Day Two and still waiting: it’s been a good 48 hours since we learned that the Dark Shark has been rubbed out from any further contribution to Wallaby history. He’s had his security pass taken off him and been escorted out of the building. He’s not even been given the courtesy of clearing out his desk. There’s a lot of us rugby folk that are not entirely happy with this development and would like to know what the f*ck is going on! WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON?
Well, it’s actually about 52 hours and I’m still breathlessly waiting for details of what happened to Lote Tuqiri. We know that his very generous contract has been terminated. This is a contract that we’ve heard is worth about $600,000, or $700,000 or is it a million a season until past the next Rugby World Cup? That apparently makes him the best paid Wallaby in Australia, well…..next to Gits that is. I’m also surmising that this price would be a reflection of his estimated value to Australian rugby for the term of the contract.
I think its about time that someone told us what the hell is going on? What do we know so far? We know that Lote was a marquee signing from ‘Jeu à Treize’ (Game of Thirteen) in 2002. Most of us would agree that he has provided some value for money since (who doesn’t think that try in the air in the RWC03 final wasn’t memorable). In the early days he was a dynamic winger who probably peaked around 2004 – 2006.
His signing was notable in that he was one of three mungo players that were recruited to send a message to league that union had really arrived, and it extended the union footprint to capture a large group of fans who supported these guys. Bums on seats! All of the league converts contributed to the Wallabies success, none more so than Tuqiri. As it turned out, all had difficulty with the culture.
Unfortunately, Lote’s performance in the past Super 14 season with the Waratahs was not as prominent as in previous seasons. Some pundits say that the Tahs ‘stodgy’ style of play has contributed to this outcome. This season, Lote has gone looking for more work off his wing and to some extent ends up ‘trucking’ a lot of ball in the traffic; getting over the advantage line but doing what you do in league, running at the man not at the space. It appears that Robbie Deans wanted Lote to run around his opposition, not run at them. So, this is the reason that he hadn’t yet been selected for any of the domestic tests. However, Deans has admitted that he would have been selected in the just announced Tri-Nations squad if he hadn’t been sacked. The irony is that it may have been one of the other league converts, Timana Tahu, that would have missed out.
Lote blotted his copybook on a number of well documented occasions beginning in Capetown in 2005 with the Mat Henjak business. John O’Neill, Il Duce of Australian rugby, was pissed off with the standard of behaviour of some of these players and told them in no uncertain terms they’d be getting the heave-ho if it continued. According to JO’N, Lote was sent a ‘Dear Lote’ letter which documented the ‘no uncertain terms’. A formal warning you might say, with a ‘show cause’ provision next time it might happen. Well, it looks like the ‘next time’ has happened…..apparently? Crown Casino? Out too late during test week? Having a drink during the lead up to the test? Breaching the player’s code of conduct? Who knows?
JO’Ns not telling, ‘cos Lote is taking it to court and he would have been advised by his brief not to talk about it publicly. They said it’s an industrial relations matter between the employer and the employee, which is interesting as it was announced on the very day the new Australian industrial relations laws came into being (called Fair Work Australia). I guess I can understand that as a potential defendant JO’N would be a bit reluctant to get into too much detail. Lote knows what’s happened, according to JO’N, and can talk about it if he likes but nobody is actually telling the long suffering fans.
Most people have a bit of time for Lote, as they can see his positive contribution to rugby in the past and are not happy with the way this has been executed, if I can use that term. We know business is business and times have changed in the professional era. But to be cut down in this manner, when he still has something to offer Australian rugby goes against the ‘fair go’ mantra. And to not tell us what it’s all about is just not good enough.
The upside for Lote is that he is a very marketable piece of merchandise. In Europe, you’d think he could command a $750,000 – a million a season when you look at his cv and think how highly regarded he is over there. Sonny Bill Williams, Le Gaz and Il Gowie? They’re all on reputedly large contracts. Lote has runs on the board and could out earn all of them. Rugby league? Dream on, they couldn’t afford him. Where would you rather play, Paris or Penrith Park?
The interesting thing is that for the French Top 14 clubs the contract window expired for signings on 1 July; however, the two promoted sides SCA Albi and Racing-Metro 92 have until next Friday to complete their signings. In the UK there are still plenty of contract negotiations going on for the upcoming season. Japan? Regardless of what Eddie might think I’m not sure that a competitive and angry Lote is quite ready for semi-retirement just yet.
