Stuart says NRL could lose Folau
Parramatta coach Ricky Stuart warns the NRL risks missing out on Israel Folau with red tape stalling the Eels’ pursuit of rugby league’s prodigal son.
Stuart said his club was “punching its head against a brick wall” in negotiations with the ARL Commission (ARLC) over how to fit Folau under the Eels’ salary cap, with the former Queensland Origin and Test star announcing at the start of the month he was ready to return to rugby league after two years playing AFL.
The saga has dragged on to the point where Stuart is no longer directly involved in talks, having left negotiations in the hands of Eels chief executive Ken Edwards – who met interim ARLC boss Shane Mattiske on Wednesday morning.
“I said early in the piece that we’ll move heaven and earth to get Izzy to the club because that’s where he wants to play,” Stuart said.
“He’s come out and said that, he’s from here, he’s got a number of close mates here, but we’re doing that and it’s been a long time so I really don’t know where it’s going to end up.
“But I can’t concentrate on that anymore … all my energy and responsibility has to be put into the team here.”
Stuart said no deal had been done between Folau and the Eels – with the club still awaiting instructions from the ARLC as to best manage any proposed contract under the salary cap.
But Stuart was adamant the ARLC had to make a swift decision on Folau’s status.
“It’d be disappointing for him to go to another code,” he said.
“… I’ve just being working hard as the club has with the league to have him play here but we seem to be just punching our heads against a brick wall.
“We’re trying to do the right thing by the game and by the league in being transparent … it would be just nice to get people in positions to make decisions.
“I just know it’s getting quite boring and tedious in terms of taking so long. I just wish someone could make a decision – say yes or no and then we can move on.”
Mattiske met Edwards and Parramatta football manager Peter Nolan on Wednesday morning and said he was able to answer some of the Eels’ questions in relation to Folau’s situation.
“It was a productive meeting. Parramatta understand the need to manage any proposed contracts in the salary cap rules,” Mattiske said.
“We’ve been able to provide them with feedback on a number of questions they had in terms of how a contract might be structured to comply with the rules.”
© AAP 2013- Explore:
- Israel Folau, NRL, Ricky Stuart, Rugby League
November 15th 2012 @ 8:16am
Roarsome said | November 15th 2012 @ 8:16am | Report comment
Ahhh Ricky, going public with your whinge to try and get public pressure on the Commish and force their hand. Smart move. I wonder if the commish are stupid enough to fold.
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November 15th 2012 @ 8:32am
Christo the Daddyo said | November 15th 2012 @ 8:32am | Report comment
Here we go, RIcky Stuart whinging and blaming everyone else when he doesn’t get his way instantly. What a surprise.
November 15th 2012 @ 9:18am
Ronald M said | November 15th 2012 @ 9:18am | Report comment
Then let him go.
No player is bigger than the game and after he walked out then he needs to wait the ARLC’s time. If he doesn’t want to wait that long then he doesn’t really want to be back in the NRL and we are better off without him.
November 15th 2012 @ 9:48am
steve b said | November 15th 2012 @ 9:48am | Report comment
Roarsome and Christo so its better he goes to union then ,the commish need to stop and have a good look at this case and soon or we will lose another top player again , and as for Sticky he only has to open his mouth and the keyboard warriors reckon he is whinging ,whats he supposed to do sit on hands like the commish or have a go at trying to keep him in league , i think the latter makes more sense .
November 15th 2012 @ 10:27am
George said | November 15th 2012 @ 10:27am | Report comment
Steve, I see your a Parra fan so your looking at this through rose tinted glasses (hey, i would too) but still, I’ts just Ricky Stuart diatribe that we have all been acustomed too! Plus we lost this top player once so he has lost the trust and respect of the game and its up to him to get it back.
He realised he aint good enough to play AFL so wants back into league but still wants to earn the big moolah! stuff him!
Sooner or later these primadona’s need to realise that the game can and has moved on from them so if Parra can’t fit him into there salary cap and play by the rules then he either finds a club that can satisfy his salary needs or he goes and plays Union or tiddlywinks.
