Following my previous article on what players should beware before signing a contract, today’s we look at what clubs should be cautious of when signing a player.
1. The player you buy is not necessarily the player you get. Each player is also a representation of those around him. The reality of the player may be that his best days are now behind him.
2. It takes on average two years for a player to regain the form he showed at his previous club, so fully expect him to start below par.
3. A player will tell you whatever you want to hear when interviewed for a potential offer to join a new club. You are offering vast sums of money, so the real test will be his behaviour.
4. With some editing here and there, any player can look good on YouTube.
5. When a player leaves his first club he has given up being a one-club player. Statistically, the chances of staying beyond his current contract have now lowered dramatically. Players in the NRL average 1.9 years at their second club. If players get beyond a year at their first club, they average 3.5 years.
6. There are a number of factors to consider when signing cross-code players. While the output of the player changing codes may be excellent, how does he affect the team as a whole? This cross-code player may have amazing ball-carrying skills, but if he is out of position due to any comprehension gaps regarding his new code, then the team and its results will be directly affected.
Much is made in the media of cross-code successes, which makes the prospect appear viable, yet the many failed attempts are rarely publicised.
7. A club needs to understand the ramifications of bringing in new players and cross-code players for those already in the playing squad. If you sign a flyhalf, it tells the young up-and-coming flyhalf they can’t be relied upon to do their job. This can leave an impression upon the younger player that there is no existing loyalty, which can burn you when the recent import retires or leaves.
8. How a player is treated upon exit speaks volumes about a club. If treated badly, it sends a message that the remaining players are only treated well because they play there, not because they are liked.
9. Loyalty is a two-way street. If you show it, you get it back.
10. When a player leaves a club, he takes with him all of the relationships and understandings he has formed over the years. A better player can’t replace this.
11. Make cultural mistakes with 17-year-old players, not 27-year-old players. It’s much cheaper.
12. Don’t expect players to openly tell you about injuries. Have them undertake the most thorough medical affordable.
13. When a player is dropped for ill discipline, it’s amazing how much the other players step into the breach.
14. Don’t have one rule for Round 7 and another for the grand final. In the end it will hurt you if you don’t stick to what was agreed.
15. I am yet to find a club that has been able to offset money spent on players by a rise in sponsorship dollars. Keep in mind that it will be even more expensive to hold onto these players year after year.
16. Once a player becomes a paid professional, it’s very difficult for them to go back to amateur status and stay. In the end, these players will search for someone else who values them. When the ARC rugby tournament was started in 2007, it launched the professional careers of 108 players. When the tournament finished that year, 46 of those 108 left to play overseas.
17. Changing a player’s character is much, much harder than most clubs think. Generally, it is easier to change a player’s skill set. However, every year, clubs take on players with this intention, claiming their club culture is strong enough to change this person.
18. On the other side of the ledger, so many coaches see a player lacking skill or size as unchangeable characteristics. The original Brumbies team was full of players not deemed good enough to play Super Rugby, let alone Tests.
19. If you sign players and rotate them constantly, don’t expect fans to instantly connect. In fact, there is a lot of evidence to say winning is not enough to draw people to stadiums. It’s the player-fan connections, built up over time, that keep people coming back.
20. Never underestimate how bad things can get. Is it worth sacking a coach who regularly gets you to the finals for a coach who can take you the ‘extra step’? It may not feel so smart when, two years later, the club is at the bottom of the table.
21. It’s really important to understand what signing a player will do for your club through the entire course of their association with the club – from signing right through to what they impart on the club when they leave. Does their departure leave a giant hole, to be filled by another purchase? Will you be rudderless with underdeveloped leaders?
And now I turn it over to the readers. What are your thoughts?
calum
Guest
Hi Ben, cool, so its a stat from your personal experience in coaching? Not trolling or trying to imply anything, just interested. yeh I can see what you're saying about the player and the club; can definately imagine a 23 year old moving club and playing inside centre, taking a couple of years to hit best form. Been brought through the ranks at one club, playing one style, now has to move, with a new 9 and 10, different style and strategies - might even have to move city or interstate. And that's definately right, for so many positions (centres, back row for example in union, halfs in league) its about 'feel' and playing in partnerships, Only really comes from time together both on the on the paddock and probably even more importantly, on the pitch. Might try and have a look through and see if there are any stats for different sports. For some reason I feel football and cricket would be less. But for NFL and basketball I could see it being similar to that.
Frank The Tank
Guest
Yeah but Widdop has been given controlling rights to run the show at the Dragons. Thats very different than having to learn a new style of play.
Muzz
Guest
Do you think Ferguson worked that out for himself through trail and error or is this just standard practice for some coaches and more so in soccer/football? The other thing that i'm finding intriguing at the moment is the G.Stewart thing at Manly and how a bond and culture that is so strong and key to their success could derail the team if the club won't sign him.Not sure if you have been following it?
Ben Darwin
Expert
Correct Train, i was coaching him at norths at the time. Good bloke.
Ben Darwin
Expert
Hi calum We would take some general output figures such as tackle execution , linebreaks, then look at the previous seasons etc . There is two things that need to happen at a new club, the player needs to adapt to the new skill set and the players at the new team need to get to know him.
