My initial reaction on hearing the NRL were out to block Danny Buderus from taking up a coaching role with rugby union team the ACT Brumbies was thinking the NRL are a bit like a jealous ex-partner.
We have all encountered one of them in our time, you know, that crazy, ‘If I can’t have you no one can’ kind of ex.
Originally due to start work yesterday, Buderus has since been clued up on his obligations and withdrawn from the role of ‘collision coach’ with the Canberra based club.
The Brumbies coach Jake White even cited his appreciation to the Knights for allowing Buderus to join the ranks.
“I’d like to thank the Newcastle Knights, in particular their head coach Wayne Bennett for being so accommodating with Danny’s services.”
Despite the obvious question of where on earth was his manager during these all these negotiations, Buderus, who is a key figure at the Knights, had heads scratching at NRL headquarters when a press conference was held in Canberra to announce he had taken on a role with a competing code.
Problem was old Danny boy still held a contract with the NRL, which I have no doubt has a clause similar to something along the lines of, “Don’t go to the dark side that is rugby union. Ever. We will come after you”.
Rugby league folk sure get shirty when players jump ship.
The crème de la crème of all coaches, Knights head coach Bennett, summed it up best.
“There’s a lot of rules around what these blokes can and can’t do,” he said of the bungled Buderus deal.
“It’s not an issue for me or the club. But if there has been any rules that we have breached, then it’s been done very innocently by him and us.”
Now I could go about previous league to union defectors and the onslaught that follows, but that is just opening a never-ending can of worms.
John Hart, the former coach of the All Blacks from 1996 until after the 1999 Rugby World Cup, took on a role as a mentor to the coaching staff with rugby league team the New Zealand Warriors.
His years at the club were some of the Warriors’ best, with New Zealand reaching the top eight four out of the six seasons he was onboard, including a grand final appearance.
Still, no one in union blinked an eye at the code switch.
Let us all remember that union is New Zealand’s prime sporting religion.
Is it perhaps then just a rugby league thing? Not to compare the passion from various sports codes, but league diehards are a force to be reckoned with (myself included).
The Wallabies and AFL clubs have always had a friendly relationship, with the most recent affair being former Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos assisting the Wallabies with their somewhat shaky aerial work (nice work there mate).
No one cared to fire up at Roos’ flirtation in the two codes.
It’s looking more and more like it’s a union/league issue in Australia. Union is the private schooled, rich new boyfriend turning league into an unreasonable psycho when its players go over for a look.
If only the two could get to know one another, perhaps both could learn some new techniques to take back to their respective codes.
Sergio from Italy
Guest
Well Crosscoder, the main reason why RL didn't find space in Italy is not because RU, which at time was amateurish, but because of soccer that was - and still is - the professional sport that drains the most part of financial resources here. Even basketball and volleyball, the other team sports Italy was successful in at international level, still struggle to raise funds, not to mention RU after professionalism. In fact in Italy RU is growing, especially pushed by the relatively good results of the National team (including the nearly missed draw against the Wallabies on Saturday) and, as Italy is the most populated country (let alone France) amongst the ones that play a top tier international tournament (the Championship and the Six Nations) I hope we manage to have a base of at least 200-300.000 young players to choose from in the next years. You mentioned PNG as a country where RL is growing and I believe you; the fact is, how much does PNG weigh (not to mention: how much does RU weigh in PNG? Nothing or less, I guess)? I suppose that it would be more successful if it had a remarkable growth in places like France or UK. But I guess that I am not wrong when I say that Australia is the only place where RU and RL have a comparable audience: in France RL has 10.000 players affiliated to a club (RU: 262.000), England about 60.000 (RU: 716.000), NZL we don't know (RU 142.000). A bit too little, don't you agree? And note that both England and France struggle against soccer...
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
I respect your views Sergio,however the NRL is competing against S15 in this country and in the State of NSW and in particular the ACT. .You must understand we do not have the population of Italy and we have 4 competing football codes.The area where Buderus was going to act as a "collision"coach (whatever that is),has a poulation of about 300,000.It is a public srevice city being the National capital,has very lttle in the way of major business,annd has two teams of either code of rugby.The competition therefore is more acute than it would be elsewhere. To suggest the s15 and theNRL and add in the AFL are not competing is absolute nonsense.They are competing for Tv contracts,Tv coverage,fans,sponsorship,juniors,female audience.I come from a school ru background,and I can assure you there is competition.I follow rl now for similar reasons to you following ru.each to his own tastes. You do know of course why rl in Italy. withered on the grapevine in the late 50/60s? One of the underlying factors? Your last para is only half correct .In PNG rugby league is the national sport,has a large and indeed passionate following,Has serious competitions throughout the country ,and is trying to get a team in the NRL. BTW your code is the national sport of how many countries? NZ,perhaps Wales and a few of the Pacific Islands.Let's not get carried away. I am being moderated Sergio,trying to defend the rugby league position in a public debate because my viewpoint differs from yours.. Rugby league is in fact growing in the Pacific Islands and NZ and the UK and France and Jamaica and Lebanon.To say it is not growing in England is rubbish.eg the London Broncos just recently signed up 9 players on scholarships from the London u16 competition.They came from 7 local rl clubs.The same club Craig Gower plays at (who played for the National Italian ru team BTW). You note from afar that you have only seen it and find it boring(fair enough),but to then come on and make assumptions about lack of competition between codes in this country,ignore PNG as a country where rl is the national code,then suggest rl is not growing in other countries,is just plain wrong.