November 15th 2012 @ 10:52am
steve b said | November 15th 2012 @ 10:52am | Report comment
George yes mate i am a true Parra fan ,as for wanting Izzy if it happens so be it , but lets try and keep the guy in league and not let him go to the brother code …
November 15th 2012 @ 2:53pm
Roarsome said | November 15th 2012 @ 2:53pm | Report comment
Steve, no individual player is or will ever be bigger than the game itself. If he wants to come back, he needs to fit under someones salary cap. If Ricky is willing to sacrifice future Parra teams by giving him a hugely back ended salary cap that could be a problem. Remember Hayne and Sandow are on huge contracts and I suspect they are also heavily back ended. Perhaps the commish is trying to secure the future of the club by ensuring they can afford a team in the future. If Falou is “threatening” to leave, let him go. Who does he think he is trying to hold the game to ransom? The game is in good shape. If he really wants to play, he’ll wait. If he’s after profile and money, let him go.
November 15th 2012 @ 4:21pm
Tommygun said | November 15th 2012 @ 4:21pm | Report comment
I’m no Parra fan but i agree with you Steve. Would rather have him in the NRL rather than helping the ARU as a promotional tool GWS style…. I saw Dave Dennis on a Waratahs sign yesterday. I had to ask my mate(union fan) who he was! Folau having played AFL and NRL would be one of the best known sportsman in Australia and its better for League if we have him. (Raiders colours would be nice!)
November 17th 2012 @ 11:52am
Common sense said | November 17th 2012 @ 11:52am | Report comment
Totally agree, the first two (Roarsome & Christo) need to expand their narrow view and learn how to navigate the new landscape of professional footy. Let’s look at the big picture here, if it was Demetriou he would already have Folau plastered all over the latest ads and billboards. This is the chance for the NRL to shove it up the AFL and put Folau’ face all over WSydney. But as usual those running the game are so caught up in the details of the ‘How?’ rather than the key question which is the “Why?”. The answer is simple, it’s a business but even more than that it’s also a good footy decision.
November 15th 2012 @ 10:08am
Tommy said | November 15th 2012 @ 10:08am | Report comment
What is it with people in league. You get two great stories in Izzy & SBW coming back & everyone wants to turn them into negative stories for the media instead of it all being positive talk heading towards 2013.
Just insanity from a so called professional sport.
All we hear is whinging that RU might get Izzy as NRL is doing its job not rubber stamping a contract, SBW should be apparently apologising for doing nothing more than plenty of clubs do to players at the end of each season (cut a player’s contract up years before it ends) & that Benji apparently wants out of his Tigers contract when in truth all he seems to want is really just permission to play elsewhere in the summer.
The selfishness & negativity that pervades RL will kill it off eventually. People are tired of relentless negativity when they tune into a sport. Eventually they will find a sport that is just fun.
November 15th 2012 @ 10:46am
Mr Taylor said | November 15th 2012 @ 10:46am | Report comment
Amen to that!
November 15th 2012 @ 11:25am
Renegade said | November 15th 2012 @ 11:25am | Report comment
Tommy,
Well said…..i’m sick of the negativity and Ricky seems to be a critic of everything.
He shouldn’t open his mouth on issues that he doesn’t have a clue on.
If the NRL were to rubber stamp this contract just for the sake of a couple whining idiots and then 2 years down the track eels win the comp and are stripped of their titles for being over the cap – just have a guess who get’s the blame…..the NRL.
This is why people should just shut the F up and let the process take it’s due course…..i’m sure if Folau wants to play rugby league he will wait around for the deal to be finalised and officially approved, if he doesn’t hang around…well who cares!
November 15th 2012 @ 1:19pm
Tommy said | November 15th 2012 @ 1:19pm | Report comment
Renegade you are right but it is also just the fact of creating a negative story & stuff the impact on the code’s profile.
After barely a week of a good feeling that NRL is finally regaining strength as players are coming back we now get these stories that infer NRL is weak as it is bleeding top players.
If you believe the media and many in the game who use the media for their own ends we are left with the impression that the NRL is too inflexible to keep Izzy from RU, that SBW should never be allowed back in for his past and that Benji wants to get out of the Tigers and the NRL to get good money from RU.
What next? Inglis & Slater want a rugby 7s Olympics pass? Hayne wants to play RU in France? T Rex wants to try NFL? Cronk to AFL?
It’s almost as if everyone in the RL business thinks these twisted beat ups are funny, are a good way to put pressure on others in RL and think overall these stories do no harm & actually help the NRL’s profile. It is insanity. It is also very much selfish.
