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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- Bledisloe Cup, George Gregan, robbie deans, Rugby Union, Tri Nations, wallabies
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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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- Bledisloe Cup, George Gregan, robbie deans, Rugby Union, Tri Nations, wallabies
August 18th 2009 @ 12:00pm
Nashi said | August 18th 2009 @ 12:00pm | Report comment
Sorry LAS but if this is what we need to do to fire up the team there is something wrong with our national pride. I personally do not think our guys lack commitment, I just think we need to move on if we have some options. I can suffer a few more losses at the hands of the ABs and Boks if I can see it being for the future. With some of the oldies in the pack you just can’t argue that is the case.
August 19th 2009 @ 9:56am
LeftArmSpinner said | August 19th 2009 @ 9:56am | Report comment
nashi, I can also be patient if I can see progress but that progress has almost stalled and silly mistakes and drivel from the players are not good signs that there is the mental fortitude to progress further. Sharpe and baxter can play better rugby. Sharpe responded to being dropped last year, but you shouldnt need to do that at this level, given the cash and national pride involved.
August 18th 2009 @ 12:19pm
mushi said | August 18th 2009 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
If money were the primary motivator none would be eligible to play for the Wallabies
August 18th 2009 @ 1:07pm
JK said | August 18th 2009 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
I disagree with incentive payments re win/loss, there is no way that the honour of playing international rugby is not enough motivation. I say keep them on their big paypackets, but….. if they are not playing tests then it drops. For example the states pay them for s14 and that is negotiated between those two parties. Then any player called up for test duty goes into a collective pool of cash that is distributed for that test match( with some insurance policy for injuries ) essentially a pay as you play policy, if you get dropped, tough titties there goes your money.
I know there is the argument that the players will just go overseas, and obviously it will need to more than $ 11 or $ 13k or whatever it is per test, but the employer should be the provinces, the Wallaby’s should be the privilege.
August 18th 2009 @ 1:08pm
Who Needs Melon said | August 18th 2009 @ 1:08pm | Report comment
I’m with Hammer, Nashi and mushi (you guys related?) and JK.
I’m amazed with the notion that we’d have better players if we paid them more. Have you ever played any sport at any level? When you did, surely you had a desire to get better. Did your desire have ANYTHING to do with money?!?
August 18th 2009 @ 1:12pm
AndyRoo said | August 18th 2009 @ 1:12pm | Report comment
Rather than pay per match,I always believed the pay should be per training session and team meeting.
Afterall that’s the bit that seems most like work to me and I am sure the guys that miss out on playing want to be in the team. it seems wrong that they miss out financially when there the ones who are in the worst position. There not getting to play for the Wallabies or play Club rugby.
August 18th 2009 @ 2:19pm
Worlds Biggest said | August 18th 2009 @ 2:19pm | Report comment
I agree LAS, hit them where it hurts = $. I don’t agree with the match payment structure however I would raise the stakes for a win and significantly reduce it for a loss. I too am losing a bit of faith in Deans, even if we win on Saturday I am not convinced he is the messiah he is made out to be. Great coaches make a real difference with teams and individual’s performance. Look at Bennett with the Dragons, he has transformed the team completely and fringe players like Jamie Soward who should have played Origin this year, Soward should win the Dally M Medal this year. Deans had a wonderful record at the Crusaders, he also had 2 freaks in McCaw and Carter running the show. The Wallabies inability to play for 60,70, 80 minutes plus there lack of onfield leadership and composure are real issues. The Coaches responsibility is to rectify these issues. I like Deans and he seems like a great bloke however the honeymoon period is well & truly over. It’s time to see some good performances, it’s time to see some consistency, it’s time to stop pampering the poodles and bring in the dobermans if we have any.
August 18th 2009 @ 3:24pm
ohtani's jacket said | August 18th 2009 @ 3:24pm | Report comment
Taine Randell made some astute comments about Deans’ coaching this week, which Spiro tried to pass off as bitterness over being axed. It would appear that Spiro is a bit too chummy with Deans, but that’s neither here nor there.
