Western Force 2020

[ForceFan]

WA duo graduate to pro-ranks

September 18, 2019

Rising RugbyWA Senior Academy players Ollie Callan and Jackson Pugh have proved the ongoing success of the strong development pathways in place in Western Australia, with both graduating into the Western Force ranks for Global Rapid Rugby’s 2020 home-and-away season.

 

[RugbyReg]

Great news

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

The Force and the academy really has been great for developing young blokes from WA, several of whom have gone on to play at a higher level.

 

[ForceFan]

Pleasing to see young prop Angus Wagner switching from the Brumbies to the Western Force in 2020.

 

[ForceFan]

FORCE FAVOURITE TO GO AROUND AGAIN

September 25, 2019

Veteran prop Kieran Longbottom has signed on for a 10th season with the Western Force, a new one-year deal ensuring he will be front and centre of a new era for the club as Global Rapid Rugby’s first full home-and-away season launches in 2020.

 

[ForceFan]

Enjoying these cameos - Kieran Longbottom.

 

[ForceFan]

Harris rises to professional stage

October 18, 2019

Joondalup Brothers’ Victor Harris has penned his first senior contract with Western Force for the 2020 Global Rapid Rugby Season.

The 20-year-old prop joins Palmyra’s Jackson Pugh and Wanneroo’s Ollie Callan as graduates of the RugbyWA Senior Academy to have signed contracts with the Force in the past month.

More here.....

Very pleasing to see the Future Force Academyplayers getting a chance.

Victor lifts the signed-on squad for next year to 22.

 

[ForceFan]

Talk after the NRC Final was that Jake Strachan and two others had been signed on for 2020.

Will hold off adding Jake until "official" but good news.

 

[Adam84]

Jake will replace Deegan i assume, quality young playmaker, glad he has the opportunity to play somewhere

 

[SteveWA]

Jake will replace Deegan i assume, quality young playmaker, glad he has the opportunity to play somewhere

He seems to have a lot of potential, and strikes me as a future leader both on and off the field.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Would Jack McGregor be a possible No 10? I thought he was earmarked for a No 10 spot back when he played U20s.

 

[ForceFan]

Would Jack McGregor be a possible No 10? I thought he was earmarked for a No 10 spot back when he played U20s.

I hope that he will gets a chance at No 10 in 2020.
He will be a better No 10 now that he's had the time at F/B.

 

[RugbyReg]

Jacob Abel signed by the Force.

Are there still meant to be big name players joining the other teams?? The Dan Carters, Sean McMahons etc??

 

[kiap]

Are there still meant to be big name players joining the other teams?? The Dan Carters, Sean McMahons etc??

I think we won't be seeing marquee million-dollar players of the likes of Folau joining teams (or if they do get Folau he won't be on that rate).

I suspect it will be hard to find even a half-million-buck player in the opening season. Although there will still be some guys on decent money, the focus will be on establishing clubs, schedule, stadiums and engaging fans.

From chief executive Mark Evans: "I have seen an awful lot of sports that go 'alright, we are going to go and get really high-profile [players]. And it is smoke and mirrors and really there is nothing underpinning it."

"High-profile players are important in growing a league [but] I don't think it is key right at the beginning, and we are right at the beginning."

The stated aim was originally to get twenty top-line players by the second year of the competition. Without an involvement of Japan, I reckon that will be walked back. But … rugby horizons are still fluid … with some movement still to play out.

 

[RugbyReg]

Thanks for that.

Do you have any idea what the Force salaries are? Roughly?

 

[RugbyReg]

Thanks for that.

Do you have any idea what the Force salaries are? Roughly?

 

[kiap]

Don't know. What I have heard, based on nothing reliable (although it makes some intuitive sense), is that overall team cost is - yes- lower than it was in 2017. That's the team, not the competition. But, if the Force had the fifth highest expenditure for a rugby team in the country back then, well, it still has the fifth highest now.

That's essentially sixty-odd words of saying nothing.

 

[ForceFan]

National Rugby Champions sign up for 2020
November 6, 2019

Three regular members of the Force’s victorious 2019 NRC squad have signed on to continue their careers in the West.

Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Pama Fou will join young speedsters Byron Ralston and Jake Strachan in turbocharging the Force backline heading into the inaugural Global Rapid Rugby competition.

Read more......

 

[ForceFan]

As of 6 Nov, 28 in the squad with at least Stander and Thrush still to come.

Now getting excited as to who will be the additional players for next year - the first year of GRR.

 

[ForceFan]

Are there still meant to be big name players joining the other teams?? The Dan Carters, Sean McMahons etc??

Some interesting insights into the way forward from new GRR CEO, Mark Evans, in his recent radio interview on the Global Rapid Rugby thread (#1043) - particularly referencing learnings from elsewhere..

I think it's very important to ensure that it's not just a walk in the park for the Western Force - particularly during the initial stages of GRR. Would expect to see more marque players with the teams being developed in the new/growth areas.

The Western Force may already have their marque player in Thrush.

Wrt to salaries I would expect payments to WF players to be <Super Rugby player payments due to the reduced workload (limited GRR + NRC only). In the past WF players were encouraged to play in Japan/ITM etc.
Would expect this to change with first home/away season of GRR + NRC in 2020.

Who knows what will happen beyond 2020 but the rumours are that currently RA has no $$s for the NRC beyond 2020 and Foxtel is showing little interest in providing the same level of funding as for 2019 & 2020.