The RL media & plenty within RL itself make me want to pewk. The sport itself didn’t ask for this. Why can’t RL have positive media like the other codes?
November 15th 2012 @ 4:40pm
Ronald M said | November 15th 2012 @ 4:40pm | Report comment
This may be a naive question but what makes people think that union can afford to pay anyone more than an NRL club ? I haven’t heard about Union getting a 1bn plus TV deal, I haven’t seen them touted as having more members or bigger gates than league. I haven’t seen massive sponsorship deals either so where would they get the money from to tempt any player away from the NRL ?
I accept that Japanese or French Rugby might be different and that someone might defect to union for personal reasons but in Issy’s case, the only thing that I see tempting him to go that route would be dollars and I don’t see where the dollars could come from.
So if Union is out and AFL is out, what’s left ?
This is a typical Sticky causing trouble to suit his own ends.
November 15th 2012 @ 5:23pm
Mr Taylor said | November 15th 2012 @ 5:23pm | Report comment
So I’m guessing you haven’t heard of the $1million a season deal that Matt Giteau was on before third party went belly up. Australian rugby union didn’t have a salary cap and third party payments were allowed. Why did you think Sailor, Tuqiri, Rogers and Tahu left league with their bigger tv deals to play rugby union? Its not all about the $1bilion tv deals.
November 15th 2012 @ 8:35pm
Crosscoder said | November 15th 2012 @ 8:35pm | Report comment
If there were no SANZAR TV deal,there would be no money for the various clubs and likewise for the NRL clubs with their TV deal ..Your talking a load of you know whatskis.
All those players did the honourable thing and waited til years end.They milked the other code got their money,and it was see you later.even Gower came back to London Broncos.,hardly high profile.
The ARU is hardly rolling in money now,and they will be spending it wisely
.
And the trickle has stopped.Two are back playing in the NRL,one is partially involved and the other to a lesser extent.
November 15th 2012 @ 12:03pm
oikee said | November 15th 2012 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
I wonder how his Japanese is, and wheather or not he likes the taste of raw fish. Sayonara sucker.
What about Ricky, like he did with Tamou and conned him into thinking he was a Aussie.
The game wants to know what Issy is doing so the game can work out wheather to move on, no YOU want to know Ricky, so you can work out if YOU can move on. Maybe he is not as easy as tamou to suck in. hehe.
November 15th 2012 @ 4:23pm
Tommygun said | November 15th 2012 @ 4:23pm | Report comment
Pretty sure he made his Aus debut first so it was Sheens Oikee.
November 15th 2012 @ 12:51pm
Martin said | November 15th 2012 @ 12:51pm | Report comment
Silence from the ARL’s Commission can be deafening. I suspect they want to make you sweat, draw out the anxiety, and let you know who is in charge.
November 15th 2012 @ 1:31pm
Crosscoder said | November 15th 2012 @ 1:31pm | Report comment
It’s called not being reactionary and doing things in an orderly manner,not rushing things and cause a salary cap stuffup.
The ARLC is achieving things without the need for the panic button.
eg TV deal,development rationalisation and 3 new Ambassadors’appointments.
Ricky is a whiner,has been since he was a halfback,it goes with the territory.
November 15th 2012 @ 4:28pm
Ronald M said | November 15th 2012 @ 4:28pm | Report comment
Well said that man.
November 15th 2012 @ 1:13pm
JVGO said | November 15th 2012 @ 1:13pm | Report comment
If he’s from Parramatta how come he plays for Qld? Don’t tell me izzy just can’t help following his heart again and is making an over emotional non pecuniary decision.
November 15th 2012 @ 3:22pm
Ken said | November 15th 2012 @ 3:22pm | Report comment
He’s not from Parramatta either, he’s from Minto which is a suburb or two from Campbelltown and some 40-odd kays from Parra.
November 15th 2012 @ 8:14pm
Darth Vadar said | November 15th 2012 @ 8:14pm | Report comment
Izzy to join the Canterbury Crusaders or Auckland Blues – the doors are still open Izzy – you could even be an ABs – remember Thorn?
November 15th 2012 @ 10:03pm
Arthur Fonzarelli said | November 15th 2012 @ 10:03pm | Report comment
If David Campese is the Ted Bullpitt of rugby, then Ricky Stuart is the Newman from Seinfeld of the NRL.