Hit Wallabies in the hip pocket when they lose
Roar Guru
By LeftArmSpinner, 18 Aug 2009 LeftArmSpinner is a Roar Guru
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Australian rugby union coach Robbie Deans (centre) talks to players during a training session for the team in Sydney on Monday, June 1, 2009. The Wallabies will play the Barbarians on Saturday night. AAP Image/Paul Miller
The Wallabies performance is being held back by the myths of a lack of depth in Australian rugby and a fear of young players being able to step up. The Wallabies are also missing the motivation of a well designed remuneration structure and individual packages.
Robbie Deans has blooded many new Wallabies but, rather than stop now, he needs to push on.
The first wave of new blood replaced the obvious dead wood, such as George Gregan.
The Wallabies still contain players who are struggling with consistency, mongrel, player smarts (avoiding dumb penalties) and overall motivation.
Sharpe, Baxter, Moore, Horwill, Brown and Mitchell are good examples. They need to listen to the drivel that they come out with after a loss. It is very indicative of the mindset.
Burgess is not in this category.
His issues are technical weaknesses and, I suspect, a lack of confidence, not effort or motivation.
Robbie Deans is more than capable of subtle but clear communication. Deans must, and is reportedly intending to, send the message – “No one is safe, no one!” – by dropping several senior players who are not performing for the upcoming game.
Don’t move them to the bench, drop them from the 22 for next three games as a minimum or until they are needed again, if ever.
Alternatively, as the 2009 Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nations campaigns will effectively be gone by late on this coming Saturday evening if the Wallabies lose, make the changes after next weekend and give the underperformers one more game.
Do not underestimate the shot in the arm that the right youngster will get by being in the run on team.
Young players do step up and quickly. Sport is full of such success stories.
The current Wallabies squad has many examples of youngsters who have stepped up: Genia, Burgess, Giteau, Barnes, O’Connor, Pocock, Turner, Hynes and AAC, despite their age.
The advent of the professional era determined that the Wallabies are employees of the ARU. Just ask Lote Tuqiri. Despite the glamour of being a Wallaby, the Wallabies remain employees.
Most companies have transitioned to performance based pay and use the recruitment of bright young things to keep their more established employees on their toes.
The ARU, despite the belligerence of Tony Dempsey at RUPA, must use the renegotiation of the SANZAR TV agreement to also renegotiate the structure of the player packages.
The Wallabies currently receive the majority of their package as a guaranteed “salary” boosted by a $11,500 match fee for every test match played, win lose or draw.
At least 30 percent of the guaranteed salary and at least 50 percent of the match fee should be “at risk” or performance based, even if it means increasing the amount that they can earn in the new agreement.
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Dexter William said | August 18th 2009 @ 2:18am | Report comment
Good wrting LAS.
Great Idea – Dropping to the Bench is not painful as you have indicated. Out of the 22 or 30 even should be adopted.
How many chances should Burgess get?
How about Notso and Palu the lump?
When will Deans show some mongrel? So far he is too soft on the Prima Donnas. He is losing my confidence fast.
LeftArmSpinner said | August 18th 2009 @ 10:59am | Report comment
I agree. Burgess is a work in progress and with his competition on the bench, he has the necessary “encouragement”. My reading is that Genia is coming for him, and together, they are our best options at half. Sharp had a shock last year and responded it, but has since then waned again. Palu has not rediscovered his S14 2008 form for 12 months. Deans is signed and and hence locked in and is also the best coach going around. We will see what he can do on Saturday evening and in the following two weekends!!!
sheek said | August 18th 2009 @ 6:20am | Report comment
Leftie,
I might argue the myth of lack of depth. Depth of Quality. I would argue it’s not there at present in significant numbers.
Greg Growden flagged the remuneration issue in the SMH. It might explain a lot about some, I say some of these Wallabies. There has long been the suspicion that the Wallabies have been too well looked after. And haven’t always returned the compliment with effort on the paddock.
LeftArmSpinner said | August 18th 2009 @ 11:05am | Report comment
Sheek, the depth is there, but not fully exploited. To fully exploit it, you need to take a few more risks with youngsters. Look at Genia. throughout Deans tenure, Burgess was considered okay, a bit inconsistent, a weak pass BUT, the only one we had. Now we have Genia too. He has grasped the challenge and is putting pressure on Burgess. Good for everyone.
After the Players platitudes that get trotted out after every loss, I am fed up and sought a solution. Growden’s article sparked mine, but I took a different slant, comparing the Wallabies to other employees, and then determnining corp best practice and applying it to the Wallabies, both in remuneration and recruitment. There is no silver bullet, but the corp world goes through this every day!!!
vinay verma said | August 18th 2009 @ 6:20am | Report comment
LAS,your suggestion to have a performance based salary is in stark contrast to Cricket Australia’s guaranteed model,even if players are injured.
