In the early part of this decade the ARU reversed the historical flow of players from union to league and for the first time in its history actively recruited three high profile players from rugby league. Wendell Sailor, Matt Rogers and Lote Tuqiri were all lured to rugby union with lucrative contracts amidst much hype and fanfare. Six years after the first signing all that remain are Tuqiri, resentment and a lot of questions. But was the great rugby league experiment given a fair go?
It all began shortly after the turn of the millennium with rumours that one of rugby league’s biggest names, Wendell Sailor, was about to join rugby union. Rugby union in Australia was enjoying a boom period at this time with both the ACT Brumbies and the Queensland Reds fielding competitive teams in the still new Super 12 competition. At international level, the ARU had just guided the Wallabies to a second World Cup win and were looking forward to hosting the 2003 version of the event. A British and Irish Lions tour was just around the corner and we were all suspecting that some time soon we’d be fare welling one of the most respected sporting captains Australia has seen, John Eales.
In the background, rugby’s newfound professionalism had enabled some rather low key acquisitions of rugby league players by the Super 12 provinces. The ACT Brumbies had signed Andrew Walker and Peter Ryan whilst the Queensland Reds had signed Willie Carne. Interestingly all three had played rugby union at schoolboy level with Ryan being part of the great Downlands College team of 1987 that included Tim Horan, Brett Johnson, Brett Robinson and Garrick Morgan.
Whilst Ryan made solid contributions at provincial level, Walker’s sublime ball skills, quicksilver footwork and long range kicking game deservedly took him to the international stage. However despite his footballing ability, Walker was not a man made for celebrity. He neither chased the spotlight nor seemed comfortable in it and often gave the impression that he would rather just play the game than be asked questions about it.
In fact across the entire Wallaby landscape there were no players who could take the game from sporting back pages to the tabloids front pages. There were no Austin Healeys, Gavin Hensons, Freddie Michalaks of David Campeses. John Eales was a gentleman’s captain and was surrounded by a generation of players who showed their appreciation of rugby’s move to professionalism by acting professionally.
Players like Matt Burke, Ben Tune, Jason Little, Tim Horan, George Gregan, David Wilson, Richard Harry and Toutai Kefu seemed to fit perfectly with Eales’ clean cut personality. Even the mercurial Stephen Larkham, a man whose genius could afford him some Campese-esque latitude in his public persona has, to his eternal credit, maintained a direct and rather humble public persona throughout his career.
Rugby league on the other hand had more than enough players whose lives outside of football were well commented on. Terry Hill, Anthony Mundine, Gordon Tallis, Brad Fittler, John Hopoate, Julian O’Neil and Craig Gower all provided plenty of copy for the east coast newspapers. Regardless of whether or not their behaviour was good or bad, these players commanded the media’s attention.
No rugby union player attracted as much media attention of any of the above group however rugby union’s growing popularity meant the media were now always watching. In 2000 several of Eddie Jones’ ACT Brumbies were disciplined for an incident in Cape Town that occurred after they had been out drinking. Compared to his predecessor, Rod MacQueen, Jones had allowed off-field standards to slip during his tenure as Brumbies coach, a theme that would re-emerge later when he coached the Wallabies.
Despite the negative publicity the Cape Town incident generated, the ACT’s reaction in immediately disciplining the players involved compared very favourably against the NRL’s involvement in an almost hidden incident in rugby league that had occurred only a couple of years earlier.
In 2004 journalist Roy Masters discovered an incident that occurred in 1997 where the then Super League CEO, John Ribot, had covered up a woman’s complaint involving misogynistic behaviour towards her from several Canterbury Bulldogs players by paying her off to keep quiet. The Bulldogs player’s behaviour was alleged to include amongst other things, several players urinating on her leg whilst she did her job as a make-up artist on a promotional film shoot. Ribot’s actions ensured the complaint was not made public at the time and that no one was held accountable for their actions.
Ribot was not alone in absolving misbehaving rugby league players of their responsibilities. In 1999 the then Australian Rugby League coach, Chris Anderson, announced at a press conference that Craig Gower was forced out of the test team due to a groin strain. Days later it was revealed that Gower had not in fact damaged his groin but had exposed it to an Irish tourist whilst under the influence of alcohol. Despite mounting media criticism of the NRL’s handling of the affair, Anderson chose to defend his decision to lie with the statement “I don’t think we should have to make public our disciplinary standards”.