So, the only one that’s really able to tell us what’s going on is Lote himself. Mate, forget the tweets and tell us what really happened. How about a statement, or better still a press conference (OK, with your brief present so you don’t overstep the mark). You can start winning the public relations battle with the ARU by getting the fans onside right from the start. Give us a break, you’ve got a lot of support out there in rugbyland.
Lote, what the f*ck is going on?
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="4101 https://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/?p=4101">27 Comments
Apparently the ARU are gonna bone someone else too.
Someone who did what Lote did wrong aswell but probably has less of a record.
Sports fandom has become like a voracious beast, petulantly demanding to know EVERYTHING, NOW, while it stuffs more and more information down its craw. We should just settle down, watch the legal process take its course, and RELAX.
Groucho – your use of CAPITALS has really EXCITED me now.
WHAT’S GOING ON?!?!?!
Groucho when he’s not posting on blogs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUgnhjEHRGA
I CANT RELAX!
The other wallabies are pissed off, I wonder how this will eventuate. J’on is pulling a Howard, whatever that means.
Lote OVERBOARD! There’s a Dark Shark in the WATER…..
Ha Ha Ha! You rugby lovers make me laugh. You thought by buying some of our players you would win a World Cup and take a number of our supporters as well. Well guess what, all you got is Trouble and what I like to call the Brainless Follower Crowd (those who watch a sport just because the team is wining – they have no idea of the rules and really don’t care about the game) now your great administrator looks like a spoilt little brat for the sacking of Lote.
At the end of the day a league player won’t succeed in union for one reason and one reason only. League people are not SNOBS! It’s a cultural thing. You only have to look at how Private school kids look down at kids that attend public schools, it is the same with Union, a league player will never fully be accepted as a true union player, and therefore he will not reach his full potential.
Look at how well Wendell and Matt Rogers are going since they returned to league.
It is also the reason why the union converts succeeded more often than not when they played league, they were truly accepted and respected for their talent not where they have come from.
Your sport was lucky the League War happened when it did, as your sport was very close to the same Packer/Murdoch takeover as well, if it wasn’t for a few players your sport would have been torn apart as well. However with the animosity between the two hemispheres of Rugby may yet go through some hard times by administrators making decisions based on ideals rather than what is good for the game.
Hopefully Lote will return to League now and will quickly regain his form so the league public can appreciate a wonderful player playing a game that he should never have walked away from and this will be a lesson for future league players to consider before making that switch.
Quote from the Lions v SA post: ‘Not quite as embarrassing as a recent poll of NRL players, where two thirds of them said they were ashamed to be associated with the rugby league code, but embarrassing nonetheless’.
PS Winning has two n’s…..
PSS In the last two years – violence against women – NRL:
2009: Roosters players Jake Friend and Sandor Earl charged with assaulting a female in a nightclub.
2009: Roosters forward Anthony Cherrington pleaded guilty to a domestic violence assault, including an approach with a knife, on his girlfriend.
2009: Manly player Brett Stewart accused of sexual assault after the Sea Eagles season launch.
2009: Manly player Anthony Watmough accused of abusing the daughter of a sponsor, who he allegedly assaulted at the same Sea Eagles season launch.
2009: Five Balmain Tigers lower grade players have been accused of rape on a football trip to the Sunshine Coast.
2008: Karmichael Hunt, Sam Thaiday and others were investigated over an alleged sexual assault in a hotel toilet. No charges were laid.
2008: Cronulla’s captain, Greg Bird, charged with assaulting his girlfriend, fracturing her eye socket. She declines to press charges.
2008: Canberra’s Todd Carney involved in barking at women, calling them dogs and other insulting behaviour.
2007: Wests Tiger Anthony Laffranchi charged with sexual assault. Claimed sex was consensual. Acquitted.
2007: Penrith’s Craig Trindall charged with assault after bashing a woman who suffered a broken nose and shattered eye socket.
2007: Manly’s Anthony Watmough accused in court of violence towards his girlfriend. No charges laid. Apprehended violence order imposed on him.
