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Brumbies eyeing Giteau, Mitchell
By Bret Harris
September 05, 2008 AS speculation about Matt Giteau leaving the Western Force to rejoin the Brumbies gathers momentum, there is also talk of Drew Mitchell quitting the Perth-based Super 14 team.
Giteau has until the end of this year to decide which Australian province he will play for in 2010.
There are strong rumours Giteau will return to Canberra where he started his Super rugby career with the Brumbies in 2003. And the Brumbies have not hidden their ambition to bring Giteau home.
They had always planned to build their backline around Giteau following the departure of veteran halves George Gregan and Stephen Larkham and were devastated when he decided to move to Perth two years ago.
"That's nice to hear," Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan said of the speculation that Giteau was planning to return to Canberra.
"I caught up with Matt in June. We had coffee and a chat when I visited the Wallabies' camp, but we've had no discussions since then. He's committed to Perth in 2009."
But the Force is hopeful of retaining both Giteau and Mitchell.
"Matt and Drew are very valuable players and naturally we are keen to keep them," Force CEO Greg Harris said.
"Matt is our marquee player, our highest-profile player. He is very important to the Force."
One of the keys to Giteau remaining in Perth could be his management negotiating a third-party sponsorship deal to replace the deal with fuel technology company Firepower, which fell through this year.
Giteau and Mitchell were inseparable on the Wallabies' recent tour of South Africa and it would not surprise if they moved to Canberra together.
Their presence in the Brumbies' backline would help to reignite the two-time champion's attacking brilliance.
Fagan said the Brumbies would be interested in talking to Mitchell when he is off contract at the end of next season.
"We've got a few outside backs off contract at the end of next year," Fagan said.
"We would be looking to talk to Drew just as we talked to Cameron Shepherd (Force full-back) this year.
"I'm sure Andy Friend (Brumbies coach) would be keen to talk to Matt and Drew in the near future."
Mitchell played for Queensland Reds before joining the Force and it would be safe to assume the Brisbane-based side would have an interest in him, particularly as they have lost two full-backs, Chris Latham and Clinton Schifcofske to overseas clubs.
Meanwhile, Giteau and Mitchell will team up for the Wallabies in the Tri-Nations decider against New Zealand in Brisbane on September 13.
The Wallabies are licking their wounds from the record 53-8 defeat to South Africa in Johannesburg last Saturday, while the All Blacks are coming off a 101-14 massacre of Samoa on Wednesday night.
But former Test great Tim Horan believes the Wallabies would lift significantly in front of a 52,500 capacity crowd at Suncorp Stadium, where Australia has lost just once in 12 years.
"They will be underdogs but I reckon they will bounce back and win it," Horan said.
"I think they will, as long as they believe in themselves. They have good success at Suncorp Stadium. It's a fast track and it gives them a lot of confidence having the 52,500 people virtually on top of them.
"It certainly helps their style."
Although Suncorp has been a fortress for Australia, the All Blacks can still take great pride in their 13-2-2 record in Brisbane, where Bledisloe Cup encounters have traditionally been very tight.
Horan said the Wallabies' ability to make amends for their 39-10 loss to New Zealand in Auckland last month by beating the Springboks 27-15 in their next start showed they can put the Johannesburg disaster behind them.
"The good thing about this year is we haven't lost two in a row," Horan said.
"Once you lose two in a row, the confidence is drained.
"You can get back up quite quickly. It's difficult when you lose two in a row."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html
Well done Brett. By your own words you have written an article based on speculation and rumors. Don't expect to win the Sports Journalist of the year anytime soon.
I suppose we can expect this every other week until they both sign new deals, wherever that might be.
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
Can we keep a tally
1 to the Reds
3 to the Brumbies
0 to the Tahs - dismissed instantly by Gitts as fanciful
61 years between Grand SlamsWas the wait worth it - Ya betta baby
well i don't want them to leave. they wouldn't would they? can they negotiate 3rd party contracts with volvo?
BRUMBIES![]()
Be There. Be Heard. Be The Force Behind The Force
nothing new in this article......must be a quiet week for journalists!
CHEERLEADERS ROCK!!!
Brumbies thrive on taking the Tahs scraps, how are they going to play in the Corporate and transfer arena when they are outgunned so completely?
Very slow sports news week.
Yawn.
Wow, I was looking for the fish and chips before even finishing the article!
Bret is just making an early run on the "Told you so" article of 2018...
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
i was like What the hell!!
cant this guy find anything better to talk about
"rumours gathering momentum"???? perpetuated by this sh!t... of course they are!!
he hasnt said one thing new from the original article 3 months ago and on top of that he contradicts himself by saying Fagan has not spoken to Giteau since june!
Brett get a real job cause this one cant be very rewarding if you have to deliver sh!t on a stick like this!
didnt we have an exact one of these a few months ago? 'giteau hasnt got his money... will leave the force... hopeless rugby team... the brumbies will save him from horrors of the west... etc, etc'
WTF drew and gits are inseperable and should move to canberra together? why wont they be inseperable PERTH?
brumbies, leave drew and gits and cam ALONE! and get over yourselves.
did grumbles change his name or something?
A kick in this game is like a rather nasty alcoholic shooter, only as good as it's chaser...
Courtesy of quality South African commentry
they better not leave...i will cry
BOKKE“Let me put it this way, A Springbok team contains Afrikaners, Englishmen, coloureds and blacks. It has parochial foes in Bulls, Sharks, Stormers, Cheetahs and Lions. It is a recipe for war! Yet in all the years of John Smit’s captaincy, there has never been one unhappy customer, not one voice of rebellion against his leadership. He is the glue that holds the Springboks together. The man is a legend!”- Jake White
Posted via space
Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.
Further proof that paper has never refused ink.