Rugby tells Thurston he's dreaming

[travelling_gerry]

North Queensland NRL star Johnathan Thurston told his asking price for rugby contract is too high

• By Dean Ritchie
• From: The Daily Telegraph
• February 23, 2010 12:00AM

Too expensive...rugby union has baulked at Johnathan Thurston's $700,000 a season asking price. Source: Getty Images



THE Australian Rugby Union has pulled out of the chase for Johnathan Thurston - telling the rugby league superstar: "You're just not worth $2 million."

Off-contract Thurston had expressed his interest in switching codes and was seeking a three-year deal worth $700,000 a season, but the ARU yesterday claimed the Queensland Origin and Cowboys halfback had "priced himself out of the market".
The ARU has sent the five Super provinces - including new team Melbourne - a directive to steer away from any negotiations with Thurston. And in a further setback for the representative star, NRL clubs Canterbury and Parramatta say they cannot afford his asking price under the salary cap.
The ARU has refused to top up Thurston's contract by the necessary $550,000 a season and appears to have finally ended its obsession with rugby league superstars.


Rugby sources last night claimed the 15-man code was fed up with league players wanting to switch codes purely for money.
"There is no interest at this stage in Thurston because he has simply priced himself out of the market," an ARU spokesman said last night. Melbourne andQueensland Reds had been touted as possible clubs for Thurston before the ARU put the pen through his name yesterday.
Melbourne Rebels CEO Brian Waldron said: "Any interest in Johnathan Thurston would mean a top-up from the ARU and, from my understanding, the ARU has no interest in Johnathan at all."
Thurston, who turns 27 in April, has been offered huge money to remain at North Queensland but may not make a final decision in the immediate future.
However, the Cowboys' patience is being tested by Thurston's delay in signing. One well-placed source said: "For Thurston to go to rugby, the ARU would have to top up his contract. They won't be doing that. They aren't fans of Thurston."
Canterbury chief executive Todd Greenberg said Thurston, a former Bulldog, would cost his club too much money.
"Johnathan has a history here and is very highly regarded at the club," Greenberg said. "But the dollars are beyond us. No doubt he is a great player and you would struggle to find a club out there that didn't want him.
"But it won't be us. You have to work within the salary cap and know what you can afford."
Parramatta chairman Roy Spagnolo said his club wanted to retain halves Daniel Mortimer and Feleti Mateo long-term.
"That is our first preference. We are confident of doing that and that wouldn't give us any room under the cap." Asked if his club could still chase Thurston, Spagnolo said: "Only if we were to miss out on those two."
Cowboys boss Peter Parr said there wasn't much more the club could do.
"We just didn't wake up one day and decide to make Johnathan an offer," he said.
"This has been planned for a while. He is important to us and we want him to stay. The ball is now in JT's court."
Manager Sam Ayoub said Thurston was considering "offers from overseas rugby clubs ".


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225833198766

[Burgs]

It's a shame in a way as I believe that he is one that would be worth some money to the ARU, but nothing like quoted here.
He is a highly skilled player, though starting to get on in playing years, I think he is a couple of years past commanding that type of money in Union, should have tried when he was in his early 20's.

[GIGS20]

I find it difficult to believe anybody's worth that sort of dough in their first season of first class rugby Burgs......It leads to the sort of rubbish that went on with Dell Lote and Matty Rogers.....they had so much money invested in those three that they HAD to be played, performing or not!

Thurston....or anybody else for that matter CANNOT be considered a Wallaby starter in their first season playing the code.

Somebody like Gasnier however, has shown his skills (not that I'm aware of how he's gone) and there is something there for the ARU to hang their hat on with regards to the top up. If they offer him the bank, I wouldn't oppose it initially, I'd just reserve the right to tell them they're awful judges of Rugby Talent!

[Burgs]

I agree totally, I am saying he is worth some money, ie more than a rookie, more than anything Crossy was offered, probably more than Lote was worth (not cost) etc but not the money quoted here.

[mudskipper]

I have no interest in seeing Johnathan Thurston's play rugby... zero...

[welshrugbyfan]

I think and not to often either.


Ok start again,

It's like star wars, once you choose the dark side you should stay there.

This flirting between codes sh*** me. Pick a game and stick at it. Apart from that knob Johnathan Davies I can't recall to many rugby boys pulling up stumps to play that other game.

[prop53]

Yes i agree with you there Welsh, you can tell the other code is struggling. Union rules and stick t your codes.