Wellhard (hehe),
I’d say it’s probably got less to do with the ‘equality’ they find in league (everyone gets a go at the spitroast I guess), and more with
a) how rediculously simple the game is: run straight, step, offload (and if you’re Dell, forget the last two).
b) the money in Rugby no longer means all the best players get raped to league. The super mungos can go back to being big fish in a small pond
Thanks for the education in spelling Lance.
Obviously I have struck a raw nerve, as your well researched comeback misses the point completely.
I did not state that League players are better citizens or League is a better game than union, I will not defend the atrocious assaults you have listed or any of the many other indiscretions footballers of any code commit. I will not get down into the gutter and research any indiscretions union players have caused over the last few years as this is not the point I was making.
I was simply putting a view and it is merely one person’s view across why League players find it difficult to make the transition over to union, I would have thought a person like you would have been able to understand this.
Obviously I was mistaken, you would prefer to the easy option of raising an obvious problem in league (one which the NRL is taking very serious and trying very hard to educate and improve the morals of its players).
As I have stated, I am not going to get into an argument about which game is better as I have witnessed many arguments and debates along this line with not one person ever changing their view to agree to the other person view.
It is simply a cultural thing, the vast majority of union management, players and supporters are snobs and will not fully accept a league player as one of their own.
Wellhard….I was just highlighting the cultural difference between the codes…and it is significant, as the above statistics speak for themselves.
I don’t think the Del, Rogers and Tuqiri experiment was actually a failure. They came across because they wanted to play union. When they were here they put bums on seats and created some additional interest. They competed for test spots and generally earned their selections. They weren’t around for 5 minutes. They were accepted in union for who they were.
However, they’ve come from a code where behavioural standards are lower. They come from a code where a proportion of players possess a lower moral compass. That is obvious by the stats. It’s not about snobbery, it’s about moral fibre and what is an acceptable standard of behaviour. Unfortunately, those three players in particular all had issues with their behaviour, and in two instances it cost them their job.
I don’t think we need to get our knickers in a twist about it because union have only ever signed a smattering of players. It’s not as though it’s a flood or anything. I think the lesson is being learnt and we’ll see fewer marquee league signings in the future.
If I had young kids I know which code I would steer them in….not the one where ‘role models’ end up in court on a weekly basis.
Is that you Phillip Ronald Gould?
Nor should rugby accept league players as ‘their own’. If the last few years have proven anything, it is simply that they are not.
Well, Hard, if you needed further confirmation follow this link
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25741576-952,00.html
At least he would be safe if there was a fire!
The story is a similar one to Andrew Symonds. Both of them are talented sportsmen, but just couldn’t their heads in the bloody game and poor discipline/ inconsistent commitment and incidents prevail. And to us, as supporters, it is highly frustrating as we stand by these blokes through most of the incidents. But it becomes one too many!
I agree with the simple statement; ‘what the f**k is going on’?
.-= Ian @ Baggy Green´s last blog ..THE ASHES NOTES #13 =-.
Hey Lance, That’s a better comeback
Yes you are correct in that the moral compass doesn’t point in the right direction by a number of players playing league.
This basically comes down to the fact a lot of league players come from a low socio economic pool. With this come low moral and education standards.
Let’s face it I don’t think too many union players would come from homes where both parents are on welfare or have single parents unemployed. I am sure the statistics would show that kids playing union would be less likely to be subjected to domestic violence, alcoholic/drug addicted parents. (I know some would, but a lot less than League) I am also sure that the vast majority of union players would finish with a far better education than the majority of league kids.
Obviously then, a far greater number of players in league are then going to have trouble handling the vast amount of money they are going to earn as well as live up to community standards (they are treated like Gods and act as if they are untouchable).
You have to put this into perspective, league has only really become a full time job for their players in the last 15 years and with that these problems are coming out more often. However I am sure the league is heading in the right direction now with the way the NRL has put its foot down and the suspensions being handed out as well as the education programs in place.
I am sure over time league will be able to reduce the number of these instances and improve the morals of their players.
However, those that live in Glass Houses should beware, I am sure Union will have its own indiscretions and it will be interesting to see how they handle a situation when it’s not a former league player involved.
I really do like both games but obviously have a preference for league, I am just disappointed in the way the league guys have been treated. Wendell didn’t do much wrong other than take a recreational drug which he owned up to (no excuses), took the penalty and then went out teaching kids that he was a dill and to stay away from drugs, he was good for your sport but when it came time for a bit of support they sacked him and left him out to dry.
