David Gallop, get off your high horse
Roar Guru By LeftArmSpinner, 15 Jul 2008 The Crowd is a Roar Guru
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It is highly hypocritical for David Gallop to accuse rugby of failing to develop their own players because they have poached players from the thirteen-a-side code.
Gallop goes further, concluding that it proves that rugby league is a better game than rugby union.
His outburst indicates just how sensitive the NRL is to this.
It is no doubt heightened by the upcoming embarrassment when the face of the 2008 rugby league World Cup, Mark Gasnier, moves to rugby.
Gasnier’s move exposes the lack of depth that the player drain has caused.
Gasnier is the last decent centre in NSW. Jamie Lyon is not interested in playing State of Origin, leaving Monaghan as next choice.
Rugby league spent the 70s and 80s buying rugby union’s best players.
When determining which game offers more, look at the choices made by the players. There are significantly more players, at all levels, transitioning to union from league.
The reasons are simple: At the elite level, union players earn more money for less games, they represent their nation (rather than their State) and travel the world first class, including the unique experience of a true World Cup every four years.
At the club and junior level, rugby is a better option for players who want a more challenging game and who are born with ‘non-standard’ body shapes.
Further, these players, as international backpackers, can pull on the boots throughout the world and experience the global rugby brotherhood.
Rugby league actively positions itself as the working class man’s game. This is at odds with the meritocracy that is at the core of Australian society.
Despite Gallop’s outburst, the players coming through already understand their options.
One look at the players who are coming through the junior representative teams in both codes shows that they are essentially the same players. As the elite players of the future, they want to keep their options in both games open.
As typical kids, they want to play with their friends.
John Hopaoate’s son plays rugby union for the Manly Roos and the Manly Marlins representative teams, as well as rugby league in the Manly Warringah Junior’s local and representative competitions.
Mr Gallop, you are flogging a dead horse!
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July 15th 2008 @ 7:02am
Lance said | July 15th 2008 @ 7:02am | Report comment
LAS, great article. Now that Shimmy shimmy whosh, as Roy and HG call Gasnier, is on his way to French rugby, it makes Gallop’s outburst very silly!
Gallop has forgotten that Rogers, Cross and Barnes all played rep rugby while at school prior to commencing their careers in league.
The bottom line is that rugby has and will always have more money because it is a global game while league is a state/provincial game. It’s that simple.
July 15th 2008 @ 9:37am
El Capitan said | July 15th 2008 @ 9:37am | Report comment
I find it ammusing that RL is the working mans game, however the players have been detatched from that environment, and now earn more than some “educated” peoples.
If they want League to go back to thier roots, then they should be paying the players less and investing into the community.
As for Gaz and others that have left or are thinking of leaving to RU, haven’t the days changed. When Rugby was amature, there was no RL players intrested. Now that Rugby has gone professional, the players are seeing the rewards. Less games, opportunitites to play for your nation, and get paid big cash. Hmmm looks like there will be more of a player drain, and you will only get the die-hards RL players who will stay with the code. Even Joey Johns, looked into the option of RU.
July 15th 2008 @ 10:21am
Crosscoder said | July 15th 2008 @ 10:21am | Report comment
LAS
Rugby league indeed bought many of union’s best players,except a few who were able to earn more playing(supposedly amateur) union ,and knocked back league offers.No names no packdrill.You conveniently ignore the poaching of the French rugby league players by FRU clubs for decades during the amateur years.
That is why the under 20 cup is going so well ,bringing up new exciting players and matching the s14 on TV ratings.
Suggest the TV ratings for rugby league as opposed to union indicate a reasonable choice of what people in this country prefer to view on a regular basis.The intnl brotherhood that is rugby union, for heaven’s sake,young and old rugby league players can play in France ,England,Scotland,Wales,Ireland,Serbia,USA even Germany there are clubs amateur,in some cases semi pro and pro.
Suggest you check re more players transtitioning to union from league.In Wales for example in the Celtic Crusader colts team,the bulk of the 26 players in that squad have made rugby league their first choice over union.