I agree there has to be “a cattle prod” clause in the package to guard against complacency. But generally I am all in favour of elite sportsmen and women receiving the maximum the sport can afford to pay them. I dont want to see a return to the days when sportspersons were paid chimney sweep rates.
Robbo said | August 18th 2009 @ 10:23am | Report comment
Why do you insist on talking about cricket all the time, even when the article is nothing to do with cricket?
vinay verma said | August 18th 2009 @ 11:22am | Report comment
Sorry,Robbo,I have to have a point of reference because my knowledge on Rugby is limited.I would talk about cricket even at a mad hatters tea party.
LeftArmSpinner said | August 18th 2009 @ 11:10am | Report comment
Robbo, compare and contrast, all good for the debate. Do your best V.V.
The cricketers have a small group on contracts, 25 i think for all forms of the game. Don’t quote me on that. Cricket performance is also easier to measure, runs, wickets etc!!! but they are famously slow to drop players. Rugby players do tend to lose it and never get it back. cricketers cna ebb and flow over a career. just look at all the successful Aussie players who have been dropped at least once, Ponting, Clarke, Clark, Lee, hayden, langer, Waugh X 2. Only Warne, Border, McGrath and Gilchrist were spared.
onside said | August 18th 2009 @ 7:18am | Report comment
Easy done.Neither go to the game nor watch it on TV.
If crowds subside ,and ratings fall ,change will come.
Posts in recent years, reflect a broad dissatifaction.
Refs ,style , NH v SH ,ELVs; its ongoing and endless.
Many games are duds according to Australian posts.
Answer: just watch replays of the few good games.
Salaries fall, players go OS ,and play a style we do not like.
For the open style rugby people like ,go to the local club
Does it matter if we win or lose if the style is unenjoyable
LeftArmSpinner said | August 19th 2009 @ 9:43am | Report comment
Onside, good idea. I dont even need to make the conscious decision not to attend. Its just not worth it. I will watch it on TV with my sons….. and leave it at that oh and then comment to my hearts content on the Roar!!! after listening to the drivel from the losing Aussies or “we’ve turned the corner” comments if they win, only to discover that the corner they thought they had successfully negotiated was in fact not a corner as much as a bend and the hair pin is rapidly approaching!!!!!
craigb said | August 18th 2009 @ 7:59am | Report comment
http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/hit-wallabies-wallet/2009/08/16/1250361982823.html
Hammer said | August 18th 2009 @ 9:37am | Report comment
Are you Greg Growden
Bay35Pablo said | August 18th 2009 @ 1:45pm | Report comment
Or is Growden plagiarising our LAS?!?!?!?!
Robbo said | August 18th 2009 @ 10:22am | Report comment
The problem with this is that players would just go the Europe or Japan. A system like this would be fine if the ARU was the only option for players, but it isn’t. Pretending otherwise – as you have done – is a exercise in idiocy.
AndyRoo said | August 18th 2009 @ 10:29am | Report comment
This was my exact thinking when I read Greg Growden’s piece (good times for Rugby league was my first thought).
It’s why we don’t get performance contracts in a lot of sports except for the poor blokes at the bottom of the pyramid.
If NSW, QLD and the Brumbies decided to only give performanace contracts and the force decided to issue guaranteed contracts….. there would be a lot of players moving west.
sheek said | August 18th 2009 @ 12:45pm | Report comment
Rugby league is not traveling that flash in paying its players a very good wage. While it remains a more popular sport than rugby union, it seems to struggle winning over the big end of town.
RL players are moving across to RU, especially to Europe – Gasnier, Gower, Williams – so RL itself might not necessarily be able to capitalise on RU moving to performance based contracts.
I must admit I would like to see some accountability. The Wallabies have had it far too good for a decade and a half, although that hasn’t necessarily been their fault.
LeftArmSpinner said | August 18th 2009 @ 11:19am | Report comment
Robbo, the corporate world face this every day. The transition is not easy. But the way to do it is to over them more, but only if they win. The players believe in themselves and like the idea of more money. E.g. player is on 300K plus 11,500 per test with (say) 10 tests a year making a total of $411, 500. Make it 250,000 base, 7,000 per test and a win bonus of $13,000 making a base of 320,000 and a total of $450,000. There will be a queue for the deal and they have skin in the game, literally.
Robbo, Still an exercise in idiocy? Presumably you would take the $411,500, telling me (your emoployer) that you are not serious, because you don’t back yourself and are not a true believer and prepared to risk everything for success. You are not suitable for the wallabies because you will not be there when it counts!!!!!!