Leftie’s article is about the money the players are making, but how can the ARU justify the reported million dollars a year they pay Deans? I’m sure he would’ve gone across the Tasman for less than that, oh wise one John O’Neill.
August 19th 2009 @ 10:00am
LeftArmSpinner said | August 19th 2009 @ 10:00am | Report comment
OJ, he is doing his best so far and now the real test in on for him. Who else would you have chosen instead of deans? Alan Jones? He was and still is the best candidate available for the job. It would have been interesting to get Jake White ……. but both would have encountered a cultural problem and both remuneration and lack of depth is a primary contributor.
August 19th 2009 @ 10:03am
Knives Out said | August 19th 2009 @ 10:03am | Report comment
Surely the best candidate was Warren Gatland. Anybody who saw the Wales v Australia test last autumn could see what Gatland had done for Wales, and conversely what Deans had not done for Australia (1st year criticism free honeymoon etc… I am aware of that… just making a point).
August 18th 2009 @ 2:28pm
onside said | August 18th 2009 @ 2:28pm | Report comment
I once saw a pampered poodle kill a Doberman.It got stuck in its throat.
August 18th 2009 @ 2:46pm
Hammer said | August 18th 2009 @ 2:46pm | Report comment
Regardless of who got the idea first (and I think LAS credits Growden early on) it’s a crap one – if these guys can only be motivated by montary incentive then it’s time for heads to roll ….
perhaps this is but one of the many things Deans is struggling with – at the Crusaders he didn’t have a problem finding hungry guys wanting to play rep football – this type of mentality would be completely foreign to him – I can almost here him saying “incentive pay to play for your country – WTF !! “
August 18th 2009 @ 3:46pm
retired rucker said | August 18th 2009 @ 3:46pm | Report comment
Hammer,
I agree in principle but in todays proffessional era there seems to be a lot of SELF belief and not alot of introspection. Some of the brown stuff comming out of players mouths pre and post game smacks of a team that has the balance between positives and reality a wee bit skew’d.
Anyway all their(players) management mantra leads me to believe they are probably unhappy they don’t recieve a winning bonus already!
If It where me I’d have a blanket ban on the players bar the captain crapping on to the media. Deans needs to get them to Shut the f.. up, HTFU, preform on the Paddock and repeat that a few times, and be modest. Impossible I know, it seems like every pro has a mouth(probably at the managers behest) nowadays, no team focus!
August 18th 2009 @ 4:36pm
AndyS said | August 18th 2009 @ 4:36pm | Report comment
So what is the thinking – that putting a huge chunk of their pay packet on the line will encourage open running, adventurous play?
I have no problem with the idea of big financial motivations provided everyone is on-board with only the results mattering, not the style. In fact, I wonder whether that might be the best way to get what we want…accept the latest incarnation of Rugby for what it is and get on with being the best we can at it. Probably the quickest way to get the home unions focused on the laws would be to make sure they just don’t win under them, so make it their problem to figure out how to beat it. In fact, given the relative simplicity of the tactics (if not the skills), we should give the Island teams all possible assistance in executing the same strategy. With big fast backs, they may have a real advantage if they could get the kicking aspect right. If they started winning with that game plan against NH teams….
August 20th 2009 @ 9:35am
LeftArmSpinner said | August 20th 2009 @ 9:35am | Report comment
No. but they will feel the pain of loss more than if they have no skin in the game. whether it is running rugby or not, they have a better chance of playing to win at all costs, if their financial remuneration encourages this.
August 20th 2009 @ 3:21pm
AndyS said | August 20th 2009 @ 3:21pm | Report comment
And that is fine, but running rugby is inherently higher risk and would never be seen again. So long as no-one was going to miss it, by all means put their money in the game.
I wonder what would happen if their pay were based on the gate/viewing numbers…?