The situation is constantly fluid. Consider halfback. At the start of the season,the Wallabies’ pecking order would have been Nic White,Tate McDermott and Jake Gordon. Now,Ryan Lonergan,White and ... Gareth Simpson,the mercurial Force find of the past two rounds.
Except that Simpson is an English-born South African who played in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship. He is in Perth on loan from Saracens,but he will go back to Britain when the season is over. Still,I refuse to believe that any player with such a complicated background couldn’t conjure up an Australian grandparent if Eddie came calling.
The point is that events and personnel keep changing. 2025 is a long way away and who knows what Jones’ needs or Suaalii’s form will be as the British and Irish Lions bear down? Hopefully,he will be the same hit Israel Folau was back in 2013. We don’t know.
Suaalii,indeed,might not be a good fit at winger. He is a long-strider perhaps more suited to outside-centre. But would he bring more to the No.13 jersey than Len Ikitau,who may be one of rugby’s most underappreciated players?
True,Suaalii has played a considerable amount of schoolboy rugby so chances are he will adapt. There are no guarantees,however.
TheHerald’s chief rugby writer,Georgina Robinson,has correctly identified the overwhelming reason to sign Suaalii.It’s a commercial decision. Rugby needed a showroom star to put on display to the private equity partners it will soon engage. Hamish McLennan,RA’s energetic chairman,recognised the game needed a fresh face and was prepared to push the boat right out. On that front,it is a perfectly acceptable business arrangement.
Suaalii would have been placed with the Waratahs had he been born in Perth,Peregian Springs or Petticoat Creek. Sydney needs the bump.
But there are still grumbles throughout the game at the way this has been handled. It has exposed the unions to more aggressive bargaining from players at re-signing time,money they don’t have.
There is also the question of fairness. Suaalii’s salary is being touted at $1.6 million a season. That’s $4.8 million. Why not direct some of that toMax Jorgensen or Lynagh or Gordon,or better still,use it to get rugby’s talent ID sorted out. Australia paid just $120,000 a year for Elton Flatley in his first year out of school and hedarn near kicked them to a World Cup. But didn’t lift a finger to signChurchie Kalyn Ponga.
And while everyone accepts it is perfectly natural for a Penrith-born player to turn out for the Waratahs,everyone also accepts Suaalii would still have been placed with NSW had he been born in Perth,Peregian Springs or Petticoat Creek. Sydney needs the bump.
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The question needs to be asked:What about the loyal players whotook a 60 per cent cut in pay to keep the game going during COVID? Could they not have been compensated instead of over-rewarding a player who had to be asked by not one,not two,but three Wallabies coaches – Michael Cheika,Dave Rennie and Jones – to return to rugby?
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