[beige]

Apart from that knob Johnathan Davies I can't recall to many rugby boys pulling up stumps to play that other game.

Really? I can name a shed load (including one Scott Quinnell)...

[James]

If a player is great then they are worth the money but if they are shitty it would be a waste so I reckon we should just continue to let French, Japanese and English rugby find out for us whether or not the league players are any good and then offer them a once in a life time chance at playing for Australia if they are good. Haven't seen a league player good enough to be necessary (with possible exception to an in form Lote back in 2003-2004).

[shasta]

This flirting between codes sh*** me. Pick a game and stick at it. Apart from that knob Johnathan Davies I can't recall to many rugby boys pulling up stumps to play that other game.

Deja vu all over again.

WRLF (and others from the NH) still applying NH Rugby rhetoric to the Australian (or at least NSW/Qld situation). I know you have company around here, but it's still the same old same old.

It's the professional era and it's all about the money. The player market will decide who plays where and what code. Like it or not.

[jazza93]

The Rebels should buy him instead of Mortlock. Or he should just go to France and then after he dominates he can just laugh in the ARU's face.

[TOCC]

fuck that, his not worth nearly as much as he thinks, on top of that the bloke comes with off-field baggage, like serious baggage. He slept with one of the blokes wives at the Cowboys, now i dont care how young he was at the time or how drunk, they shows a serious flaw in his personality and grip on reality.

If the bloke was as impressive off the field as he is on the field then i would say yes, but his got issues and i say leave it at that.

[jazza93]

Maybe the French rugby lifestyle suits him better then.

[travelling_gerry]

ohnathan Thurston's manager says no approach made to rugby in Australia

* By Paul Kent
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* February 24, 2010 12:00AM



PLAYER manager Sam Ayoub last night lashed out at the "ARU fools" who claim Johnathan Thurston is not worth his $700,000-a-season asking price, questioning how they would know what Thurston is worth.

Ayoub issued a checklist of facts that shot down claims his client was asking too much to switch codes, headed by the fact he has not talked money with a single rugby franchise.

It is a startling revelation given the ARU's claims this week that Thurston was not worth $2 million.

Ayoub says the ARU is using Thurston's profile to gain publicity. Thurston, it seems, has no interest in rugby, particularly in Australia.

"Some unnamed source - and we don't know whether it's from the ARU, a franchise or a bottle of tomato sauce - said Johnno is dreaming," Ayoub said.

"Not once have I or Johnathan or anyone associated with us picked up the phone and called anybody at the ARU or any other franchise in Australia. The only time Johnathan's name has been associated with anyone in rugby is when somebody from their side has brought his name up.

Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
Related Coverage

* Rugby says Thurston is dreaming Fox Sports, 1 day ago
* Thurston urged to take offer Courier Mail, 1 day ago
* Coach tips Thurston to stay Courier Mail, 9 days ago
* Thurston ponders $2.1m deal Courier Mail, 30 Jan 2010
* No cap exemption for Thurston Courier Mail, 18 Jan 2010

End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.

"At no time has anything associated with money been conveyed to the ARU or any other franchise in Australia, so how can they say he's not worth his asking price? They don't know what he is asking."

Thurston comes off contract at the end of the season and, as the most influential player in the game, clubs have checked with their accountants before looking in his direction.

However, his price tag has forced some clubs out of the race as others watch his negotiations with the Cowboys with interest. It has led to speculation rugby could be an option but Ayoub declared that he has not spoken to rugby in an attempt to drive up his client's price - and that instead rugby has used Thurston's profile to gain free publicity.

"It's a reflection of where they are," Ayoub said. "The facts are you only see it when they want some leverage or some exposure and they use his name to get that leverage.

"The fact is I'd like to see whoever it is that is talking put their hand up and say that they spoke to us.

"I'm sick to death of them trying to get leverage by using my name."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225833631158

[shasta]

fuck that, his not worth nearly as much as he thinks, on top of that the bloke comes with off-field baggage, like serious baggage. He slept with one of the blokes wives at the Cowboys, now i dont care how young he was at the time or how drunk, they shows a serious flaw in his personality and grip on reality.

If the bloke was as impressive off the field as he is on the field then i would say yes, but his got issues and i say leave it at that.

Unless I'm mistaken that story has not surfaced in the media so how about telling us how you know this? Unless you have definite knowledge of that incident you are doing the bloke a grave injustice.

Not to mention the fact that the whole code switch pay demand may be a bullshit story too. Unless someone is prepered to put their hand up for that as well.