be

Yeah, to be honest SBW didn't really look like a real rugby player until 2012, as evidenced by how Sir Ted utilised him at the RWC. If Fifita stays with league (& I think he will, possibly with Souths who (a) need to replace Sam Burgess & (b) can afford to out-bid pretty much everyone else) he could well become the best non-hooker/half in the game by the time he's 27; if he switches to Union it'll take him that long to become Wallabies-worthy let alone the dominant force some of the posters on here clearly expect him to be from day 1.

 

[Tip]

Have you seen this bloke in contact, regularly carries 2 or 3 defenders across the advantage line. Hardly indicative of someone with 'chicken legs'.

The League tackling technique is completely different to Union. League players are encouraged to go high, wrap up the ball and wait for a few more players to complete the tackle, as going low is seemed an unnecessary risk for a head injury. The contact is shoulder on chest, whereas in Union its more focused on shoulder on hips and legs.

 

[USARugger]

@Tip

Seriously, to say a game that has the three-man tackle (ball, upper body, legs) as a core defensive move has an identical, or even directly comparable, style of contact to Rugby Union just sort of baffles me.