Post by England 3 Lions on Aug 11, 2009 23:55:15 GMT 10
Great rugby league gamble had its pay-off for union chiefs
Andrew Slack
August 09, 2009 12:00am
Source: Courier Mail
TIMANA Tahu is back at Parramatta, Lote Tuqiri is entangled in a legal battle with rugby officialdom, Wendell Sailor's a born-again Dragon and Mat Rogers is loving the life of a Titan on the tourist strip.
That's a lot of ARU money no longer giving much of a return to the code. It's easy to argue, as many have done, that luring the league players to rugby has been a monumental failure.
I disagree. Numbers never tell the full story, but between them Tuqiri, Sailor and Rogers played 149 Test matches for the Wallabies, which suggests they could at least play the game a bit. The equation of dollars outlaid to return given will provide different answers, depending not on your maths, but on your point of view.
Nevertheless, I think it would be impossible to sustain an argument that Sailor and Tuiqiri did not give rugby an enormous boost when they first made the switch. Just as the AFL reckon they already have got a fair percentage of their money back on the Karmichael Hunt stunt, so too did the ARU make some money by spending it.
While professional rugby has a responsibility to support the grassroots of the game, there remains the ultimate quest to establish a winning team.
If the QRU was able to buy 15 rugby league players who could win them the Super 14 next year, I don't reckon I'd hear much whingeing from the Reds' long-suffering fans.
Indeed, while the Reds have struggled recently, two players who have really looked to put in at all times and added composure and experience not evident among some others have been NRL imports Clinton Schifcofske and Mark McLinden.
What is a bit galling for rugby fans is some of the comments made by the rugby league prodigal sons once they're off the ARU payroll.
There are strengths and weaknesses in both games and advantages and disadvantages to playing them at the top level, but I don't think it reflects very well on individuals who are openly critical of the people who have been topping up their bank balances.
You are not forced to love either game, but as all our mothers told us, if you've got nothing good to say, say nothing.
Ultimately, the poorest decision by the ARU was signing Tahu. I recall when he came to rugby, he was quoted as saying how pleased his family was that he was taking on the challenge.
On his return to the Eels last week, he again mentioned how pleased his family was at the decision.
He's clearly got the most important thing - a family that's easy to please!
There's a bit of squabbling going on in the rugby family in Australia at the moment and whether the players once played rugby league or not is about as relevant as whether they're Methodists or Muslims.
The game is hardly sailing along at the crest of the footballing wave with coverage of NRL and AFL far exceeding that of the Wallabies, while the A-League also seems to be motoring along in the right direction for soccer devotees.
Those who see the signing of high-profile rugby league figures as the main reason behind rugby's current struggles in the footballing marketplace are looking in the wrong places for fault. It's aspects of the game itself that need re-appraisal.
Tahu will not be the last league import and there's bad news to come for the snobs on both sides of the rugby divide who can see only positives in their game and negatives in the other. Players will swap between codes for as long as both games exist.
Andrew Slack
August 09, 2009 12:00am
Source: Courier Mail
TIMANA Tahu is back at Parramatta, Lote Tuqiri is entangled in a legal battle with rugby officialdom, Wendell Sailor's a born-again Dragon and Mat Rogers is loving the life of a Titan on the tourist strip.
That's a lot of ARU money no longer giving much of a return to the code. It's easy to argue, as many have done, that luring the league players to rugby has been a monumental failure.
I disagree. Numbers never tell the full story, but between them Tuqiri, Sailor and Rogers played 149 Test matches for the Wallabies, which suggests they could at least play the game a bit. The equation of dollars outlaid to return given will provide different answers, depending not on your maths, but on your point of view.
Nevertheless, I think it would be impossible to sustain an argument that Sailor and Tuiqiri did not give rugby an enormous boost when they first made the switch. Just as the AFL reckon they already have got a fair percentage of their money back on the Karmichael Hunt stunt, so too did the ARU make some money by spending it.
While professional rugby has a responsibility to support the grassroots of the game, there remains the ultimate quest to establish a winning team.
If the QRU was able to buy 15 rugby league players who could win them the Super 14 next year, I don't reckon I'd hear much whingeing from the Reds' long-suffering fans.
Indeed, while the Reds have struggled recently, two players who have really looked to put in at all times and added composure and experience not evident among some others have been NRL imports Clinton Schifcofske and Mark McLinden.
What is a bit galling for rugby fans is some of the comments made by the rugby league prodigal sons once they're off the ARU payroll.
There are strengths and weaknesses in both games and advantages and disadvantages to playing them at the top level, but I don't think it reflects very well on individuals who are openly critical of the people who have been topping up their bank balances.
You are not forced to love either game, but as all our mothers told us, if you've got nothing good to say, say nothing.
Ultimately, the poorest decision by the ARU was signing Tahu. I recall when he came to rugby, he was quoted as saying how pleased his family was that he was taking on the challenge.
On his return to the Eels last week, he again mentioned how pleased his family was at the decision.
He's clearly got the most important thing - a family that's easy to please!
There's a bit of squabbling going on in the rugby family in Australia at the moment and whether the players once played rugby league or not is about as relevant as whether they're Methodists or Muslims.
The game is hardly sailing along at the crest of the footballing wave with coverage of NRL and AFL far exceeding that of the Wallabies, while the A-League also seems to be motoring along in the right direction for soccer devotees.
Those who see the signing of high-profile rugby league figures as the main reason behind rugby's current struggles in the footballing marketplace are looking in the wrong places for fault. It's aspects of the game itself that need re-appraisal.
Tahu will not be the last league import and there's bad news to come for the snobs on both sides of the rugby divide who can see only positives in their game and negatives in the other. Players will swap between codes for as long as both games exist.