Latham victim of Tuqiri saga
Latham victim of Tuqiri saga
By Jim Tucker
November 02, 2007
THE painful five-month saga that was Lote Tuqiri's re-signing is only now hitting home, with the fallout directly affecting the Chris Latham case and those to follow.
The drawn-out Tuqiri episode fuelled the sad perception that if you hold your breath long enough in rugby some fairy godmother is going to drop a third-party deal from the sky so you can earn $1 million a year.
Tuqiri may or may not be earning exactly that, but the Australian Rugby Union dumped itself in a pickle when former chief executive Gary Flowers took so long to close that deal.
Now the new ARU regime has to hose down expectations every time a star sits at the negotiating table.
Latham is no money-grabber. Rugby has had few more loyal servants at Wallabies, Queensland and club level with his time, passion and performance.
He is also entitled not to be insulted and thought a pushover when the ARU has crash-tackled league's Timana Tahu with a mega deal to have him switch codes.
Players don't talk to each other about what they earn. That's where the surreal million-dollar glow about Tuqiri has blurred reality about just what is fact and what is fair.
Latham will be 36 when the 2011 Rugby World Cup kicks off and even his speed and skills will be dulled to some degree by then.
Equally, he gets the turnstiles clicking and lives to attack, which is everything the Wallabies must do now to woo back disgruntled fans in 2008 and 2009.
The ARU has to be smart with its money, and a two-year incentive deal for 2009-2010 has its merit. If Latham keeps firing in 13 Tests during both years, he's flying on the pay scale. If he loses his lustre and plays only a handful, the ARU is insulated.
But is a player of his calibre worth a bigger guarantee?
Latham has a rich offer to play in the United Kingdom from late 2008 but his blood ties with his young family are tugging at him, too.
"We want Latho to stay," ARU high-performance manager Pat Howard said. "He's a good person and has been very mature in our discussions which have been healthy." "Whatever he does, he'll have the ARU's support."
No fan would begrudge Latham the best deal, wherever it is, after all he has given to make rugby a better spectacle.
A last word on the intriguing Wallaby coaching debate. Whether Alan Jones applies for the job or not by tomorrow's deadline, it's essential his views are canvassed by the ARU.
He is an independent thinker and his philosophy that sportsmen need far more in their lives than the pillar of footy to be successful as players has been given lip service too often.
There are positives and negatives with each contender but, contrary to some views, it is a strong field and the worthy winner will be Australian.
Courier Mail