i know guys get paid at all clubs, i just think that it gets blown out of proportion.. I just spoke to a board member at randwick rugby club who is also a close personal friend about this, and he hadnt even heard of the guy (samu wara) so as for getting paid $1500 a week, i think thats been exaggerated...
i see a problem (as gordon & wests are facing now and souths will soon) when you pay players, everyone expects it. When the sponsor or benefactor decides after a few years to pull the money, lots of players leave (see wests and gordon 2011) chasing money elsewhere.
A couple of years ago one club coach almost sent 2 clubs in 2 years broke because of his player spending...(neither club won the comp or club championship)
I heard in 2008 guys in 3rd grade at parramatta were getting coin!! hahahah. no wonder parra leagues pulled out...
also, some guys will lie on their resume, get paid by a club, but be no good, so the club are almost trying to validate/justify them paying him by playing the bloke in higher grades...
I find your comments difficult to follow.
You say you know players get paid at all clubs , but think it's blown out of proportion.
Then you go on to mention Gordon , Wests & Parramatta , implying that they are suffering because they have overpaid players on the one hand ,but have lost sponsors & benefactors on the other ??
Those who are involved in club Rugby know that this is an oversimplification of
reality.
Certainly Gordon are still recovering from financial difficulties encountered in recent years , & the background to that is well known ,but saying "no wonder Parra leagues pulled out " suggests that you know little about their circumstances , & if you check West Harbours web site you will see that they made a profit of 100 K last year .In a recent conversation with a friend who is also a senior official at Wests , he told me that their sponsorship income is the highest it has ever been , & that they have the money , but they refuse to pay the amounts that some managers are asking for some players, & prefer to invest it in club facilities etc. & more's the power
I know of a player who has joined another club , almost certainly to play second grade , who is getting $700 a week plus a car plus insurance.
I also know for an absolute fact from my own personal experiences in these matters , that money is the final determinant in where many if not most , ultimately play their Rugby.
Union is following the rugby league model , where the the club with the best offer , & by implication the most money ,gets the player , which is hardly surprising .