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Rugby Union - by Craig Hill

Why The ARUseless let Latham Go

January 18th 2008 22:35
Carrying on from the previous post...and you can take that whichever way you wish...

It may seem that the ARU is quite happy to let its star players go because of what seems like star players "show me the money" attitude. Now, non sportsfans -non RUGBY fans- won't understand why I and others like me find it perfectly acceptable that Rugby players get paid the money they do.

That's okay. I simply do not understand why actors get paid squillions to pretend to be someone else. To my simple mind, actors are empty vessels or sponges and need to be fundamentally insecure in order to convincingly be someone else entirely. The more insecure the person the better the actor? Not sure how Meryl Streep figures in my theory but...there you go.

Rugby players deserve to get paid the money they do because they play as themselves, mind, body and spirit. What seems like mindless violence to the uninitiated, is a physically and mentally demanding pursuit of perfection.

Rugby players also have short career spans (physically speaking) and sure, the money they earn may be put to better use humanitarian wise...but like Jolie and Gates, they do what needs to be done..but without the fanfare.

Right...that's enough of that. I'm not here to debate why Sport is an integral part of our lives. Plus I don't understand Beckham mania.

This article from The Courier Mail will make you see Red*...

NEW Wallaby coach Robbie Deans failed in a last-ditch bid to keep Chris Latham in Australian rugby because the fullback had no alternative but to finish his career in England.

*Chris Latham plays with the Queensland Reds

Chris Latham: telling the ARU where to go...
Chris Latham: telling the ARU where to go...


Deans, despite only being in the job since last Friday, moved swiftly to tempt the world-class weapon into staying beyond 2008, only to meet a dead-end.
Australian Rugby Union high-performance manager Pat Howard revealed...that it was at Deans's instigation that a final call was put to Latham's manager.

"It was a final chat but Chris had made his call, no doubt a hard one, and one we now wish him well with," Howard said of Latham's deal with Worcester Warriors.

It was a dead-end of the ARU's own making months ago because the salary-cutting stamp of chief executive John O'Neill meant the offer to Latham was only ever modest.

O'Neill has a "financial stability" agenda – hosing down the player salary spiral which ran out of control with Lote Tuqiri.

The stench to it is that a player in regular trouble off the field gets the cookies when a 10-year Wallaby with an unblemished record of performance does not.

I cannot even begin to tell you how I disgusted I am about all of this. And this...

The ARU's judgment that he (Latham) will be a fading star in two years, as measured by a sizeable contract downgrade in its offer, clearly rankles with the 78-Test fullback.

Latham was definitely seeing Red...
Rugby has never been treated as a job by me...It's a passion of mine and now I get to share that a lot longer with my family in Europe.
The (ARU) offer was incentive based. I really didn't think I needed incentives to play rugby. I never have.

If I ever went home thinking rugby was a job, I'd quit. It's not the reason I'm quitting here – it's time to move on and get some fresh goals

This is definitely not to do with money. Obviously the (Worcester) money is good but had I been offered the same (ARU) amount I was on this year for the next few (2009-10) I certainly would have stayed...
So it is disappointing that no agreement was reached here. I'm not bitter, angry or disappointed. It's the facts of life and you get on with it

Latham is eyeing off two huge career finales at Suncorp Stadium in 2008. His last Super 14 game for the Reds will be against arch rival NSW Waratahs on May 17, and his sign-off for the Wallabies (could be) the Bledisloe Cup blockbuster on September 13.

Pat Howard said the Fullback would be free to go abroad after that Test because of his service, rather than being required to meet his full contract term to December 31, 2008.

...And I really really hope Latham kicks some serious butt before he leaves.

As he said;
I firmly believe I'm yet to play some of my best, consistent rugby..I'm not an oldie at 32 and I know my body will hold up

Unlike the ARU's integrity.

********************
To compensate for that...please click this link;
The Hunger Site

Please Note:
The Comments Section has been disabled as I am currently unable to respond to any comment/s left. My apologies for the inconvenience but if I wanted your opi...I'm kidding! I'm kidding.
According to Blog Ettiquette for Dummies (B.E.D)...not responding to comments left is 'What Not To Do' #1 (Chapter 3: How To Win Friends and Invite Stalkers).
So I made my bed using hospitable corners...
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