Cashed up Europe will leave our NRL at second best
Roar Pro By Matthew Wilson, 27 Apr 2009 Matthew Wilson is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- Mark Gasnier, NRL, Rugby League, Sonny Bill Williams
265 Have your say
Mark Gasnier and Sonny Bill Williams are the first to pack their bags for a little fortune. The previous St George and Bulldogs stars left the NRL for lucrative deals to play rugby in France.
Gasnier and Sonny Bill are both paid around a reported $800,000 to $1 million per year. The real question is how many other players will pick money over club honour?
It’s no secret French rugby teams are watching the NRL very closely. It was only a couple of weeks back Stade Francais had one of its men at a Roosters training session. He admitted that clubs are keeping a close eye on the NRL.
But what can we do to fix this problem?
Footy show host Matthew Johns said “We gotta work out new ways of generating money other than just league clubs.
“We’re running the risk at the moment of just becoming a feeder competition to everybody else,” says Johns. “Particularly European rugby, the amount of money in European rugby is phenomenal particularly in France.”
It seems the days are gone when players were honoured to just be out there on the field, I guess in sport nothing comes for free.
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- Mark Gasnier, NRL, Rugby League, Sonny Bill Williams
April 27th 2009 @ 7:12pm
Crosscoder said | April 27th 2009 @ 7:12pm | Report comment
Gasnier moved to France for 2 reasons,he was not paid his full 3rd party monies in Oz,and secondly he hated the “fishbowl” existence here.
SBW was unhappy at the Dogs maybe they lacked the knowhow to keep a young Polynesian lad happy,after certain public issues(again the fishbowl dramas).
French ru is a wee tip of the iceberg,the English super league has over 80 NRL players over there.The ESL has expanded to 14 teams so there are now opportunities for NRL players to go to Wales or France and play rl.
It is amazing that despite the departure of these players a hatfull to union,that judging by the standard of play,that St George ad the Dogs are near the top,the average fan wouldn’t notice and really wouldn’t care.
Lets face it when and it is almost a lay down,the NRl expands by another 2 sides in 2013,there will be more opportunities and money available in the game for players,to not have to play overseas.
I remember john connolly remarking that rl fans will show interest in how Gaz and SBY go in ru.Reality check for John few at best know they have actually gone or even care.The game is maintaining interest levels of last year both in attendances and TV.
I read somewhere that the FRU is becoming increasingly concerned with the number of overseas players in that country,about 313 out of 1100 pros.Hardly a sign of wanting to push up the raiding ante.
April 27th 2009 @ 8:10pm
Working Class rugger said | April 27th 2009 @ 8:10pm | Report comment
The French are now capping their foriegn imports. They are now relying on there extensive local talent pool and development systems. A similar movement is beginning to gain support in England. The only other two leagues in Europe of any strength the being the Magners League and Top 10 in Italy only really look at Rugby players. So Japan is the only real threat but due to the economic situation in Japan there cheque books will need to be reined in. While the odd player will be poached, the feared mass exodus is not coming.
April 27th 2009 @ 10:15pm
Ian Noble said | April 27th 2009 @ 10:15pm | Report comment
“You dont have to be a genious to see that the best rugby comp in the world is the NRL by a long long way”.
What utter nonsense from Oikee it might be the best for RL but doesn’t hold a candle to the European Rugby Union Leagues in the depth of the competitions and their attractiveness to the best rugby players. There is no doubt in my mind that in future years the European leagues will follow the football model and become stronger both financially and with increased spectator interest. As a young professional sport it has made great inroads and is real threat to the expansion of RL in Europe. The younger rugby player will realise that the union game is not only more financially advantageous but also provides an increasing expansive and attractive game with spectator appeal both nationally and internationally.
I also don’t see why the GP and the Top 14 need NRL players or indeed any RL players as the majority of cross coders have been a failure unless they switch in their early twenties. So in future years the so-called number of wonder kids in the NRL will remain rooted in OZ, you have nothing to worry about; no exodus, because there is no demand for NRL players.
By the way as I have mentioned before I am an STH for both Quins and Quins RL, and I get so annoyed at the bleating of some RL bigots who always blame everybody else about the failings of a professional game that has been in existence for over 100 years and which has failed through complacency to grow either nationally and internationally when it had a solus position. Now there is real competition it’s mismanagement over the years is coming home to roost.
April 28th 2009 @ 8:29am
Crosscoder said | April 28th 2009 @ 8:29am | Report comment
Ian Noble
Agree with some of your points ,including some rl supporters blaming everyone, except incompetent administration for the game’s perceived ills.
But I do see their points in a couple of instances such as the Vichy removal of pro rl in France( WW2) ad the lack of Govt recognition to allow rugby to be used in the name.Plus the removal of rl(insurance denials) in italy due to union lobbying of the govt.
The biggest thing to hit the game was the SL war.A war that decimated the game in Australia/Z/the PI,the suporter base,the grassroots and the biggest leg up for oppostion codes ever made available.
Incompetent mgt indeed played its part.
Yet the game has rebounded in the Southern hemisphere incl the pacific islands,and as it appears you reside in the UK,the expansion of the ESL has also been a boon for the game.One only has to look at rl in Wales and the growth in juniors.This year sees a Wales Junior league involving 12 clubs,with 3 different age groups 13/15 and 17s.
