At least Thurston is honest about switch
Roar Guru
By M1tch, 16 Dec 2009 M1tch is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Jonathon Thurston, NRL, Rugby League, Rugby Union
287 Have your say
Johnathan Thurston. AAP Images
Show me the cash, is what Jonathon Thurston is saying. And at least in his interview, he didn’t hide from the fact that he will go to rugby union if they offer a nice sum.
The famous lines of, “I want another challenge”, is really starting to wear thin these days, especially when Thurston still doesn’t have a premiership ring.
Wouldn’t that be a big challenge, taking the Cowboys to their first Premiership?
So once again we have a NRL crisis in which one of the games’ best players is about to be poached and all we can do is cry for a few moments and then wait until the next superstar comes out of the ranks and is the new hero for the Rugby League public.
It’s plain and simple, really: rugby union has more money to offer our players.
No doubt Thurston would be good at rugby. He might actually get people interested in the game again.
The physical un-satisfaction he might get from a game of union compared to league would be fixed from a quick look at his bank statement.
I only he could get both from rugby league.
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Bill said | December 16th 2009 @ 7:14am | Report comment
“The physical un-satisfaction he might get from a game of union compared to league would be fixed from a quick look at his bank statement.”
Disappointing Mitch. You had an intelligent piece there before spoiling it with this pathetic statement. Get isolated at the bottom of a ruck or in a middle of maul and then get back to me. Next you will be saying he won’t be required to tackle or that he will never touch the ball. Learning to play rugby union as either a half back of fly half will be a bigger mental challenge than anything Thurston has ever faced playing rugby league.
Brian said | December 16th 2009 @ 11:10am | Report comment
‘Learning to play rugby union as either a half back of fly half will be a bigger mental challenge than anything Thurston has ever faced playing rugby league.’
Disappointing Bill. You had an intelligent piece there before spoiling it with this pathetic statement
Bill said | December 16th 2009 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
The play book is much thicker in rugby union Brian. Plus he has to learn a whole new game, which from what I have read about him, he has not played as a junior.
anopinion said | December 16th 2009 @ 3:52pm | Report comment
Poor form Brian. Try to keep it constructive.
M1tch said | December 16th 2009 @ 3:58pm | Report comment
Cheers for the comment..
Once his main object is to kick the ball, they would limit his running game, much like SBW there is no way he could be satisfied from rugby
Dan said | December 22nd 2009 @ 11:16pm | Report comment
Thurston would have to change his game very much to fit in in Union. He’d never be a half back, as that’s more like hooker in League, but with more emphasis on quick clearing. At 10 he might be ok, but he’d have to get used to playing as a team member, rather than just trying to star all the time. Maybe inside centre might suit him? He wouldn’t have to run the show, but could use that great step and clever kicking game to great advantage. Yeah, inside centre might just suit him. But he’d have to get used to defending that very tough channel.
Brett McKay said | December 16th 2009 @ 7:20am | Report comment
“He might actually get people interested in the game again.”
Hmmmmm…..
M1tch said | December 16th 2009 @ 8:00am | Report comment
If he went to the Reds, they would get bigger crowds andfox ratings would start to crack the 100k mark.
Brett McKay said | December 16th 2009 @ 9:49am | Report comment
Mitch, that’s an outright guess based only on the assumption that Thurston would be able to play exactly the same way in Rugby as he does for the Cowboys. If we’ve learnt anything from league converts, it’s that they take longer than they imagined to get used to the structures.
The Reds could also get bigger crowds and better ratings by winning more games, or fixing their back-room problems too.
M1tch said | December 16th 2009 @ 3:44pm | Report comment
Of course he wouldnt play the same, but he’d still be dominate
Sam said | December 16th 2009 @ 4:00pm | Report comment
How many times have we heard this about rugby league converts? How many times has it been true? This is why the ARU aren’t chasing league players anymore.
