Brumbies still chasing dream signatures

By Karlis Salna, 27 May 2009 Karlis Salna is a Roar Rookie

Tagged:: Brumbies, James OConnor, Rocky Elsom, Rugby Union, Super Rugby

Related coverage

The Brumbies are set to put together what would be a Super rugby dream team by signing Rocky Elsom and James O’Connor as the last two players on their roster.

With the Brumbies expected to finalise contracts with a number of existing players shortly, just two spots will still be up for grabs in the Brumbies’ 2010 roster, including one in the backline and another in the back row.

Those two spots have been reserved for Elsom and O’Connor.

While Elsom is rumoured to have agreed to terms, Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan said a deal had not yet been finalised.

“He’s obviously moving a little closer to making a decision … he knows what our position is,” Fagan said on Tuesday.

“He’s over here next week, obviously coming to play in that (Barbarians) game and I would suggest it may not be until then, that he wouldn’t make a decision until he’s actually in the country.”

“There’s no scheduled meeting at this stage.”

O’Connor is expected to make a decision within the next two weeks but is tipped to follow Matt Giteau and Josh Valentine to Canberra.

“We’ve spoken to his manager a few times and he’s indicated to us he’s probably a few weeks away from making a decision,” Fagan said.

“We’re comfortable with that and said we’d let him know if we needed an answer because of other discussions but we’re not at that point yet.”

The addition of Elsom and O’Connor, as well as Giteau, to a roster that already includes Wallabies Stirling Mortlock, George Smith and Stephen Moore, would go a long way to cementing the Brumbies as Australia’s strongest provincial team.

“They’re obviously weighing up what options are available to them and they’ll make the decision in their time,” Fagan said.

The signings would take the Brumbies squad to 31 and closer to their target of 30 which they have to meet by the end of next season under Australian Rugby Union guidelines.

The 31st position, however, belongs to Julian Huxley whose playing future remains uncertain after he underwent brain surgery last year to remove a tumour.

“We’re on target to be at 30 or 31,” Fagan said.

He said a final decision on Huxley’s future was yet to be made.

“We just really need to sit down – and we haven’t got a scheduled time – with some people from the ARU and Julian’s management to talk through where we are at and what he needs to do in order to gain the necessary approvals to resume playing.

“I imagine we’ll sit down over the course of the next month or so and work out what needs to be done.”

The existing players yet to re-sign include prop Guy Shepherdson, lock Mark Chisholm, back-rowers Mitchell Chapman and Peter Kimlin and wingers Francis Fanifo and Afusipa Taumoepeau.

Most are considered done deals but Chapman is likely to be shown the door if Elsom signs.

Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.

The Crowd Says (21) | Page 1 of Comments

Frank said | May 27th 2009 @ 8:16am | Report comment

geez, how do they keep attracting top tier players……how……!!!!!! they will go close to winning the comp next year……

Reply
Hugh Jarse said | May 27th 2009 @ 11:02am | Report comment

looks like Andrew Fagan has been to the Matt Burke school of adverb usage.

Reply
Jets said | May 27th 2009 @ 2:04pm | Report comment

Any chance of Chapman returning to the Reds? If Elsom isn’t coming he could be QLD’s prodigal son

Reply
ilikedahoodoogurusingha said | May 27th 2009 @ 3:55pm | Report comment

The Irish Times is reporting that Elsom has already signed a 2 year deal with the Brumbies. As a Brumbies member, I hope that the team can live up to all the hype they are going to get with these signings.

Reply
Frank said | May 27th 2009 @ 4:29pm | Report comment

Maybe it is club culture that is attracting all these big names…….this culture could fast disappear, if the likes of rathbone, holmes, salvi, chapman are shown the door…..

Jets, Chapman could become the reds saviour, he is very talented………

The Queensland reds could potentially be suffering a case of what John west rejects…….just think in 2 years they traded Steve More for the pin ball Sai, and now because they cant keep other marquee players they could potentially trade Chapman for elsum……..

