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What a surprise… another high profile Wallaby could be on his way overseas.
Reports are emerging that Digby Ioane will be leaving the Reds and Wallaby outfits at the end of this year due to third-party pay dispute involved with his contract with Queensland.
Why can’t our rugby organisations, starting at the top with the ARU and filtering down to the Super Rugby provinces and even state club rugby organisations, set the correct payment structures to keep home grown talent on home shores.
And to make matters worse, it seems Ioane has a clause in his contract with the Reds that if he is to leave the club he would not be able to turn out for another Australian province.
For a player of his ilk to leave our shores would be a massive blow, not just to our Super Rugby clubs but our national team where Digby has been a vital cog in the Wallaby backline since debuting in 2007.
Will we reach a time where all contracts are so simple that a player is paid what they’re worth from the one source? Is it that hard for sporting organisations to model they’re payment structures on everyday business payment transactions?
I understand that contracts may need topping up through club sponsors for specific palyers but why can’t these sponsors pay a certain amount to the club and leave it up to the club to hand out these payments.
Surely that will eradicate these ‘third-party payment’ problems looking into the future.
Even though the first publisised incident occurred in Perth with Firepower’s involvement with the Force, I’m sure these issues have risen their ugly head on numerous occasions. And if attention isn’t paid to this issue, Digby won’t be the last player forced to ply his trade in France or Japan.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.