M1tch said | December 16th 2009 @ 4:20pm | Report comment
thats because they chased the wrong players..this is being push from Thurston..So yes I shouldnt have used ‘poached’
Sam said | December 17th 2009 @ 1:01pm | Report comment
It’s easy to say they chased the wrong players but what makes Thurston different? People have become cynical about the ARU chasing league players because so many of the converts have been average and not lived up to the hype. I wouldn’t gamble a million bucks a year on this guy and neither should the ARU.
anopinion said | December 16th 2009 @ 4:00pm | Report comment
History tells us that high profile RL players increase crowd attendance at RU games. Lote, Wendell and Rogers all did. I do not think it is a guess to say Thurston would attract a few more spectators. In fact he is the only high profile RL player that might actually go into a playmaker role. Thus interest would be very high. Some to see him dominate and others to see him fail.
M1tch said | December 16th 2009 @ 4:21pm | Report comment
exactly, I think he would be a star..even as a NSW fan id hate to see him over there
Onceinawhile said | December 16th 2009 @ 7:21am | Report comment
He actually does have a premiership ring, Bulldogs 04, I think he ended up giving it to Price though, it was still given to him.
M1tch said | December 16th 2009 @ 7:56am | Report comment
Yeh true, but didnt play a big part in the game..
Mike said | December 16th 2009 @ 7:42am | Report comment
He’s not getting poached, he’s leaving on his own accord. There is a huge difference.
M1tch said | December 16th 2009 @ 4:20pm | Report comment
yeh my wording was wrong.
Billo said | December 16th 2009 @ 7:49am | Report comment
“It’s plain and simple, really: rugby union has more money to offer our players.”
That’s not really true.
The fact is that rugby is not constrained, like NRl clubs, by a salary cap. Rugby is, too often, spending money it doesn’t have on player salaries.
If the NRL wants to keep its best players it has to find a way of rewarding them outside the current salary cap.
On the other hand, it could sit back and allow rugby to bust itself trying to sign the best league players.
As we’ve seen already, the more recent ‘disastrous’ losses of SBW, Gasnier and Gower turned out not to be so disastrous after all. So why change the policy?
And the next TV contract will surely deliver considerably more dollars to the NRL.
M1tch said | December 16th 2009 @ 8:00am | Report comment
They aren’t restrained like the NRL is, so its a true statement..
There havent been to many players from Aus or England that have switched and been a huge success. But I dont think the NRL should just stand back, if a player wants to leave so be it, but if its as simple as money in which Thurston has said, then hopefully the new commission can get more money for the game.
It all comes to money, comparing the NRL to the other codes and how much their best earn, we are too far behind.
Jameswm said | December 16th 2009 @ 8:23am | Report comment
Looking at Thurston’s language in his interview, I think he’ll more likely go to Japan or France.
The ARU won’t (or shouldn’t) chase someone unless they are interested because of the game.
If the ARU IS interested, they should say go to France for a couple of years, learn the game and earn the mega-bucks, and if you’re still really keen come back then and join a S15 franchise so you can play for the Wallabies.
It isn’t like the Wallabies have no options at 10 – though the options are thinning each time a young gun 5/8 gets arrested.
Having said all that, he’d be the perfect big name signing for the Melbourne franchise. He or Berrick Barnes, who is also off contract at the end of next year.
Shane Sullivan said | December 16th 2009 @ 8:25am | Report comment
Could someone explain to me how he is being “poached”?
Brett McKay said | December 16th 2009 @ 9:59am | Report comment
well Shane, according to the Sydney league scribes, John O’Neill is personally running the recruitment of players for the entire world, and so any league player that dares entertain the thought of switching codes is therefore being POACHED by John O’Neill personally, and will instantly become a future Wallaby (eg, Gower – despite having played for Italy – Williams, Gasnier, Rooney, Wing). These guys will ENSURE Australia wins the next world cup.
Or so we’re told.
