MATT GITEAU RETURNS TO TRAINING AS LAST OF THE WALLABIES JOIN PRE-SEASON

Emirates Western Force flyhalf Matt Giteau is now happy to be playing out the 2009 with the Perth-based Super 14 club and is in full support of embattled coach John Mitchell.

When a lucrative endorsement deal with fuel technology company, Firepower, fell through when it went into administration, Giteau suddenly had no third party deal keeping him in Perth and considered leaving the Force a year before his contract ended.

While Giteau re-signed with Australian Rugby until the next World Cup, his deal with the Force was only for the 2009 season. However, he has decided to play out that contract despite other offers within Australia and overseas.

On Monday, he joined pre-season training for the first time with 11 days before the first trial match with the Crusaders and is happy with the decision he made.

"It wasn’t really a tough decision. I wanted to honour my contract and that's what I want to do. I've enjoyed my time at the Force, and in Perth, so far and I want to continue that for another year," Giteau said.

"A lot of what was said wasn’t by me and I tried to stay away from that to focus on football. I was always going to decide what I wanted to do when I had my break after the Wallabies tour. I looked at certain things, but in the end I wanted to honour my contract to play the year out here.

"It was (tempting), but nothing I really thought seriously about. It was just an offer that was put to me and I quickly decided that I wanted to stay in Australia, and to play in the best competition which is Super 14 and to play for Australia still."

It's quite an understatement for Giteau to say the whole Firepower situation was a disappointment and while he had another third party offer put to him, it was only if he remained with the Force for the remainder of his ARU contract. He didn’t sign and will decide his future at the end of 2009.

"Pretty disappointing I'd say. My situation compared to those mums and dads out there is pretty small when you look at it. It affected a lot of families and how it affected me hasn’t been as significant as those people," he said.

"There was a deal put to me, but for different reasons between myself and the person offering we couldn’t reach an agreement.”

With a report from retired judge Robert Anderson QC still to come back on the way players, coaches and staff believe Mitchell is performing as coach, Giteau has returned to Perth knowing little of it. Despite being linked to being a ringleader to get rid of the coach, Giteau put that to bed once and for all.

"That can be put to bed. I wasn’t even here. I obviously knew something was going on, but didn’t have any say in it and didn’t really want to be involved in it. If I was to look at leaving, he isn’t one of the reasons," he said.

"I was away with Drew Mitchell overseas, so we didn’t really get asked about and that's not something players control too much. I get along with him, and everyone else, really well.

"I find him good. With all coaches you will have disagreements, but I've always felt the times we have that we've quickly moved on and done what's best for the team. I've enjoyed playing here the last two years."

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