Two of them have mused on who might be Rhinos’ next coach – and come up with different suggestions – while a third has been considering a potential loophole in player contracts.
GAVIN MILLER
I was hoping Leeds would have made a coach announcement by now in time for me to have something to write about after a blank week. I believe there was an international game over the weekend, but I genuinely have no idea what the score was or indeed who won, such is my lack of interest in the national team. And apparently no one wanted to televise it either.
I’ve long said rugby league isn’t an international sport. It is played only in a handful of countries and professionally in just two, along a 120-mile motorway corridor in one of those. It’s still a great sport, but for me it’s a great club sport.
I did catch some of the best representative game out there, New South Wales v Queensland in State of Origin. That had some excitement; some real athletes playing the game at speed with size and strength and some biff as well. It made me yearn for an Australian coach who had worked extensively in the NRL and could possibly bring some Origin-type footy over here to Super League. So the sooner Leeds announce Brad Arthur is heading to Headingley, the better.
BECKY OXLEY
The international break is a good time for a bit of reflection and a chance to look forward and reset for the business end of the season. The season so far hasn’t had many highlights, but I really believe the Leigh game showed us what we have as a squad and what they are capable of.
We were on fire and played from one-17 with our hearts on our sleeve. We are currently seventh, sitting just one place outside the play-offs, but the table is so tight we are still well in the running and I’m excited to see what is going to happen.
There is a lot of debate about who will be the new coach, but personally I would like to see what Chev Walker has to offer. He has got a good knowledge of the club and has been involved in years when we won trophies. I’d at least give him to the end of the season to see what he can get out of the boys.
The way we played against Leigh had plenty of excitement and was the best we had played as a team all season. I think Chev can keep the morale going, get us into a play-off place and then, fingers crossed, another Old Trafford appearance.
IAIN SHARP
With a blank domestic week and the England national sides away on mid-season Test duty in France, I have delved into the realms of the hypothetical, the what-might-be. Player A plies his trade with a Super League club, they are reasonably successful and the player has recently signed a contract covering the next four seasons.
The player has also come onto the radar of Club X; they are the rivals of where Player A is currently playing. They would like Player A, but being under a long-term contract, to secure his services they would have to pay a hefty transfer fee. That’s where an NRL club steps in.
Nudged by “here’s what you could win …” Player A tells his current club, despite the lengthy contract, he is suddenly so unhappy and this explains his sudden desire to take up a once in a lifetime opportunity in the Antipodes. After a while, Player A’s current club reluctantly agrees to tear up the long-term contract and release by mutual consent. Other than not having to pay his wages for the rest of the season, the club receives nothing. No transfer fee or compensation for his departure.
Player A promptly legs it halfway around the world. The NRL Club sticks Player A in one of their reserve grade squads, to keep him match fit and in the meantime, Player A has the time of his life, snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, surfing at Bondi, consuming as much Vegemite as is humanly possible, drinking the Hunter Valley dry of wine and so on.
Just as Player A has purchased one of those hats with corks on it, his agent pops out a rumour of the player’s homesickness, concerns over the Australian tax system, a deep yearning for the drizzle in Dewsbury and that he would like to return back to Blighty forthwith. Upon hearing the news of Player A’s unhappiness, Club X promptly offers him a contract and huge signing on fee, thus securing the services of Player A without any of the tedious hassle of approaching his original club or, heaven forbid, actually playing a transfer fee for his services.
The losers in all this are the original club and fans of Player A. They lose an asset without any recompense and their fans see one of their players, suddenly turning out of their rivals. As I said at the start, this is purely hypothetical conjecture and couldn’t possibly happen here, thanks to the RFL’s vice-like grip on the transfer and administrative systems governing the game.
Leave a Reply