This is ironic, as the brumbies can trace there club culture to being the rejects of Australian rugby………… Could it be that history repeats…

Also, funny that the Elsom did not consider the waratahs…….. when will NSW ever realise politics and rugby don’t mix

Reply
Greg Russell said | May 27th 2009 @ 5:25pm | Report comment

I agree with Frank that “Chapman … is very talented”, and I am surprised that Deans has ignored him. After all, he’s the closest thing in Australian rugby to the mould of Kieran Read and Rueben Thorne, which is exactly the mould that Deans religiously used at the Crusaders. I know Thorne has lots of knockers, but let it be remembered that he arrived at the Crusaders as a free-running second-rower like Mark Chisolm. It was under Deans that he turned into a “Mr Invisible”, i.e., a tireless worker in the tight.

I digress. What I really wanted to say is that I am against the idea of O’Connor and Elsom going to the Brumbies. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Brumbies on account of growing up in Canberra, and still having folks and friends who live there. But what I really do not like is the situation in NZ netball and South African rugby, where too much of the top talent is disproportionately hoarded into one or two teams. Does Australian rugby really want a situation like that in South Africa, where they have a title-winning side (Bulls 2007, likely 2009) and three Queenslands in the bottom third of the table?

Arguably there are only 4 world-class players in Australian rugby – Mortlock, Giteau, Smith and Elsom – and it looks like they will all be at the Brumbies next year, and for good measure throw in a world-class player rapidly in the making (O’Connor). Doesn’t this sound like Habana, du Preez, Spies, Matfield and Botha all being at the Bulls?

Each to their own – and no doubt Brumbies supporters will scream me down – but I’d rather see a more even distribution of talent across the board, because that’s the best way of strengthening Australian rugby as a whole. I mean, if it’s so important to win the Super 14, why not just enter the Wallabies as a team?

Reply
Jets said | May 27th 2009 @ 7:02pm | Report comment

While we are at it Salvi would be very welcome at the Reds as well. Chapman, Salvi and Taylor would be a backrow I would be happy with. I guess it will depend on Braid.

Reply
Sportym said | May 28th 2009 @ 12:18am | Report comment

Greg,

I have been a long time Brumbies fan, and as much as want them to go back to the old glory days, this cannot be good for OZ rugby. Then again, the talent has never really been spread evenly among the S14, this can be seen in the number of teams that have won the title. If the brumbies do get elsom and o’conner they will have the fundation of a S14 powerhouse, and will have to deliver next year. Then again a team of stars is not necessary a star team.

I am actually at loss where the Brumbies are getting thier $$$ from. The reason they lost Gits initially was cause they could not match the Force’s offer, and now suddenly they are picking up Valentine, Gitts, Elsom, o’connor. They Landed moore last year, all these players cannot be cheap. The way the Brumbies have been playing in the last 4 years they would be getting I quess crowds in the 10K-14K region, not exactly a huge influx of $$$. I always considerd the Brumbies to be the poorest francise.

I’d be interested on what terms Elsom left the tahs, I was certain that if he came back he would play for them. I never imagined that he would be a Brumby. As for O’connor, I can see him following Gits over.

Reply
pothale said | May 28th 2009 @ 1:05am | Report comment

Reports are premature that Elsom has signed for Brumbies as he still has his negotiations with ARU to sort out. Asked yesterday on an Irish radio station as to whether he had signed for Brumbies, Elsom is reported to have said:

“No, well, it runs the same as it does here. You contract first with your federation. The IRFU here, you do the same, you need to contract first with the Australian rugby, which is what I need to work out.”

Reply
Even looser said | May 28th 2009 @ 7:53am | Report comment

Greg I take your point about spreading the talent. But what can be done?

As a Tahs fan I was hoping, dare I say expecting Rocky to sign with the Tahs. So I was initially disappointed but have since altered my opinion to one where I reckon the Tahs coaching staff need to learn one of the first lessons of good coaching and that is to get the most out of who you have.

Signing Rocky would have possibly made them all lazy & just too dependant on the man. This could be better. I want it to force the coaches to really think hard about their coaching, stategies, tactics, etc. As touched on above I’d far prefer a Star Team than a team of stars.

The coaches need to ask themselves ‘why Rocky didn’t sign with us’ and use it to their advantage. Answer is ‘he thinks we’re dumb. So prove him wrong. Start by being humble.

Speaking of which…..I enjoyed the contrast between the State of Oranges set-ups. NSW all flash with their 5 star accommodation and Qld very much a basic style to keep them all grounded. As one of the Queenslander players said “he wants to keep us humble and that a good thing”. Maybe there’s a lesson there for the NSW Waratahs.

Reply