In other words, the coach of the National team did not think rugby league players should be held publicly responsible for their actions. In Anderson’s eyes, rugby league players were no longer required to represent their club or nation but merely to perform for them.
The argument that the personal conduct of professional sportsmen should not be held up to such public scrutiny holds little merit. A constituency expects their elected politician to represent them in both performance and behaviour in much the same way a company expects a CEO to represent them, a school expects their school captain to represent them or indeed an employer expects employees at an external work function to represent them.
When rugby league administrators started to describe the game as a ‘product’ they indicated their intent of selling the game at all costs. This requires keeping the most famous players in the public eye as much as possible, either on the field or off. With such ends in mind there is little room to consider discipline or accountability.
And so to February 2001 and the signing of Wendell Sailor, perhaps the biggest star in rugby league at the time. Of the three recruits, Sailor had the most difficult time of making the switch to rugby union. However of the three it was perhaps Sailor who made the most improvement in his game.
Sailor’s fortunes under the two ARU CEOs, O’Neil and Gary Flowers, are as markedly different as the leadership styles of those two administrators. No strange coincidence that during O’Neil’s tenure, Sailor was able to concentrate on his game and despite never seeming as comfortable in union as Tuqiri, his hard work did lead to better performances.
Under Flowers, the story for Sailor and his team mates was very different. The following list details bad behaviour incidents by Wallaby players and staff that occurred under Flowers’ administration.
2004
* Mat Rogers alleged to have assaulted a member of the public at an Edinburgh nightclub
2005
* Lote Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor and Matt Dunning were all fined and handed out punishments of suspended two-match bans for their part in a late night incident in Cape Town. Matt Henjak sent home for his part.
* Cameron Shepherd suspended for damaging private property whilst under the influence of alcohol
2006
* Matt Dunning was fined after damaging a taxi.
* Wendell Sailor was fined and suspended for an incident in a nightclub in Cape Town
* Wendell Sailor banned for two years after returning a positive test for cocaine.
2007
* New South Wales Waratahs player Kurtley Beale was found guilty of drink-driving while unlicensed
* Eddie Jones, Ewen McKenzie and John Connolly’s publicly argue via the media
* Lote Tuqiri pushes team mate Sam Norton-Knight in the back after Norton-Knight made a poor on-field decision
* Lote Tuqiri broadcasts Michael O’Connor’s opinion of Peter Hewat in front of Hewat and other team mates.
It is unfortunate that after buying into rugby league’s player pool, the ARU also bought into its culture of no accountability. By trying to compete with rugby league using league’s own stars, rugby union opened itself up to league’s problems. This has nothing to do with a player’s upbringing, schooling or the social position of their parents. The absence of accountability in an organisation is to do with the leadership of that organisation and the culture they choose to pursue and develop.
When Former US President, Bill Clinton left office he reportedly advised George W Bush that al Qaeda would be his biggest concern. When John O’Neil left office he may well have told Gary Flowers that the great rugby league experiment would be his. With or without the warning, Flowers, like Ribot before him, ignored the accountability issue to his own and rugby union’s detriment.
Ironically the legacy of Gary Flower’s decision to follow rugby league’s administrative direction is the failure of the great rugby league experiment.
The signings of Sailor, Rogers and Tuqiri could have produced much better results for Australian rugby. O’Neil’s recent action in ensuring the correct disciplinary measures were meted out to Tuqiri after the winger’s failure to attend a team medical are the first steps in getting rugby union back on track. Whether that track leads to more rugby league signings remains uncertain given that it was O’Neil who was at the helm the first time around.
jameswm
Guest
Bear in mind Lote hasn't signed his contract yet. Surely we would be entitled to withdraw the offer before it's been accepted. I do think Lote has added a heap of exposure and fans to the game and he has mostly been a positive influence. Timana Tahu came across the right way - nice and quietly, out of the spotlight. The ARU should refuse if any signing becomes a media circus, like it was with some of them - Braith Anasta springs to mind.
