The irony of Steve Mortimer’s attack on player poaching
Columnist By Spiro Zavos, 13 May 2008 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert
Steve Mortimer’s rant about Sonny Bill Williams talking about the possibility of becoming an All Black has all the hallmarks of a poacher turning into a gamekeeper.
Mortimer, a Bulldogs great, is apparently ‘sickened’ that a current Bulldogs great would even consider leaving the club for a rugby union career while his rugby league contract still has four years to run.
‘When I first came to the club as CEO (in 2002), I took a particular interest in Sonny Bill Williams … He came across as a kid who was very principled, very decent. That’s why it sickened me hearing him talking about playing for the All Blacks … I know he’s got a new manager, so maybe there’s something to that,’ Mortimer has told the media.
If this is a rant about a manager playing off rivals codes to up the ante for his player, then we’d all applaud Steve Mortimer’s stance. The single thing that followers of both rugby codes find most obnoxious is the deceitful and uncaring way managers try to con league and union officials to have a bidding war for their players.
Almost as objectionable is the way the officials continue to rise to the bait: the Lote Tuqiri affair being a case in point.
I believe that the rugby and football codes must listen to the supporters and publish an up-to-date list of all the managers and the players, coaches and commentators/journalists they represent. Then the public will get a decent insight into the conflicts of interests that abound all the time in the grubby world of managers, players and officials.
But the vehemence of Steve Mortimer’s remarks tend to make me think that his basic objection is to Sonny Bill Williams in particular changing codes. I can’t recall the same vehemence, for instance, from the normally mild-mannered Mortimer when other players have speculated about wanting to go to other rugby leagues clubs from the Bulldogs.
And if this is true, that the rant is an attack on a player even contemplating a turn to the dark side, then it is reprehensible.
For decades rugby union supporters had to put up with their best players being poached by rugby league clubs, and then the players being called ‘converts’ to the rugby league game.
Since professionalism came into rugby in 1996, the boot has been on the other foot. It is rugby union that is poaching rugby league players.
Most rugby union supporters, in fact, have deplored this shift. There are only a couple of star players in Australia and New Zealand who have justified being poached: Brad Thorn is one and possibly Lote Tuqiri is another.
But all the other league stars who’ve been poached have been a waste of rugby union money.
The other aspect of the Mortimer rant that grates is that this great rugby league player was in his heyday when ‘Bullfrog’ Moore ran the Bulldogs rugby league club. It was Moore who perfected the dark science of getting players to switch clubs and codes to join the Bulldogs.
‘Bullfrog’ Moore was much more assertive about this than Sonny Bill Williams has been. He was famous, infamous is perhaps more accurate, at barging into the dressing room after a Schoolboys rugby union test between Australia and New Zealand, shoving aside the coaches and the rugby officials and virtually demanding some youngster to sign up right away.
I can’t recall Steve Mortimer making any objections to these objectionable, bullying poaching tactics by one of rugby league’s most revered figures.
Recommend this story.
- Explore:
May 13th 2008 @ 8:06am
Jerry said | May 13th 2008 @ 8:06am | Report comment
I must have missed all the effort the Bulldogs put into training those junior league prospects Daryl Halligan and John Timu.
May 13th 2008 @ 9:34am
Hugh Dillon said | May 13th 2008 @ 9:34am | Report comment
One of the most interesting effects and revelations of the professionalisation of rugby is that some good league players have developed a respect for rugby that was entirely missing in times past. The shared assumption of rugby and league players and supporters was that league players were tougher and more skillful. It has been a humbling experience all round to see how Wendell Sailor, etc have struggled because they have found themselves out of their depth. If an Australian rugby team of the century was selected it is hard to see a large number of the league centurions getting a guernsey.
May 13th 2008 @ 10:10am
eric said | May 13th 2008 @ 10:10am | Report comment
Good point about Timu & Halligan.
I’m more intrigued about what the experts say about whether Sonny Bill would make it. Presumably we are thinking number 6 or 8. Is he tall enough? Does he have stamina? Is he smart enough?