Lance.Got to laugh Mat Rogers was first and foremost a junior rugby league player ,a Sharks ball boy before he went to a union only(how democratic) school.Cross also a junior rugby league player in the Eastern Suburbs before he went to a union only school Waverly College.Barnes dabbled in both sports in his youth.
A global game,where it is professional in half a dozen countries,and the national code of one New Zealand.It is a mere grain in the sand in the most populated countries of this world.International game yes, global delusional.
El Capitan -You overlook the spending power of English super league clubs,which include les Catalans,so union is hardly unique in having money to spend.Rugby league players have been going to English rugby league for ages.The French ru as I have stated before poached league players when they were supposedly amateur.
If you bothered to listen to A Johns brother,he stated the money on offer was good ,the game was not his cup of tea.
Memo there has been a player drain from rl for years its not new,and its happening in union just ask the NZRU.Rugby league has the monotonous habit of developing a new exciting breed of player,Slater,Inglis,Folau,Hunt,Kite,Orcher,Barba,Coote etc some names you have never heard of but as the saying goes you soon will.
The irony of all of this ,the rugby union spent 100 years deriding rugby league for accepting payment for playing,yet when Rupert and his millions started throwing money around to SANZAR ,the union lads tripped over themselves in the rush.Proving once again rugby league got it right in the first place.
July 15th 2008 @ 10:33am
chas said | July 15th 2008 @ 10:33am | Report comment
LeftArmSpinner:
I’m amazed at your anti-Rl rants. Your entire thesis is based on non-factual utterances. Have you ever studied the history of relations between the two games? I feel shamed to be responding to your rubbish.
July 15th 2008 @ 10:39am
True Tah said | July 15th 2008 @ 10:39am | Report comment
El Capitan,
any claims that league is the working mans game are the same as the labor party is the voice of the working man. Given the move away from blue collar jobs to white collar, any code which essentially restricts itself to this is kidding itself. How many “workin class” men (and women for that matter) can afford pay-tv to watch Toyota Cup. AFL never markets itself as the working mans game, and that is the premier sporting comp in this country.
Crosscoder,
no arguments about Rogers, Cross, etc playing league before union. However, NZRU also have the habit of producing talents in rugby. And I agree, union should have been paying players from the beginning. For a few years 1995-2000, I had real grave concerns about professional rugby being able to survive at all, however unfortunately I may regret the fact that the money on offer in the UK is too great for Super rugby players to resist.
One thing I never ever understood, is why didn’t Wales and NZ embrace rugby league fully instead of rugby union? For many years, Welsh rugby players were a key item on English league club shopping lists, thats how the term “going north” arose. I would appreciate any insight into why this was the case.
BTW before he came to Australia, Hunt played union, and played both games, and represented Aust. Schoolboys in both games.
July 15th 2008 @ 10:47am
LeftArmSpinner said | July 15th 2008 @ 10:47am | Report comment
crosscoder, your comment supports my argument. I wasnt aware of the french RU practices. my point is this: The elite players don’t see the same boundaries as they used to. They look at cash and lifestyle opportunities.
The amateur players want to play with their mates. on the U20′s league comp, what happens to guys that play U20′s then turn 20 before making it to NRL? Where do they go?
A similar problem existed in rugby but has been, at least partially addressed. It is the gap between aust. schoolboys rep teams and S14. I suspect that the best path is Aust schoolboys Rugby, then U20′s, into NRL and then S14 and wallabies.
July 15th 2008 @ 10:52am
LeftArmSpinner said | July 15th 2008 @ 10:52am | Report comment
chas, I need more than a few rhetorical questions to be able to respond. tell me more.
I had considered GAllop to be a very good CEO until this outburst. I dont write him off, as John O’Neill said, he has probably just had a bad week. the gasnier thing would be very frustrating.
July 15th 2008 @ 2:07pm
Gruffalo said | July 15th 2008 @ 2:07pm | Report comment
The mere presence of Gallop as NRL CEO is laughable. His previous role was as legal counsel for News Limted. his job before the NRL position was helping to kill Souths off in court.
I’m pretty sure Gallop did not go to an employment agency to get the NRL job. I think News Limited might have had something to do with it.
Rugby league will die if News Limited remain as owner. Whic side of the fence do you think David sits on? Rugby league OR Rupert?