M1tch said | December 16th 2009 @ 3:55pm | Report comment
hehe, it comes when JOH says ‘ their is a big junior base out there for us (Rugby Union) its called Rugby League..
LT80 said | December 16th 2009 @ 8:36am | Report comment
The salary cap is doing a fair bit of mischief. It is set too low and should be raised.
There are 2 justifications provided for the cap, (1) is to keep relative spending between clubs close to even and (2) is to lower the aggregate cost of player salaries.
I can agree there is some merit in (1), but I don’t agree with (2) in a situation where there are some feasible alternatives for players (Superleague, English, French and Japanese rugby union). If the cap is set too far below the level of payments that would prevail otherwise, it will do more damage than good in the long run.
Mushi said | December 16th 2009 @ 10:15am | Report comment
It is based off the revenues of the game and represents a higher portion than most salary caps around the world.
Increasing it, without getting an increase in revenues, would be a disaster.
LT80 said | December 16th 2009 @ 11:53am | Report comment
I disagree. The prevalance of the supposed “3rd-party” deals is evidence that more money is available to flow into the sport. However at the moment it is going around the salary cap. Slowly and incrementally raising the salary cap would allow it to come out into the open.
Mushi said | December 18th 2009 @ 12:56pm | Report comment
How does raising the cap allow for the 3rd party deals?
Jay said | December 16th 2009 @ 9:06am | Report comment
Perhaps this could be a smokescreen (ala no way rah rah Tahu) for AFL??
Corey said | December 16th 2009 @ 9:20am | Report comment
I hope Thurston doesn’t leave our game, but the third party is what’s killing us. League players cannot advertise anything with their teams jersey or logo on- and get paid for it (unless that is in his contracted salary). This is stupid, plain and simple, if you put the jersey on and advertise there is a logo on the other side saying Telstra Premiership NRL- so they are doing a favour for both league and the club (and no club at the moment can sit back and think they are doing fine-even the Broncos). Release the third party constraints and we would get a lot more people involved in league, a lot more players remaining in league and a lot higher pay for our top players.
Union people have a different mentality, they get a big supporter of the game who has megabucks, like an Alan Jones or something, and they pay the third party salary- the supporter doesn’t even expect their money back (may be a little from investment) but they get to watch a player become great and make their game great. League has the opposite mentality, they expect every dollar they put in to be reimbursed some way or another. Sometimes we need to invest just for the sake of the final reward- a better spectacle.
Jay said | December 16th 2009 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Agree mate – I would solve alot of problems.
When SBW left, I remember him saying that when Mundine went to the dragons for $600k, he was the highest paid in league. Today he still would be, which is very unfortunate given that the elite AFL, Cricket and Union players command $1m+ each year.
Also – It would help out with player behaviour. Just look at Tiger Woods. If player step out of line, theyve got even more to lose.
Lastly – its great advertising for our game if there is that commercial player exposure. Having RL players in ads and billboards is great promotion for the game. If there was an anti-avoidance in the salary cap rules which state that these third parties must truly be independent (and must be proven to so, as opposed to assumed), then im sure clubs would get on board and hopefully this stance will be endorsed by the Indepenent Commission.
Mushi said | December 16th 2009 @ 10:17am | Report comment
You honestly believe that paying young players more money and giving them more public exposure would lead to fewer incidents?
Jay said | December 16th 2009 @ 11:04am | Report comment
Absolutley – how often do v8 car drivers step out of line?
When you are accountable to not only your club, but also sponsors, you have to maintain a decent public image in order to sponsors to come to you. Look at the roosters and cronulla, who have had an awful year and lost its major sponsor. this has forced them to change their culture.
In the RL if a player stuffs up, he gets his contract torn up, maybe misses a year. But he can go to Japan, France, UK to play on more money! If a player found out that misbehaving will mean losing $x in sponsorship funds which would not be replaced, Im sure they would think twice about putting themselves in bad situations (not to say that it wont happen, just the penalities would be so much more severe). It also encourages players to stay in the game as they have a vested interest to maintain their profile in Australia, so theres benefits in terms of retaining players in our game and in our competition.
