The Anzac Day test - moves another week further away from Anzac day and another week closer to state of origin. The ARL and NZRL are always hard pressed to pick a team around this time of year. Do you pick a team based on the form of only seven weeks or do you go for the players that have done the job for you before.
Well fortunately this year selectors were able to base their team selections on an entirely new formula - The highest paid players. This is great news for the storm who will field four Australian players plus two New Zealanders. Not so great news for Scott Prince whose free house fell through when the builder went broke thus making Melbourne's Cooper Cronk the highest paid halfback. Of course this honour usually goes to Johnothan Thurston but unfortunately for him he was injured tripping over a bag of money someone had left outside the cowboys change room.
These days with the picking of virtually all the rep teams in the same week virtually all established first graders not carrying injuries can be assured of getting a start somewhere. Its not quite that bad but its fairly close ie there are 4 representative teams playing this weekend and their are only 8 teams in the NRL so roughly one in every two NRL players will be playing rep football this weekend.
The means that the different selectors spend two hours before their team selections ringing around and talking to each other - what about so and so? Is he a Pom? No, Is he injured? No, Do you want him? No, Then can we have him?
This is pretty much the formula that saw Jammie Lyon back in the Australian team, the ARL selectors hate Scott prince, Jammie didn't want to play for Country Origin and Australia needed a decent goal kicker. Its also the case with the City- Country Sides - Todd Carney has been selected being described by Country coach Laurie Daley as a tremendus rugby league talent. He own club coach Brian Smith says "his forms a bit patchy , he's just spent 12 months out of the NRL and for the last 8 weeks he has been playing full back." Mmm this is a classic dilema - Two men says they are Jesus - at least one of them must be wrong.
That's not to say the Kiwi side is any better in fact its worse. Most of their good players are in Europe and wont be released by their clubs. That leaves them to pick players with 5 games of first grade or players who are carrying an injurry - like Steve Mati whose back goes out more than I do.
Why do we have to have a mid year test - is it our only opportunity to beat the Kiwi's. Why can't we go back to the Days of City country matches at week 10 of the playing roster State of origin two weeks later and the test matches two weeks after the grand final. The only reason is because we have to fund Geoff Carr and Colin Loves retirement, but for the sake of the game can't we just give them a job on a government committee ( I suggest the parole board as they would be with friends and would be able to talk with Brian Waldron) so we can get on with the game.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Super 14 Rugby to introduce salary cap - Melbourne Rebels firm as favourites for 2011
Well another Anzac day has past where we remember the fallen (including the ones run over during the march.) Anzac Day is for us to remember the Warriors of the past. And its a good thing that we remember the Warriors of the past like the Anzacs as the Warriors of the present have done bugger all since Stacey Jones retired. The local press of course say that the Auckland will never perform while ever they spend under the salary cap.
Brian Waldron has of course subsequently proved what sort of team you can get for the salary cap plus another $700K. Basically it means that a marque player is paid around 400 - 500 K a year while an average first grader is on 200 - 300K a year. So you can basically get an extra 3 to 4 established first graders or upgrade with another 3 marque players. They took option B which has proved mighty successful.
Since then of course the storm have said that every club cheats the cap, But there is a big difference between going over by 10K due to a big injury toll and prolonged, systematic and deliberate cheating, which strangely enough also describes their playing style.
The news that the Melbourne Storm has given former CEO John Ribot his dying wish*, with his final statement at the what in the hell do I have to do to get the club on the Front page. To which the new CEO Brian Waldron replied - Leave it with me.
I find it hard to believe that the players and their managers didn't know. What exactly did they think was happening when they signed their respective contracts twice. The NRL was happily complicit by not looking to hard, after all they would have to get their boss to pay the fine, which of course goes back to the NRL who they own so they will get the money back. How did the NRL think that the Storm could afford to buy Brett Finch halfway through the year when every other club with half of Melbourne's roster said they were already over.
