Rogers:I play for the money
Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:28 pm
http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=598871
Thoughts?
He has a point,I wouldn't go to work if they stopped paying me.But if you're doing something you love,it isn't work.I love my job and I’m extremely grateful for everything I have. A lot of that is largely due to remuneration I have received from both rugby union and league. A lot also is due to the work I have put in to get me to where I am today. The game would definitely survive without Mat Rogers but would Mat Rogers survive without the game?
The answer is yes, I would. The facts are though I wouldn’t have the same lifestyle but I would survive. So the $64 million question is:
Do I play for love or money?
I play for money! Yes we all love the game and you have to, to endure the physical toll week in, week out. Would I do it for free? NO WAY! I’m sure there are people out there reading this thinking, 'oh my goodness he said it! He plays for the money - what a capitalist.' So while you’re thinking that ask yourself if you’d keep going to work if you stopped getting paid.
So Mark Gasnier took the cash and is heading to France... A few other guys are considering making the move for cash - Is there a solution? Is there even a problem? I’m not even sure a problem exists. Yet!
Mark Gasnier has earned the right to make whatever decision about his future he wants, be it staying at the Dragons go to France or retire. If the NRL wants to put something in place to stop situations like this popping up again in the future fantastic, but unfortunately it’s too late this time. It just seems too often that there is a mad, last minute scurry to prepare third party endorsement and the like to keep players. That is wrong. There needs to be a system.
Think about it for a second. Regardless of what industry you’re in, if you are at the top of your game you are going to get head-hunted. The best in their respective fields are often targeted by competitive organisations and the best get paid the most and why shouldn’t they! So why is it that when a rugby league player gets head-hunted by another code or even team that there is so much carry on about loyalty and players chasing money.
Mark Gasnier got head-hunted. That’s great. It means our game is still producing the best talent and I have no doubt will continue to do so. It’s in a healthy place. I haven’t heard of too many French rugby players being approached by NRL clubs.
Now does this mean we should bury our heads in the sand and pretend that it doesn’t matter that we lose some great players? No it doesn’t.
Does it mean however, we are admitting to having a problem if we take action to stop it?
The NRL should take some action purely to give the fans every chance to see the best players in the world staying here. I’d also say to nip it in the bud before it does become a problem. That is not necessarily going to work for all players as some are just looking for a lifestyle change but for most the cold hard reality of all this is one thing will do it and that is money.
What I do want is for my two boys - if they want - is to have the same opportunities I have had in the game here in Australia. Not to be playing here looking for the chance to go overseas like our soccer players do at the moment to make the real money. You would hate for our game to turn into a transit lounge.
I’m not an administrator of the game and I hate armchair critics but I think the NRL and David Gallop are doing a great job in trying economic times. I’m sure there are many solutions being bandied around in the boardroom to potentially combat the loss of our top players but in any case I’ll give you one of my thoughts.
A solution may be for the NRL to run a similar contractual situation as Cricket Australia where you have the top 20 or so players ranked 1 to 20 and they are obviously paid over and above their club contracts by the NRL. I’m not sure where the funding would come from in terms of the NRL finding the revenue to do this but I do have a few ideas. It definitely seems from the outside we could streamline our game at an administrative level. I’ve always wondered what the ARL actually do. Please don’t take this the wrong way; I’m sure they do something. It just seems there are administrators to administer administrators. I’m also sure if we don’t get with the times and move forward we are going to get gobbled up by AFL. Overseas clubs will be the least of our worries.
One thing about the AFL is they have one man surrounded by a great team of people and one organization calling the shots – from the kids aged five to the guys running around at the MCG every weekend. They are an absolute juggernaut and they are looking to totally dominate our sporting landscape and the way they are going about it, if they are not already it won’t be long.
This is not a doom and gloom column to say league's gone, far from it. The reality is though if we continually lose top players to overseas clubs and our product is diminished it could become a problem. Over time it will have a cascading effect through gate takings, TV rights and sponsorship dollars. This in turn will mean players get paid less and overseas clubs look even more attractive. The NRL need to put a system in place now.
Thoughts?