How is it decided ?

[Thequeerone]

With Contracts happening at the moment - I'd like to ask a question.

There would be approx 4 times 31 players in S14 in Aus = 124 players

Wallabies and Aus A would mean a total squad of about 55 players ergo there must be half of the S14 players on ARU contracts.

Robbie Deans is not due to start until the end of the S14 season - May ?
So who's calling the shots ?
What happens if they choose the wrong players - does that mean that Robbie can't have them ? or worse his vision of a players capabilities is different from the current "Shopping List" which may result in some players been paid for nothing and others not getting enough for their duties ?

I'm really upset with the contracting thing as it seems to be an unnecessary distraction in the middle of the Season.

[tragic]

Yeah, I don't understand the mid-season contract thing, either. It can't be good for a player's focus, either.

I think the process involves bones, chicken livers and a new moon.

[jargan83]

And sack races on 3 consecutive sundays..................

[laura]

Egg & spoon races!!! And a lap-a-thon of MES!

[James]

Robbie Deans is not due to start until the end of the S14 season - May ?
So who's calling the shots ?

They probably run it by him. It isn't too hard though it work out who is good and who is not. Mind you saying that there sure are a lot of Waratahs with ARU top ups.

[NTT]

the aru awards topups to players who represent the wallabies plus the players with the potential to represent the wallabies, usually 2 or 3 in each position......the aru set a contracting window which lasts the duration of the s14 season. This is when all contracted players can negotiate with the franchises ( including academy players ).The window was brought in to stop players from holding the aru to ransom ( tuqiri ).........As for Robbie Deans, he would have already started 'draft'selecting the squad he wants and would already have a good knowledge of the talent pool having been a s14 coach for 10 years aswell as an all blacks assistant coach with John Mitchell. He can select any players he wants regardless of aru topup ( and nsw approval ). Also each franchise can have 33 contracted player not including academy players.

[no.8]

I thought they just pick who tursd up at the first training session - that's what happened to Connolly and Jonesy didn't it?

[shasta]

The whole ARU salary top-up / contracting window thing is a dog's breakfast really. The foot dragging going on with Ryan Cross' top up is symptomatic of that. The whole system probably needs a rethink.

[TOCC]

ive always thought that a salary cap could work better then the current aru top-up.

So instead of the ARU topping contracts up, they just give the money to the provinces to choose the players they most want. Sure it could cause some dramas between provinces, though it could be better for the rugby in australia in the long term, with some provinces valuing players like latham, cross and burke more then the ARU does.

[James]

Yeah that would be a smarter way of doing it. I suppose it might cause slight dramas when all the good players want to play for the same club and the club can't offer them all the goods. Perhaps they should do a bit of both- pay less in ARU top ups but give more to the provinces.

[GIGS20]

James, that's the whole idea of a salary cap....it stops all the talent pooling in one place. The criticism is that a salary cap engenders a lot of player movement, but we're not exactly immune to that right now so it doesn't look like much of a loss at the moment. I would suggest that the clubs be given a certain number of points to allocate to players, which the ARU use to calculate the players top up....the coach and selectors could allocate points as well then. Each point could be worth x amount of dollars, and the ARU contract could carry a standard signing retainer (The minimum contract which would kick in for a player who recieves one point) You would retain the ARU contract, but have a wider pool of brains allocating it.

[BaldCunus]

I would love to see the ARU offer only one year top ups as Cricket do!!! This for starters would cut down the number of players receiving top ups who dont really deserve it i.e. players who have shown promise signed on for 3 years then done nothing....

You also wouldnt have these 'automatic' wallaby selections eg Lote whom the ARU feel obliged to pick because they are paying them a millions of dollars.

[KenyaQuin]

Robbie Deans is not due to start until the end of the S14 season - May ?
So who's calling the shots ?
What happens if they choose the wrong players - does that mean that Robbie can't have them ? or worse his vision of a players capabilities is different from the current "Shopping List" which may result in some players been paid for nothing and others not getting enough for their duties ?

TQ1, I would speculate and say the High Performance Unit (possibly in consultation with a few others) would would be tasked with accessing and identifying the must-have players.

Part of the dillydallying we are seeing currently could be due to (1) Changes within the HPU; and, (2) Limited, if any, access to Deans for input.

As far as mid-season negotiations go, how do we stop them? Its easy enough for say the AFL to restrict clubs from contract negotiations till end of season simply because AFL player contracts are not influenced by external factors. In rugby's case, we don't have that luxury. Soon as a (talented) player's contact comes up for renegotiation, you've got all your European sides jostling for pole position. In many cases, the ARU can't afford to simply wait till the end of a season.

[shasta]

I wonder how things would pan out if they did go totally for a salary cap at S14 with the Wallabies getting only match payments plus incentives? (the more they win the more the ARU pays out and the more revenue the ARU have available to pay) The main goal of most is to play for Australia. If greater spoils were available for S14 maybe more "fringe" players may not be lured North. The flip side might see more Wallabies heading North earlier for their "Super." That's already happening to some extent. Mainly in NZ Rugby.

[Punkpapa]

Don't forget too that an unfortunate by-product of professionalism, is that each franchise is a business, as is the ARU, and the IRB. With each group being interested in maximising profit, not every player is "worth" as much as far as advertising goes. Lote is a bankable bloke, as the girls think he is hot. Matt Dunning is not. So even though "winning" is important, having a marketable product is as well. That unfortunately creates more problems. Don't forget that there is a lot of talk about how both the draft system and the salary cap system have major downfalls (teams tanking for the draft picks - and under the table player payments etc for salary cap). So finding the right balance isn't easy. So far, the ARU/S14 arrangement seems to be working to a degree. Maybe it's the best of a bad bunch?