Michael Hooper signs enormous deal with Rugby Australia

But surely you don't not sign somebody just in case somebody better comes along in the future?

The ARLC is essentially the NRL board though Soapit.

hooper on double what quade is isnt he? wouldnt be out of the realms of possibility if that affected the ability/willingness of the aru to offer other young 7's contracts

considering all that sill plenty of contemporaries he's managed to get in front of guys

twas the nrl is mainly focused on the comp itself (and a few add ons) the arlc is responsible for the overall game

Best way to measure an openside on your criteria ‘Kane’ is how a team performs with a certain player - and the Wallabies are a far more dangerous side with Pocock at 7. This is regardless of whether Chieka has put his boyfriend at 6 or whether he is out of the squad altogether

The second player to earn a five year contract! Did any check how the first one ended? Maybe there's a lesson there!!!

Great call Dave S Hooper spends a lot of time near the ball - ‘not making steals and getting cleaned out with ease due by his opponents’. He has great speed, is a strong tackler and has a big motor but is a liability in many other respects. He also suffers from a lack of integrity after knifing McKenzie and transparently comes across as a courageous idiot rather than a tactician with genuine rugby nous. I couldn’t stand Michael Clarke as a bloke and he was a terrible leader of men - but as a tactician - he was masterful. Hooper is a hoax who happens to be glorified by the Sydney press and Tah fans. Another Phil Waugh..

Honestly, why would McMahon bother? As long as Cheika has the reigns, Sean will never get a fair shot at his preferred openside test jersey and so only be asked to sacrifice his body carrying the can displaced in a role he isn't physiologically aligned to or clearly motivated for. If the national coach doesn't believe in a level playing field or place philosophical or financial value on rewarding playing merit, I'd throw my hands in the air and accumulate a few Yen as well. This latest folly only serves to cement the parochialism of Michael Cheika's blinkered regime.

Best player? Hooper wasn't even the Wallabies best backrower last season when Australia's best player (and openside flanker) wasn't playing. McMahon was the form loosey and, when he was fit, Dempsey probably came next.

Half of the blokes touted as 6's or 8's would be far more natural 7's: McMahon, Dempsey, Korczyk, Miller, Wright, Samu, Gill, Hardwick et al. Signing a bloke on stupid money for a stupid;ly long period who isn't even the best in his position currently, tells talented competitors that the race has been run and is over. Go check your other options. And then the decision becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: "Gill, oh he's not coming back", "McMahon, oh he's chasing the Yen". I'd thank Michael Cheika too. Not only has he blindly ringfenced the openside flanker jersey for Michael Hooper for the entirety of his parochial Wallabies regime, now he has done his mate a favour in the event he is punted. Bravo Boys Club!

Actually, Hooper’s running metres are pretty modest in comparison to guys like Kwagga Smith this season. Even compared to Pocock, Hooper made less runs per game and only a modicum more metres per match (you get about 5-6 extra metres out of Hoops than Poey each match). What is completely overstated is Hooper’s defensive effectiveness. Without even playing the last six weeks of Super Rugby, he is 2nd overall for ineffective tackles and top 20 for misses. It’s not a one off either - Hooper has been in tr top 2 in this category the last 3 seasons. Hooper’s 75% tackle ineffectiveness is almost the same rate as Kwagga Smith’s (who has made far more attempts than Hooper and yet is constantly chastised for poor tackling whilst Hooper is conversely hailed for his). Poey’s 90% leaves them both for dust. Hooper just hasn’t been in great form. He has just sustained an injury that tends to be recurring. And he’s not even the best in his incumbent position. Great job RA.

Appreciate the comments. But he is not our best commander, he is not our best openside, he a great player but should be an impact player. Now Pocock is back he should be Captain and Genia vice. It is Cheika’s choice to have him as Captain and Hooper himself thanks Cheika for the 6m dollar deal. Cheika sees a lot that many obviously dont including me. Richie was interviewed more times than the once I mentioned however that is the only video....of him speaking of Pocock that I could find....and he always maintained at the ‘breakdown’ Pocock was his equal, ........lets not forget Pocock was Hoopers present age, and we dont hear the greats of the position speaking in Refernce to Hooper in the same manner. Pocock has more individual affect on more games as does Genia in the disciplines of their position. Hooper for all of his athleticism is just not the best in his position. It is nothing personal on Hooper, but simply there are others that are better. That’s the reality. But the reality now is he has the cash and when Cheika is gone we will see what happens.

Kane, how many games has Hooper won us on his own back? Honestly? Not scored a try etc, but genuinely been the absolute difference? Pocock has won us about 3 or 4 on his deadset own. As in, without him in the team, we would have lost. Saffa Semi final in 2011 was a monumental effort from him. Hooper couldn't come close to matching that. You say it comes down to team game plans? If you take Hooper out, and insert another flanker, you may not notice any difference... take Pocock out and our team sure notices the difference. I don't rate Hooper as a 7. Two or three years ago, he had a point of difference that people could argue... I didn't agree then still, but I could see his point of difference... he was fast, he ran wide and made breaks... he hasn't done that in the last two years... And he isn't good enough in tight over the ball... so effectively, what we are carrying is a bloke who tackles in the midfield. That's great, but I reckon we could find another one. Now... to pay this bloke 6 million, and lock him in for 5 years, I agree with others... what does that say to young flankers? Because the reality is, whilst the ARU have to pay him, and he is in the good boys club, they will play him over anyone. We have already seen that. That is the issue with this contract. It prohibits an eyes open selection discussion... In 3-4 years... "We have paid overs for this player... better keep playing him to get our moneys worth...".

Plus Hopper spends much more time on or near the ball that most other players.

Oh I can tell you’re smarter than me, that’s why I asked you what Richard Hardwick Will Miller and Liam Wright have got to complain about.

Hooper turned 24 two days before the RWC final. Up until that point McCaw had played Pocock in tests 16 times for 13 wins. He had played Hooper 10 times for 7 wins. It’s nit far fetched to think he had a lot more of a rivalry with Pocock seeing how young Hooper was.

Also ignores the fact that since then, laws have progressively been applied more strictly so we saw more now than we did even a decade ago.

Saying "the most yellow carded player in history" kinda doesn't really acknowledge the fact that yellow cards weren't included in the laws until 1992. Therefore he's only the most yellow carded player since 1992 for a start.

Tahs don't have a salary cap.