Robbo said | August 18th 2009 @ 12:28pm | Report comment
Given you have plucked those numbers out of the air – yes it is still an exercise in idiocy (and, having now seen a very, very similar article by Greg Growden) a heavily plagiarised one at that!
Any Questions?
Brett McKay said | August 18th 2009 @ 12:47pm | Report comment
Robbo, you’d want have a pretty compelling argument to back up what you’ve just accused LeftArmSpinner of here. It is possible for two people to write differently about the same topic. I say this not to take sides, but just to point out that you’ve levelled a pretty heavy allegation; you’d want to be sure what you’re saying.
Remember, this is an opinion site. Without opinions, even if they’re similar to those already expressed, we have nothing..
vinay verma said | August 18th 2009 @ 1:49pm | Report comment
Robbo,I echo Brett’s comments in that plagiarism is accusing someone of cheating. From what I have seen and read of LAS on this site he has always been refreshingly different and creative.
Unless you can back up this ,what may have been an offhand and illthought , remark I would be offering LAS an apology.
onside said | August 18th 2009 @ 2:24pm | Report comment
There are no issues with LeftArm Spinner; none at all.
It’s just two blokes got the same idea at the same time.
Happens because there are only twelve ideas a week
A coincidence pure and simple. Like saying,’your shout’. .
Right now dozens of blokes are are saying ,’your shout’
I wish I was one of them.Cheers.
LeftArmSpinner said | August 19th 2009 @ 9:52am | Report comment
Gentlemen, let me explain:
I am not pretending that I even had the idea at the same time as sage Growden. I took his observation about remuneration, and set out to do was expand the remuneration idea by:
putting it into the corp context
Putting actual numbers to it
explaining how it could be transitioned
adding the use of depth by recruitment and how to solve that apparent myth and then
unleashing the Roarers to explore it more.
With more than 40 responses, I think it has succeeded. Next time, I will quote/footnote Growden or any other source. It is naive to think that I would try to plagiarise Growden’s article on the same day that his was published in the same sport, same audience and same time zone!!!
onside said | August 18th 2009 @ 11:20am | Report comment
If a majority of supporters are no longer attracted to either, the type of game Test match rugby,
has become (dont like; the South Africans -kicking,English-stodge, All Blacks -usually too good)
or, the insurmountable gap created between club rugby and Super Rugby,with its infrequent
contests ,then perhaps players should go overseas.An unbiased observer ,looking at all media
reports over the past say three years (longer?) could only conclude Australian rugby supporters
are unhappy with the game.They can cop loosing,but not the type of rugby and refereeing being
foisted on them at the professional level. A best guess is at the very least 80% of all print media
stories written by knowlegable rugby scribes are negative about the game.Objective maybe,but
rarely excited or positve about the direction of the game.What is the point of people worrying
about players seeking rewarding contracts elsewhere,when supporters are unhappy with the
product ,(that incidentally costs a lot of money to watch) that these players provide.The best way
to hit players in the pocket(if that is a good idea)is to let them go.Give them a choice.I do not for
one minute think any player bludges on his mates or the team.It is not there fault if they are not
good enough.And as always with rugby there is a measly spread of competition to play against.
Unlike football, the Wallabies are always in the top four nations in the world , so attractive Test
matches against any but a handful of countries is impossible. Our good friend Sheek is always
pointing out the distructive widening chasm between Super rugby and the rest.This article,
suggesting a possible financial penalty for under performing Wallabies , inadvertantly proves
Sheeks point ,because a healthy vibrant National competition would provide more players to put
pressure on incumbant Wallabies.There are nowhere near enough new players coming through
a blocked pipeline.What to do?for mine, introduce say six or seven players from overseas into the
Super squads and let potential Wallabies fight a bit harder for even a Super berth.What’s to lose?
The Super system (Sheek ran a piece on this last week) is not doing its job if it cannot produce
Wallabies of an acceptable standard.OK,make it harder to get into a Super team. Maybe it would
produce a better Wallaby player.Perhaps instead of looking at docking the pay of a Wallaby ,the ,
ARU make it harder to become one.And if they want to play overseas;it gives another kid a chance.
David said | August 18th 2009 @ 11:25am | Report comment
top comment, Onside
Hammer said | August 18th 2009 @ 11:38am | Report comment
well if it comes down to a monetary incentive to make this team work then really it’s never going to get any better …. the AB or SA players aren’t playing for the cash – they’re there for the pride in the jersey and are shit scared of disgracing a legacy … to suggest that by offering them more money will fix the problem is really saying these blokes are nothing but greedy mercenarys – yeah they’re in a comfortable group – with littel fear of being dropped but that’s to do with a player depth problem