Bob Thomas
Guest
I think we are learning about leaguies but we have been very slow learners. The negotiation with Lote should be our last embarassment. I cant see the ARU falling for this one again. It is vastly different to six years ago when we needed this exposure for several reasons. I think that the last ARU admin was blind sided by the joy of a purchase with the associated media hype rather than the long road to developing our own youngsters. We need a small manual on how we should go about this (maybe another post) and also the ARU needs to be talking to the NRL and lining our ducks up so that the "I will go to union if I dont get $XXXXX$ rubbish is cut out of the negotiation. Goodbye Wendell, Matty and after the world cup I think it will be ta ta Lote you were the first ones to come across and the others who come will be on a different leash at different wages.
Darryl
Guest
Terry, the league recruits you mentioned who do not get into trouble didn't come across on huge pay packets and expectations to match (as opposed to Lote, Matt and Dell). It's probably an ego issue or maybe it's stress?? Sounds a bit stupid, but think about it. There is every rugby critic out there questioning your worth. I know it's easy to say "hey they get paid that much money, they should be able to deal with it and deliver", but they are only human and they have the extra stress of learning a new sport. Anyway, just a thought from left field.
jameswm
Guest
The Waratahs have several ex-leaguies. Lotsa Tequila of course, and Wycliffe Palu as Terry Kidd said. Where was Rocky Elsom for the couple of years before he was signed by the Tahs? In league. But he and Cliffy Palu had strong rugby backgrounds. And the Tahs will have Tahu next year. With the odd exception, the latest trend is for the S14 franchises to chase the players then try to get ARU top-ups. Tahu, Shifcofske and Ryan Cross were all chased by the S14 team initially. The Waratahs talk of a no dickheads policy they brought in about 5 years ago. They had a tough season last year, badly missing Rogers and Whits to run the backs and Vickerman and Waugh to run the forwards. But they are tending to recruit better (with the exception of losing Josh Holmes), with Beale, Turner, Polota-Nau, Mumm, Benn Robinson and others signed or retained, than they used to in the days when the Brumbies decimated their ranks. There are still some leaguies I would love to see in rugby that I have no doubt whatsoever would make it - with Jonathan Thurston and Greg Inglis at the top of the list. But we have seen pretty conclusively this year that we have exceptional young talent coming through. The All Blacks, the French and the Boks select 20-21yos who excel at provincial level, but we would have to have some of the most conservative selectors in the world. The other countries work youngsters in bit by bit (rather than all in one go) and this is part of the reason they seem to have more depth. Look at the list of youngsters who stamped themselves as outstanding prospects last year... Tatafu Polota-Nau, if Ewen would give him more game time. How often does he have to do extraordinary things to get more of a go. He should be starting for the Wallabies and would put Freier and Moore to shame. Lachie Turner we all know about Ditto Digby Ioane Dean Mumm stood out with his pace Josh Holmes does things no other halves in the country can Kurtley Beale is an exceptional talent - anyone else see him rip Randwick to shreds last Saturday? Mitchell Chapman is already a very good forward Ditto James Horwill, very big, very rough and very mobile 19yo David Bam-Bam Pocock is very promising Berrick Barnes truly excelled at times for Australia A and only needs to round out his game Beales's adversary, Quade Cooper, the Benji Marshall lookalike Prop David Te Moana 19yo Force squad winger Brett Stapleton runs the 100 in about 10.4, is 6 foot 2 and over 90kgs The Faingaa brothers That huge U19 5/8, forgotten his name (it's Christian Lealiifano) Young Brumby prop Salesi Maafu Add in props like Greg Holmes and Rodzilla, both very young and both this year (before getting injured) showing signs of really moving forward So in a team context there is promising talent in every position Lachlan Turner Digby Ioane Lloyd Johansson Berrick Barnes/Quade Cooper/Lealiifano Brett Stapleton Kurtley Beale Josh Holmes Mitchell Chapman David Pocock Dean Mumm James Horwill Will Caldwell David Te Moana Tatafu Polota-Nau Salesi Maafu Another point about where the money goes, is I coach an U8 team. As far as I know we get zero in funding and the battle against Jnr Aussie rules and soccer is fierce. So much more needs to be done at this junior level.