Train Without A Station
Guest
The 1 was likely Jarred Warea-Hargreaves who played for the Rays and was a Waratahs Academy player
Ben Darwin
Expert
Hi muzz They did bring on signings into the roosters , there are a couple of factors with every team but the key is the roles of player ie leadership or more simplistic and how settled the team is your moving into . The roosters have been pretty settled in their lineup. At man united ferguson never liked to add more than one player per year over 23.
Muzz
Guest
Another interesting read Ben Roosters had a number of new signings last year and went on to win the premiership.What would you contribute such a fast and successful bond to? Any stats or remedies for a grand final hangover cure? Cheers.
calum
Guest
Ben, any chance of a reference on that 2 year figure? seems a bit long? Would like to see how they have judged it, if it varied across position, sport etc. Wenger always used to bring players in the Januray transfer window and not expect them to do anything until the start of the next season. This was when he bought players of course....
Ben Darwin
Expert
On your above point those 108 were new to pro rugby . so began super rugby post arc. there were 231 players in the comp and 142 of those had previous super rugby experience.
Ben Darwin
Expert
Good chat . A few more numbers on the ARC Of the 108 guys new to pro rugby. 51 never played pro again The below numbers will have some duplication 41 played super rugby 13 to japan 12 to france 10 went to ENG/IRL/SCO/WAL 1 went to the NRL (Who?) 8 played for Australia I will write an article on ARC later with some more numbers ben
Ben Darwin
Expert
Thanks Casper I would say the above list are guys who found it hard but overall just to promote discussion. Again i dont really point the blame at players , i think it is just a lot harder than people imagine. plus a lot of people remember the good converts but not the ones who found it really tough going. Most agents are on 4-7% from my understanding. I think an important point as well is this. If a player comes for 2 years , does well but the club doesn't progress ie loses a good young player as part of the process. Is it a success?
Toa
Guest
I’m of the view the message from both part 1 & 2 in respect to all the points provided is to conduct a thorough research & choose wisely. I’m not sure if the list of names was provided to shore up Ben claims that successful transitions outside of your conventional pathways are results of athletes either converting early or having previous experience in his/her newly chosen code. (if so you could add Israel Folua name to that list) However if the purpose of the list was to expose what the writer views as failures then IMO as with every other opinion the list is debatable.
nerval
Guest
A lot of these and other Wallaby greats grew up playing rugby league, Steve. The whole cross-code success/failure stuff is excruciatingly tedious.
Luke Smyke
Roar Pro
Likewise, he genuinely makes the dragons look like a real threat once again. I, probably like yourself, considered him to be a decent footballer profiting from the classy "big 3" and consistent structures around him..
casper
Guest
sorry, is this a list of good or bad converts? Garrick Morgan from union to league was an absolute disaster but Willie Carne & Clinton Schifcoske were reasonably successful - what do you class as success. They both came to RU at the end of their careers and to largely underperformin sides so it wasn't their fault, just timing. Melrose was reasonable in league, although a bit slow for the position they wanted him in. Mason, Tahu Blacklock & Gasnier all went for the wrong reasons - money and were well advanced in their careers with limited upside. John Kirwan signed during the super league war & was the warriors top try scorer in 1996, even when past his best & uninterested. Setaimata Sa bailed on nrl when on criminal charges & bolted overseas to first play for Catalan in super league then switched to union in Europe, success yet to be determined. Henry Paul was a kiwi league international at 18, signed for the warriors but was swapped for Andy Platt & played years of league in the UK super league before going to union where he was club player of the year & represented England off the bench, hardly a failure. Eventually went back to league for a season & then back to union where he played for Carnegie & got them promoted to the premiership competition. Obvioulsy, Paul was a gypsy. I blame player managers for hawking their clients between codes to push up their value. greedy 15percenters will convince most of their clients to go anywhere if they make a bigger commission. Karmichael Hunt was just a PR exercise by the AFL and they got their value out of the never ending media coverage it got for the first 2 years.
Brett McKay
Expert
I'm suggesting some of the 46 were already SR level, Jimmy. It was after a RWC, too, so SR players who didn't make the Wallabies could easily have decided to head OS. And you're right, not all of the ARC-only level players would've made it - the Rebels were still three seasons away at that stage. Regardless, it's still one-and-a-half SR squads worth of playing talent that departed..
IanW
Guest
Good list.
JimmyC
Guest
Of those 46 players very few of them would have gone on to play Super Rugby at all let alone made a difference to a Super franchise the following year. What the ARC did (and I think the NRC will do ) is give greater exposure to players just under that level guys that might then have had an opportunity to travel maybe be a paid professionals at an amateur club or picked up by a lesser grade competition overseas.
Brett McKay
Expert
Jimmy, I'm not against players heading OS at all, but 46 of ARC/SR level in a single year is a lot to lose at once, that's the disturbing bit. And it might be a tenuous link, but it's worth remembering that though the Tahs were runners-up in 2008, the Brumbies, Force and Reds all finished in the bottom half of the S14 table..