Do you honestly think we would have lost Gasnier, SBW if they could have earned $500k p.a. from sponsors on top of they’re salaries?
Mushi said | December 17th 2009 @ 10:11am | Report comment
Jay V8 super car drivers? How many V8 super car articles were put up on roar this week? Do you think perhaps the different public profile may be more of a contributing facto than being sponsored by a cheap steak place?
Lets go back to your initial example of tiger woods.
If as you suggest sponsorship $ created a deeper sense of responsibility why is the most sponsored athlete in the world across the front page with stories about infidelity and drug use?
If being worried about sponsors was such deterrent would the billion dollar man be an angel? By merely using tiger as your example you destroy your own argument.
Clearly sponsorship dollars do not result in increased morality. This can be seen across the wide array of professional sports in the US and Europe where they earn multiples of NRL players in sponsorship dollars yet still get trialled for rape, domestic violence, murder, assault, drug use and trafficking.
Clearly the additional money is working a treat there…
Fact is you give young people huge amounts of money and fame you run the risk of them believing the rules don’t extend to them (after all to a large degree they don’t!) and they have the resources to do what ever they want, which lets face it when we’re 20 to 25 is often something stupid.
As for would Gasnier and Sonny Bill have left could we have matched probably not, but you’re assuming that sponsorship money wouldn’t have flowed elsewhere into rugby league so really the game, not the sponsor, is till paying the extra 500k..
Since we lost both players has league descended into a spiral on the field? No. What’s happened instead… we found other centres and ball playing back rowers to replace them (just like we did with rogers, walker, tiquri, ryan, thorne, cross, sailor etc).
But yes their clubs fell into disarray with out bill and gaz, oh wait they finished 1st and 2nd in the minorpremiership. Once again your examples support the contrary point
Corey said | December 19th 2009 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
The year SBW walked out on the Dogs was the year they came dead last, Also Gasnier left and Bennett came in. I think any team would prefer Bennett over Gasnier.
But lets look at your claim that money would spoil the player- what about Darren Lockyer? The highest paid player in the league- an excellent role model- every one speaks highly of him, even those in NSW and England. Everyone knows he is a great player and a great person.
You have to admit that losing all these players is annoying. Imagine Gasnier playing still with the Dragons- possibly a premiership this year. SBW with the Bulldogs, possibly a premiership this year. Tahu for the eels this year, possibly a premiership this year.
Our players we love watching are trading over to a code that is not ours. It would be great to see a Game-of-Origin dual (where players play for their original code and verse each other), So wallabies v kangaroos. 2 games played, one each code. Than we would see who has the better players.
Sam said | December 16th 2009 @ 11:24am | Report comment
I think the reason they are so strict on third-party deals is because otherwise they can be exploited so much that a salary cap becomes pointless. I think the NRL are very very strict on things like that for a very good reason – they don’t want them as a way around the salary cap. I think it just has to be accepted that there is more money out there in Europe and Japan – players are going to leave because of that. The salary cap and rules regarding third-party deals need to exist to ensure clubs stay solvent, and that is more important than having all the worlds best players.
Daniel said | December 17th 2009 @ 2:24am | Report comment
Not sure of the legal situation, but would it also be possible to cap the third-party earnings? Make it big enough to make a Rugby league career financially competitive, but not so much that a club with good business connections can buy a title.
If it’s high enough, then the ARU can still offer more, but they’ll have to take a much bigger hit to their fragile finances. The top French/Japanese clubs, which are all bankrolled by big businesses, will still be able to outbid the NRL clubs, but the transfer fees coming in will be much much higher.
Mushi said | December 17th 2009 @ 10:12am | Report comment
They already do this Daniel.