Sergio from Italy
Guest
I guess that the point is not this, "Really?". The Daily Telegraph and the Sydney Morning Herald are competing on the same market. ACT Brumbies play Super Rugby, thus are not competing against Buderus's 13-a-side team, nor will ever do. So what? I write from Italy, where "Rugby" is Union only, as there is no League at all apart a small attempt (and in spite of the fact that there was a League national team who played their first international in 1952 against France before falling in the oblivion when the 1960s came) to revive the code in the recent years. As a keen Union fan, I can say I have no prejudices against the League code (apart that having seen it I find it boring, but it's my personal judgment). Here Union clubs loan their players to the teams that play the Italian RL Championship thus there is not rivality between the two codes. IMHO the League struggles to come to the general attention basically because it's a regional discipline, which is not the National sport in any of the places where it's played at a consistent level: not in New Zealand where the State religion is Union, not in Australia where Aussie Football seems to be the most followed game and soccer is growing, not in England and France where it's basically a game of respectively Manchester's and Perpignan's suburbs, and where Union and soccer are the most followed games.
Mr Taylor
Roar Rookie
He'll be the most paid rugby union player at the spinal unit after he gets his compo for breaking his neck in a scrum. bwaaahhh
Really??
Guest
Should all employees be able to take their skills and knowledge to work for competitors on their days off? Would the Daily Telegraph let employees write for the SMH on days off? I think not.
nitejet
Guest
Danny need not worry.The standard of play and the obvious poor coaching displayed by the national Rugby team will surely get him a position in the run on side when he finishes with NRL.No need to be a 'colission' coach,he'll be one of the highest paid Australian players.
jus de couchon
Guest
Remember Perestroika. It was over 20 years ago , like the crumbling Berlin wall , maybe the diehards of the code wars might find a way to move on too.
Much Wenlock
Guest
So what SM said is a total fabrication? Who, within RL circles, has ever called the sport 'the superior game'? Rugby League certainly hasn't helped itself, but then, what other sport is mistake free? If the media isn't on your side - and this extends to areas outside of sport - then any attempt at getting your viewpoint across to a wider public is almost certain to fail.
cjones
Guest
SM As a point of interest "The Sun" newspaper has printed extracts from Adrian Morley's autobiography.
nzmate
Guest
Steve, that is brilliant, or should we call you Michael Moore?
sledgeandhammer
Guest
Love how you guys believe your own BS - comments like 'the superior game' leave league open to ridicule. League has done enough damage to its own brand in the UK without any help from rugby.
Boz
Guest
Another article by someone who lives off with the fairies. The ARLC were well within their rights to scupper the buderus job at the Brumbies.
oikee
Guest
Look at the power, look at the passion, no greater game on earth. Yeah.
oikee
Guest
They come, they go, but moon doggy, look at what we, we the choosen few, the mighty few have got to look forward to next year. They dont put lead in your pencil or hairs on ya chest, i dont know what will. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPtqqwPaO_Y&feature=related Barba, Bubba. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aor6x0BRAp8&feature=related Zingliss GI.
Steve Merry
Guest
Its a pity he wasn't allowed to do both particularly if his club and coach were happy with it. However we shouldn't paint such a black picture of Rugby League. Ask any RL fan in the UK what they think of the Union League battle, how any player that had ever played league in his life (even as a schoolboy) anywhere in the world was automatically banned from union for life. How Union effectively froze RL out of media coverage particularly TV which extends even to this day. How Union has effectively nullified the superior game in that country. They might have an opinion as to what view the NRL ought to take towards union.
steve b
Guest
Storm in a tea cup why couldn"t he have done both .It shouldn"t be a drama to many rules for mine .He was only giving advice not strapping on the boots .
cjones
Guest
HayloHalz a correct analogy would be a married man banging his mistress once a week then going back to his wife.
oikee
Guest
The guy is contracted to rugby league, what more needs to be said. And surely there must be a rugby league job for him after he retires, a collision coach, what is that in league speach. Defencesive coach. ? Anyhow, Danny has a year left, unless he wants to leave now. He can always leave now and go straight to union. Why he does not want to support the code that pays him is beyond anyone's reasoning. I dont think intelligence and Danny have ever walked hand in hand, unlike you and the league family Haylo, ;)
James
Guest
So you are comparing a coach in a situation 15years ago to a player currently under contract with the NRL, that's a fair comparison huh. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
Andy
Guest
"NRL are a bit like a jealous ex-partner." The NRL are in direct competition for viewers/fans with other sports like Union, AFL and Soccer. Associating League with Union in Australia can only give Union a helping hand, and perhaps be detrimental to the NRL in the future.