If I had my pick of the leaguies, I’d like Thurston, maybe Lockyer, or Steve Menzies a few years younger. I’d be interested in Brad Thorns thoughts.
May 13th 2008 @ 11:02am
The Link said | May 13th 2008 @ 11:02am | Report comment
“But all the other league stars who’ve been poached have been a waste of rugby union money.”
“It has been a humbling experience all round to see how Wendell Sailor, etc have struggled because they have found themselves out of their depth.”
Lazy analysis points to the supposed ‘failure’ of Sailor (the starting winger of the 2003 World Cup Final) as evidence of it not working. How do you rate the following AUS and NZ converts in the Super Rugby Era (outside of Tiquiri and Thorn):
Peter Ryan
Andrew Walker
Matt Rogers
Berrick Barnes
To a lesser extent (lower grade League):
Rocky Elsom
Cliffy Palu
Looks like a pretty good honour role to me. This isn’t even counting success stories in the UK like Jason Robinson (although Spiro was referring to AUS/NZ only)
May 13th 2008 @ 11:04am
The Link said | May 13th 2008 @ 11:04am | Report comment
p.s. Spiro I reckon Turvey is jacked mainly because Sonny is early into a 5 year deal more than switching codes.
May 13th 2008 @ 12:46pm
Hatchet said | May 13th 2008 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
Taking a particularinterest seems to translate into ownership. It’s as though Dennis Tutty never changed Clubs ownership of players. I think Turves has his nose too close to the Canterbury grindstone when he makes these statements.
Most League to Union signings are made when the League player has too many residual injuries to really be effective in Rugby. It is often too late for them to make an effective change to Rugby.
Player Agents are a blight on the game. They relegate any coach – player relationship and loyalty way below the Agent’s percentage of player earnings. They are the root of significant upheaval in Rugby witnessed by their orchestrated attack on “Speed” Kennedy when he was cleaningout a number of under -performing players.
May 13th 2008 @ 12:59pm
Mark said | May 13th 2008 @ 12:59pm | Report comment
Still don’t get it, why would teh NZRU want him ? potential ?? there’s a good crop of up & comers that would cost a lot less & probably contribute a lot more. As for the leaguies who’ve made it;
Matt Rogers – wouldn’t mention him in the same breath as Gould, lots of potenital but only partially filled it despite occassional touches of brilliance.
Andrew Walker – well he’s a real what could’ve been, interesting to see what happens this time around, he’s only 30 something.
Barnes – still not a great although a good player.
I prefer the NZRU’s approach, if you want to come over we’ll consider it, rather than throwing handfuls of cash at players who may no deliver
May 13th 2008 @ 1:37pm
NickF said | May 13th 2008 @ 1:37pm | Report comment
Andrew Walker came from Randwick to StGeorge to Manly then to Union again, so he doesn’t really count. You might include Ryan Cross, but he had a background in schoolboy rugby. In NZ there is also Weepu from league.
But if Sonny Bill went to rugby, where would he play? Would he have the skill for No. 7? No.6 wouldn’t work as he would need some jumping skill as well, so only No.8 is left, and that is a whole lot of learning for him to do.
And if Sonny Bill went home th NZ, could he take Candice Falzon with him, please.
May 13th 2008 @ 2:20pm
El Capitan said | May 13th 2008 @ 2:20pm | Report comment
I can’t see SBW making the All Blacks. There are just too many players in front of him that are too good. They only way he could get it is by proving his worth, like Brad Thorne did. By rejecting the jersey, he showed people that he wanted to earn the right to play.
May 13th 2008 @ 2:23pm
JimC said | May 13th 2008 @ 2:23pm | Report comment
Hugh Dillon
Yeh, Wendell really struggled, completely out of his depth. Being first choice foir the wallabies for his whole union career, carrying the queensland reds almost singlehandedly in the 2004 season (i say almost cause Latham and Croft also showed up to play occasionally). What’s your definition of success? 5 tries in a World Cup final?