The details provided by to the NRL auditor are largely based on Statutory declarations of earnings, Did the players not notice that the amount they signed for was well over what they put in their tax returns. Brian says he has done nothing wrong - well Brian signing one or say 25 false statutory declarations is an offence - just ask Marcus Enfield.
Still at least now we know why the storm needed so much money to stay afloat when the new independent commission comes in.
The news came as a shock to most Melbournians not least of which was because they finally found out that they had a NRL team. But things don't look good for the club. It has a captive audience of expat New Zealanders and Islanders who would just as happily follow union if they could. When the Melbourne rugby team the rebels come into the comp this will effectively half their ratings thus halve their pay tv earning potential which is the only thing keeping them in the comp.
Until the Rebels come into the comp the Storm are desperately trying to reinvent themselves. Cameron Smith is trying to endear himself to the public by doing as many publicity visits as possible including the one where he went to see Carl Williams the day before he died. Carl I have seen you on TV but you look a lot fatter - geeze mate an exercise bike wouldn't kill ya.
The club is even thinking of ditching the whole storm logo and mascot and going for an animal based logo unique to Australia. I don't know about you but I think its a winner.
Also here is a nice photo of the storm boys where the photographer was having some fun and said "Show us how many premierships you''ve won, everyone understood except for the stodgy prop in the front row who thought they saidhow many grand did you find in your locker this morning"
* John Ribot is not acctually dead - I just wish he was.
Brian Waldron has of course subsequently proved what sort of team you can get for the salary cap plus another $700K. Basically it means that a marque player is paid around 400 - 500 K a year while an average first grader is on 200 - 300K a year. So you can basically get an extra 3 to 4 established first graders or upgrade with another 3 marque players. They took option B which has proved mighty successful.
Since then of course the storm have said that every club cheats the cap, But there is a big difference between going over by 10K due to a big injury toll and prolonged, systematic and deliberate cheating, which strangely enough also describes their playing style.
The news that the Melbourne Storm has given former CEO John Ribot his dying wish*, with his final statement at the what in the hell do I have to do to get the club on the Front page. To which the new CEO Brian Waldron replied - Leave it with me.
I find it hard to believe that the players and their managers didn't know. What exactly did they think was happening when they signed their respective contracts twice. The NRL was happily complicit by not looking to hard, after all they would have to get their boss to pay the fine, which of course goes back to the NRL who they own so they will get the money back. How did the NRL think that the Storm could afford to buy Brett Finch halfway through the year when every other club with half of Melbourne's roster said they were already over.
The details provided by to the NRL auditor are largely based on Statutory declarations of earnings, Did the players not notice that the amount they signed for was well over what they put in their tax returns. Brian says he has done nothing wrong - well Brian signing one or say 25 false statutory declarations is an offence - just ask Marcus Enfield.
Still at least now we know why the storm needed so much money to stay afloat when the new independent commission comes in.
The news came as a shock to most Melbournians not least of which was because they finally found out that they had a NRL team. But things don't look good for the club. It has a captive audience of expat New Zealanders and Islanders who would just as happily follow union if they could. When the Melbourne rugby team the rebels come into the comp this will effectively half their ratings thus halve their pay tv earning potential which is the only thing keeping them in the comp.
Until the Rebels come into the comp the Storm are desperately trying to reinvent themselves. Cameron Smith is trying to endear himself to the public by doing as many publicity visits as possible including the one where he went to see Carl Williams the day before he died. Carl I have seen you on TV but you look a lot fatter - geeze mate an exercise bike wouldn't kill ya.
The club is even thinking of ditching the whole storm logo and mascot and going for an animal based logo unique to Australia. I don't know about you but I think its a winner.
Also here is a nice photo of the storm boys where the photographer was having some fun and said "Show us how many premierships you''ve won, everyone understood except for the stodgy prop in the front row who thought they saidhow many grand did you find in your locker this morning"
* John Ribot is not acctually dead - I just wish he was.
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