I have a lot of time for Digby Ioane – he is a fantastic athlete and a pretty damn good rugby player. At 27 he still has plenty of rugby left in him and the potential to take things a step further and become a great Australian player.
That said, Ioane needs to stop playing with contract negotiations.
For those of you unaware, Ioane claims the Queensland Rugby Union owes him third party money and, as a result of this non-payment, Ioane will not be playing at the Reds next year.
No one can definitively say that the Queensland Rugby Union or Ioane is in the right. Suffice to say, QRU CEO Jim Carmichael made it undeniably clear where the organisation stands:
“I have written to him three times legally, Digby Ioane is not owed money by Queensland Rugby,” Carmichael said.
“I don’t know how many times I have to say that. I don’t care what he says, I don’t care what his manager says. If he disputes that, then you have got [the courts]. Take it and challenge it.”
It seems pretty clear Carmichael is highly confident of the QRU’s position, and doesn’t understand Ioane’s argument. The QRU’s contract means that Ioane can’t play in Australia, other than for the Reds.
So where does that leave us? Ioane could be trying to achieve one of the following:
– Some form of pay increase from the Reds/ARU.
– Justification to leave the Reds for more money overseas.
What Digby needs to do is come clean to his fan-base and show what his intentions actually are.
If he wants to leave Australian rugby for big money in France (so he can support his extended family and secure his long term financial future – admirable qualities), then say it!
So what is Ioane’s objective? He claims this is a business decision. If he wants more money, all he needs to do is tell us.
Ioane is fantastic but in my opinion he is replaceable. He regularly gives the ball away in contact and doesn’t have a remarkable skill set. His kicking is average at best and his passing is close to non-existent.
He is far from a complete rugby player.
Digby needs to negotiate in good faith. Then everyone can understand and respect his decisions.
SkinnyKid
Roar Rookie
"What Digby needs to do is come clean to his fan-base and show what his intentions actually are." No, no he doesn't. He owes nobody anything.
Mick
Guest
"His kicking is average at best and his passing is close to non-existent." His kicking is horribly below average. I was a better general field kicker as a 15 year old fullback in the D's. Seriously. I just don't understand how someone who's profession it is can't kick a ball (only) 40 metres accurately. Surely he should just spend 20 mins everyday on it with the rest of the backs?!?! He is AWESOME with ball in hand though, and yeah, still worthy of a Wallabies wing spot, despite his lack of kicking and passing ability. I would say his passing is way better than his kicking.
Jutsie
Guest
Haha fair enough I will leave you guys to deal with your grief. Hopefully he will be playing in navy blue jumper next year with his mate higginbottom ;)
AdamS
Roar Guru
^ This is the normal reaction to coping with loss Justie. We did Denial earlier in the week. Now we are up to Anger. The next Articles you see on Digs will be Bargaining and Acceptance.
Jutsie
Guest
love all the knocking of diggers abilities by red supporters now that he is leaving. He has had the same issues regarding ball handling for most of his career but that never stopped him being one of elite wingers in world rugby. The bloke does everything 100% whether its hitting the line onto a pop pass from genia, running the ball back in broken play or putting in big hit in defence. As if the reds have any other wingers close to the talent and competitiveness of ioane, shipperley and davies are not even close and have been found out on numerous occasions. And the bloke does not play up half as badly as cooper yet carmichael stood by cooper through everything yet is questioning digby's character in public. All digby has was come to the aid of his bro and tried to get into a hotel with a singlet and when knocked back tweeted about. He didnt steal a laptop, he didnt get into a dustup with other players in french hotel and he didnt denigrate the wallaby jumper.
Jimbo
Guest
Diggers has been a great player in recent years, But I fear he is a little over rated. He had an outstanding year in 2011, but has never really lived up to the hype since then. I think other teams have worked out how to handle him, and I fear his best days are past him. I doubt the reds will really miss him too much with the stockpile of wingers they have at their disposal, and I also agree that his handling of the ball in contact is questionable. I wish him all the best.
ScrumJunkie
Guest
Great defense, great step.
spikhaza
Guest
Sorry I'm just making the point that he still has potential to improve that skillset in a compliment sandwich kind of way.
sittingbison
Guest
nothing at all like the Firepower debacle. The third party rules have changed significantly because of it. The franchises now negotiates 3rd party deals which are used to RETAIN but not ENTICE players....and in that respect the Reds must be held somewhat accountable for this failure. The real issue is the ARU top up deal is 2 years not 3, and is being used as blackmail to force the third year of the Reds contract. No new ARU deal means no signing with another Australian franchise - a blatant retraint of trade as the ARU deal has nothing to do with the Reds contract. What happens if the ARU only offers a small top up, or even none? something Digby will not accept. The situation that the franchise can force a international wallaby overseas is ludicrous. The ARU must intercede.
sittingbison
Guest
I thought it sounded like the Tahs but take your pick...and no it has not been resolved because the ARU has swept it under the carpet because its not the Force who are easy to pick on
Doug
Guest
Great article. I think people gloss over Digby's poor handling skills. He knocks on a lot, he drops the ball on contact, gets isolated & is fairly predictable. Great fitness & strength but not complete player.
Red Kev
Guest
That was the Waratahs I heard. Honestly we've not heard anything beyond the initial rumour on that one.
Deez
Guest
Does anyone think this might be linked to those alleged "club facilities rental" scandal that was in the paper a few months back re: salary caps? I remember thinking at the time that it sounded like it could be the Reds.
RedsNut
Guest
"I have a lot of time for Digby Ioane – he is a fantastic athlete and a pretty damn good rugby player" Then - "He regularly gives the ball away in contact and doesn’t have a remarkable skill set. His kicking is average at best and his passing is close to non-existent. He is far from a complete rugby player." Eh? Which is he? Personally, I agree with the second statement
Markus
Guest
It sounds very much like the Force Firepower debacle. On top of his QRU and ARU contracts, Ioane would have signed a lucrative third party contract/s, that the QRU would have likely assisted Ioane and his manager in pursuing. While legally the Reds would have no responsibility for any third party payments a player is contracted to receive, Ioane may feel disillusioned that they are not doing more to help him with the payment issue given that these payments would have been what stopped him from going overseas the last time contract negotiations occurred. Of course without either side saying as such, this remains speculation, but it seems very likely based on what both parties have publicly stated so far, and more importantly, what they haven't said.