Argus McButhwinkle
Guest
Garth, League to Union, Union to League, Soccer to US celebrity poonce. Accountability is all well and good but it doesn't put bums on seats, and bums on seats is what the ARU need. Oscar Wilde said it best when he claimed that the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. Publicity whether it be good or bad is still publicity. So far this year, a world cup year, has seen Australian crowd numbers lower than a Richard Lowe cheap shot and this has got the ARU spooked. With a mis-firing Wallabies turning swing viewers away from rugby in droves the ARU needs to find some interest fast. Is it really a coincidence that Lote does something stupid straight after a win over the All Blacks that barely raised a eyebrow? Or that Matt Giteau collapses for no good reason? These titbits of publicity gold have the stench of John O'Neill all over them. It was his legacy that got the holy trinity (Wendy, Sludge Jr & Lota Tequila) across to rugby in the first place. He knew that these 3 bogan inspired half wits could do the job of getting interest back into rugby in the post Eales/Macqueen era whether it be through rugby brilliance or off field idiocy. And they true to their heritage haven't disappointed with scandal and hype following them everywhere they went. Why stop using a winning formula? I think they should go one step further and employ Julian 'Van Wilder' O'Neill as ARU party consultant. What a scoop! Given that rugby is now a product competing for survival against the other codes it remains important to remember that the rugby faithful will always be rugby faithful, it’s the swingers that the ARU require and I'm not referring to John Favreau and Vince Vaughn. Granted the form with which to reach the masses is flawed, but it seems an easier path that the one the Wallabies must face in October.
Terry Kidd
Guest
I also enjoyed this article but it is not always true that an ex-league player will bring high profile problems with them to Union. Wycliffe Palu is an ex league player with the Dragons. He appears to be concentrating on his rugby without getting into trouble .... unless there have been incidents that I don't know about .... yet at the Dragons there were some problems. Is this a case of the reverse occurring where Rugby has had a positive influence? What about Ryan Cross and Clinton Schicofske? No problems there. Maybe it is more about individual personalities and their abilities to see the good and bad in any environment and behaving according to ingrained lessons rather than simply kicking over the apple cart at times ... because they can.
Peter L
Guest
Isn't it better to reward loyalty than to try to buy it? I can't help wondering if perhaps the root of the problem is that Union actively seeks to buy these players loyalty with the result that the high-profile Gentlemen of Leagure (sic) believe Union needs them more than they need Union. Such belief would be natural, given the desperation used to recruit and retain them - witness the Tuquiri negotiations earlier this year - and the hype surrounding their arrival. The lack of accountability (on and off field) would reinforce such a belief. I'm not saying the players feel they are above the masses - Walker, Rogers, Tuquiri and Sailor are, by all acocunts, humble and decent blokes. But they are (relatively) young, male, have a boundary to push, have nothing to lose, and have cash. What a recipe!
jools-usa
Guest
Garth, Great educational chronoloque. but the Clinton story is pure spin trying to re-write a forlorn legend. He offered Bush his Black Book. Jools-USA
Darryl
Guest
I thought I heard that Steve Roach's son is a very good up and coming young prop. He may have played U19's for Aus?? Anyway I believe he signed with a rugby league team. How are we missing these guys? Don't we need young props? Is the NRL offering better deals for developing young talent?
sheek
Guest
Garth, Your argument about accountability is fair - it cuts both ways. Certainly, if those at the top aren't maintaining a watch, then those further down the ladder will play up. It's human nature. Re the leagueies coming over to union, I'm over outside backs coming across, but I'm not over leagueies coming over in other positions. Perhaps Rugby needs to be smarter about the type of player it wants from league. Firstly, identify a positional shortfall. Secondly, identify suitable players. Thirdly, assess their availability & desire to play Rugby. I don't have a problem with cultural cross-pollination. It's elitist & wrong for Rugbyites to think they're somehow superior character types to leagueies. As Garth suggested, accountability is the key, beginning with the individual. Who says we can't buy league props? For example, I think with the right technical advice, Shane Webke would have been an outstanding Rugby prop. The guy is strong, mobile, relentless, fiercely competitive, with a high moral fibre to boot. Of course, if we're going to get league players, the best place to start is at junior level - & start making inroads in league-strong areas, like western Sydney. For this to happen, we need recruitment/development officers on the ground, actively signing up players & schools, & equally importantly, servicing those players & schools. Over to you, ARU!
Zac Zavos
Editor
Great piece of research and writing, Garth. I agree that it all gets down to accountability. The fiasco with Lote's signing shows that the players are given way too much control in the battle for a signing.