Indeed in London I understand junior growth is going ahead at pace.However as you would know more than me the Quin’s RL crowds still struggle.
The arrival of Catalans in the ESL,has reduced the number of local rl players going over to French union. Throw in Toulouse in the next expansionary phase and the game in that country will only get stronger.
Heaven help what happens if the US pro rl comp due to start next year, takes off.
Still with all the money the IRB has at its disposal,rugby union is still reliant on the 8 foundation countries,as per the RWC07 final of the 33million viewers -97% came from these 8 countries.
Let us not kid ourselves,money was available in some instances in ru(covertly),during the supposed amateur years.In France
and Italy(where the term spaghetti rugby) was made famous with D Campese’s sojourn.
Perhaps the declining crowds and TV ratings in NZ the home of the AB for ru , is hardly endorsing the view of increasing specator appeal.The Tv ratings in Oz are equally dismal,despite the ELVs.An under 20 rl comp,at times matches the Tv ratings of S14.Maybe they should ditch the ELVs ,who knows.
Rugby union has no doubt strengthened in Europe,however since the SL war with a few stutters rl has not been sitting idle.
The view that you can only play rugby union and see the world is becoming increasingly passe.You play rl in England/France/Wales you can drop kick a ball to any part of Europe.
April 28th 2009 @ 8:50am
el_capitan said | April 28th 2009 @ 8:50am | Report comment
Totally Agree with you Ian.
NRL supporters have the blinkers on when they discuss “thier” game as the best in the world. Very similar to the NFL. The reality is the only football game that is global is football (soccer) itself. If the NRL expands and more countries play the game at a professional level then perhaps, but one has to wonder why there is more respect for the NSW and QLD jumper than the jumper of playing for the national side.
April 28th 2009 @ 9:02am
oikee said | April 28th 2009 @ 9:02am | Report comment
Thats why its the best Ian, we dont need to import any players into the NRL, we have the best players in the world right here. I wont argue with you Ian, you can just watch the decay of Union as league feeds off its carcuss. Notice you never see league scouts looking for Union players?.
The Broncos are a powerhouse, 40 thousand average crowds. Suncorp, best rugby league stadium in the world.
As for the failure of Rugby league overseas Ian, we had all our asserts in France stripped from us by Rugby Union, its going to take time to get them back. Not long now.
April 28th 2009 @ 9:27am
el_capitan said | April 28th 2009 @ 9:27am | Report comment
Oikee,
Thats where your wrong. There are league scouts at jnr union carnivals hoping to score a player. It happens in both codes and I don’t deny it.
Union will never die, same as league. They have their supporter bases that will keep them afloat. League has the NRL here in Aust and Union has the appeal of the world comp and counties to play tests against with the Wallabies at the highest level.
The Broncs are a powerhouse due to the fact that they run their club as a business, where as many of the Sydney NRL sides still run their clubs as clubs and can’t won’t make the hard decisions to cut and buy players.
IMO both codes need to closely model the Broncs as a sucessful business club. You can’t hold onto players due to loyalty, you need to make hard decisions and cut some favourable players (Wally Lewis, Petro, ect from the Broncs). Due to the professional nature of the game these days, loyalty has gone out the window, and all players are looking to earn as much money as they can within the timeframe that their bodies can handle, cause almost none of the players have anything to fall back on once their footballing days are over
April 28th 2009 @ 9:30am
oikee said | April 28th 2009 @ 9:30am | Report comment
League is a quick learner, they now know that international games are where the money is, hence the start of a 4 nation and pacific nation tournament. America holds the key to international games. Once a professional league takes hold over there hopefully we can grow more interest and funding for future fixtures. We have America playing Jamaica and Japan at the moment, if we can increase this tournament we can grow the game. I think America is being included into the pacific islands tournament this year or next year.
I had mentioned last year on the rugby league world cup site that if we can create a 3rd top level league in America then we have a golden triangle from 3 points to build off, seems like this is going to happen. We also have a solid league comp in Russia, we just need to build this up again. A salary cap would help.
April 28th 2009 @ 9:44am
oikee said | April 28th 2009 @ 9:44am | Report comment
El-Capitan, no we have no blinkers, we have our eyes open and know what we are watching.Do you think i would be watching league if union was better, does not make sense to me, i know league is better, light years ahead, Bigger stronger and more skillful, and uglier than union players. Well maybe not uglier.
April 28th 2009 @ 9:54am
Colin N said | April 28th 2009 @ 9:54am | Report comment
“League is a quick learner, they now know that international games are where the money is, hence the start of a 4 nation and pacific nation tournament”
You do come out with some classic comments oikee. If you say League is quick learners, then how come it has taken them 100 hundred years to apparently ‘know that international games are where the money is’? Shouldn’t this competition have been introduced years ago, or at least the internatonal game expanded by now? Considering League has had a 100 year head start over Union, how come the world wide popularity of Union has surpassed that of League?
“Notice you never see league scouts looking for Union players?.”
Again another classic and blinkered quote. I will answer your question, it’s because they can’t afford them. I remember Brian Noble coming out with a great idea, suggesting that Super League clubs should try and sign top level European players, such as Jonny Wilkinson and Brian O’Driscoll. Just a slight problem there Brian, MONEY!! Wilkinson has been rumoured to be signing for Toulon for a reported wage of £700,000 a year (I’m not sure what that is in Australian dollars).