Controversy Corner

[shasta]

Worth a chuckle...

How rare that must be to have both coaches with a son in the GF teams? Not the only father & son combos either. I often wonder how there have been so many sons of former first grade players in the NRL and State Cups. Dad's ability to pass on top tier skills drills? I think athletic ability is genetic. What about competitive drive? This is not so prevalent in Rugby and I don't think in AFL either. I find it really interesting.

[Burgs]

...I don't think in AFL either. I find it really interesting.

There is quite a bit in AFL, this year saw a Premiership father celebrating with two Premiership sons (Daicos Family) and I think there was a second similar story. Every club would have Father-Son players.

[shasta]

Thanks for clearing that up Burgs. Maybe also passing on skills and athletic ability. There's no father/son exemption in the NRL, so sometimes there's some unfair criticism.

[The InnFORCEr]

There is quite a bit in AFL, this year saw a Premiership father celebrating with two Premiership sons (Daicos Family) and I think there was a second similar story. Every club would have Father-Son players.

Will Hoskin-Elliott Great Great Grandfather won a cup for The Mighty Pies in 1910

[shasta]

Rugby Australia’s woes have cost the code Angus Crichton - SMH

Angus Crichton has abandoned his Australian rugby union dream, placing further pressure on the Roosters and their already bulging salary cap.

Crichton’s management in the end found dealing with Rugby Australia to be too difficult with another well-known agent, Isaac Moses, working in the background trying to make a deal happen, even though Crichton is managed by David Rawlings, who has nothing to do with Moses.
Loading

The relationship between Crichton’s agent and the Rugby Australia hierarchy was so sour that Rawlings engaged a proxy agent, David Shand, to deal with RA chairman Hamish McLennan and head of contracting Toby Duncan directly, while discussions continued with the Western Force.

The appetite for a code switch has since waned and, at this point, Crichton is set to remain at the Roosters for 2024.

It has been a torrid year for Australian rugby with Dave Rennie sacked as coach, Eddie Jones appointed and the shock of an early exit at the World Cup. This masthead then broke a story that Jones had interviewed for the Japan coaching job before the World Cup started.

“Like a vast majority of the rugby public, we are apprehensive about the immediate state of the game,” Rawlings said.
It looks like Angus Crichton won’t be heading to rugby after all.

“You could reference the assessment made by the head coach [Jones] just days ago to justify that. We have moved on and my client is focused on the upcoming pre-season with the Roosters.”

Rawlings knew Moses was circling and hoping to use his influence to do the deal for Crichton. Moses sealed the $1.6 million-a-season, three-year deal for another Rooster, Joseph Suaalii, to play rugby from 2025, which is the biggest player contract in Australian rugby history.

Moses has a good relationship with McLennan, and was telling people he could make a code switch for Crichton happen.

Moses is still offside with Nick Politis after he left the Roosters chairman largely out of the loop on the Suaalii deal.

In an ironic twist, if Moses could have landed a deal for Crichton, he would have done Politis and the Tricolours a favour, as the Roosters’ salary cap is bulging at the seams and they need Crichton to go to allow them to re-sign and upgrade some young talent.

The Roosters’ cap situation is not caused by Crichton. The club had been planning for Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Daniel Tupou to have left by now, but they both signed one-year extensions for 2024. Siua Wong has re-signed on a bigger deal and Billy Smith will extend his time at the club

[jargan83]

There is quite a bit in AFL, this year saw a Premiership father celebrating with two Premiership sons (Daicos Family) and I think there was a second similar story. Every club would have Father-Son players.

Unpopular opinion - The AFL Father/Son rule is rubbish and should be scrapped.

It just leads to compromised drafts.

[Burgs]

Rugby Australia’s woes have cost the code Angus Crichton - SMH

Angus Crichton has abandoned his Australian rugby union dream

I had thought this to be dead in the water a couple of weeks ago?
This now makes me think it is actually still in play despite this article/timing.

[shasta]

Never say never. It's hard to separate fact from click-bait most of the time but if they went to the extent of appointing a secondary agent out of frustration it indicates a genuine desire to try another shot at Rugby. After latest round of the RA clown show the agents' side of the story rings pretty true to me.

[GIGS20]

I had thought this to be dead in the water a couple of weeks ago?
This now makes me think it is actually still in play despite this article/timing.

McHamish probably just gets a journalist to pull a "LEage star says something about rugby" story every time he needs to divert attention from his complete clusterfuck of an organisation.

[shasta]

McHamish: We got a new coach who wants to raid your Mungo camp. We got Sualii already and we're coming for Chricton & Murray too.

Politis: Yeah, well how did that work out for you?
We've got ourselves a Salary Sombrero. So I'll see your Sualii and raise you a Nawaqanitawase & a Jorgensen.

[jargan83]

That would be hilarious if it comes to pass.

I remember some media speculation ages ago about Rugby Union converts like this may come with a discount towards the salary cap but I don't remember if it was actually implemented.

[shasta]

That would be hilarious if it comes to pass.

I remember some media speculation ages ago about Rugby Union converts like this may come with a discount towards the salary cap but I don't remember if it was actually implemented.

Might just be a beat-up. But they were both junior Leagies as well. Chadwick, Chammas & Payton all put their names to it, so could be accurate.

[jargan83]

Could be a beat up I guess but I didn't have the NRL picking the bones of the Wallabies on the bingo card.

[jargan83]

Just saw the SMH paywalled report on Reddit - apparently Nawaqanitawase wanted to sign a multi year deal with Rugby Australia in May but was only offered a 1 year deal.

[shasta]

Yep. That shows the folly of paying over a million a year for a largely unproven 18yo. You're gonna piss off the proven keepers.Just one of McHamish's many masterstrokes.