If you think that your sport is clean from recreational drugs then your kidding yourself, as a very good friend of mine once said about state and private schools apart from the education (he went to both) “there’s better drugs at the private schools” obviously this would transfer into your sport as well.
As for Lote I don’t remember too much other than being late for training, holding up a phone for his mate to hear Michael O’Connor bag him and a bit of a drunken episode in South Africa (I am sure there has been a lot worse over the years by true blue rugby union players)
As for not letting your kid play league, it’s not the sport which influences a kid to be an arshole it’s his upbringing. There are some great roll models in League who earn respect for their actions on and off the field and if my son grows up lucky enough to play at the highest level, I am pretty sure he will have the foundations to emulate one of these guys rather then end up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The shame is that there are way too few Hazem El Masri’s and the like in your game. But that doesn’t excuse a lack of personal responsibility for the actions of these boofheads. Until they start tearing up contracts and giving them the push it’ll just keep continuing. And sadly for league, it’s only a matter of time before the major sponsors, like Telstra and Aussie Home Loans pull the pin on it. I can imagine the discussion today in their marketing departments.
If Stirling Mortlock was done for coke he’d (deservedly) be given the arse just like Dell was. He wouldn’t be treated any differently – you can’t honour your contract if you’re suspended for two years. The other thing is that Dell could have returned to union after that suspension if he so chose. He was saying then that he received union offers, and again just recently that he is considering that option when his current contract expires.
My dad was a labourer and I went to a public school; however, you won’t find me disorientated in too many fire escapes after dropping a turd down the corridor…..well, not recently anyway!
Lance, i’m beggining to agree that Lote probably deserved to go, though J O’Neill would have smiling with glee at the chance to cut the budget. Especially so, if what they’re saying on the roar about why he got the sack is true.
But, Stirling Mortlock would not be treated in the same way at all. There is no way they would tear up his contract, regardless of form, unless he ended up in jail. A little bit of rehab, a public apology and he’d be back playing for the brumbies and co in a matter of months
Isn’t coke an automatic 2 year ban? I am certain the ARU would handle Morty in exactly the same fashion.
Dell was huge, he took it square on the chin and served his time. He is currently playing well and earning his keep. Dell always gave 100% and I will never begrudge the man.
Don’t be hasty in judging the rat with a gold tooth (JON) he is no mug. You can bet your arse he has Lote dead to rights. I would rather have O’Neill at the helm than any of the arseclowns that run SARU. ;)
Yep, Waratah is right – automatic two year ban for drug use in accordance with WADA guidelines. Stirlo (or anyone else for that matter) would be wiped out if that was the case….mungo or non mungo.
With regard to the Lote ‘rumours’: there are a few of them doing the rounds, as you’d expect when none of the parties actually tell us what is going on. I’m not in a position to comment on them or give them any credence here.
Had them. Henjak, Shepherd and Fava spring to mind.
I like all sports but a high profile AFL player I know down here (he’d be high profile even in NSW) said to me that he won’t go out with the NRL boys anymore because all they want to do is get pissed, punch on or share a bun (or words to that effect).
At least AFL gets all walks. NRL seems to concentrate the dickheads for some reason. That said, Lote didn’t do too much wrong until this episode – we’ll see if the rumours are true…
Add Brown and Haig Sare… to that list…
AFL’s had a couple of peaches to its name!
Q: Why is soccer so clean?
A: Most of them aren’t strong enough to force themselves onto another girl..
Totally agree with you this time Lance, contracts need to be torn up and they have started with Carney and I am sure he won’t be the last. I am also sure down the track, there will be a rugby drama and if it is a marquee player that is involved, it will be very interesting to see how O’Neill handles it.
As for you Epi, the glass house well and truly rings true for AFL guys! Ablett, Carey, Cousins spring straight to mind, if you think AFL is immune to boofheads you must one of them
I don’t think that AFL or any sport is immune from it if you want to re-read my post. My point is that AFL encompasses people from all walks of life, boofheads (you forgot Didak and Fevola) and otherwise, whilst the NRL has the highest percentage of dickheads in sport for some reason.
I know this as I deal with AFL, NRL, Rugby teams, A-League, Cricketers and Swimmers on a regular basis and the NRL boys never fail to dissapoint…
haha australia imploding