Steve Dangerous
21-04-06, 09:38 PM
This is so bizzarely over the top it's just insane.
Giteau to become rugby's $6 million man
Friday Apr 21 21:33 AEST
Australian rugby is reportedly set to get its own $6 million man, with Matt Giteau about to become the highest paid football player in the country by joining the Western Force Super 14 team.
Giteau, 23, has agreed terms with the Perth-based franchise which will see him paid $1.2 million a year for the next five years, the Nine Network reported.
A large portion of the salary is thought to have been provided by third-party corporate sponsors, with the player's agent Greg Keenan at a corporate lunch hosted by the Force in Perth on Thursday.
When contacted by AAP, Keenan said he was aware of the report, but was not prepared to make any comment on Giteau's status.
No official statement has been made by either the Force, or Giteau's current club the ACT Brumbies, whose coach Laurie Fisher said earlier in the day he was resigned to losing the backline star.
"I guess where there's smoke there's fire," Fisher said before the report aired.
"I don't think it's ideal for Matthew for it to be drawn out ... so you'd like some conclusion reasonably soon."
The reported amounts involved in Giteau's contract have also sparked calls for the Australian Rugby Union to consider a player salary cap.
Brumbies chief executive Andrew ***an said the ARU should investigate the deal to stop player wages spiralling out of control.
"Although there is support for Matt in the corporate sector here, I think the figures being bandied about in WA are just so huge it has the potential to just blow the contracting process out of the water," ***an told the ABC.
"I certainly think mechanisms like a salary cap need to be looked at, and I think that I'd find support for that in both New South Wales and Queensland."
***an said it was becoming increasingly difficult for clubs to retain home grown talent.
"Our offer was comparable to those of the other states but the corporate sector's jumped in and just put an astronomical figure in front of Matt Giteau by way of sponsorship, and that certainly blows us out of the water," ***an said.
With Force coach John Mitchell having conceded the squad's depth is nowhere near what is required for Super 14, several players as well as Giteau have been linked with a move west.
Queensland Red Drew Mitchell has been touted as a possible transfer, along with potential rugby league converts Ryan Cross and Willie Tonga.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=96823
?AAP 2006
jesus...
Giteau to become rugby's $6 million man
Friday Apr 21 21:33 AEST
Australian rugby is reportedly set to get its own $6 million man, with Matt Giteau about to become the highest paid football player in the country by joining the Western Force Super 14 team.
Giteau, 23, has agreed terms with the Perth-based franchise which will see him paid $1.2 million a year for the next five years, the Nine Network reported.
A large portion of the salary is thought to have been provided by third-party corporate sponsors, with the player's agent Greg Keenan at a corporate lunch hosted by the Force in Perth on Thursday.
When contacted by AAP, Keenan said he was aware of the report, but was not prepared to make any comment on Giteau's status.
No official statement has been made by either the Force, or Giteau's current club the ACT Brumbies, whose coach Laurie Fisher said earlier in the day he was resigned to losing the backline star.
"I guess where there's smoke there's fire," Fisher said before the report aired.
"I don't think it's ideal for Matthew for it to be drawn out ... so you'd like some conclusion reasonably soon."
The reported amounts involved in Giteau's contract have also sparked calls for the Australian Rugby Union to consider a player salary cap.
Brumbies chief executive Andrew ***an said the ARU should investigate the deal to stop player wages spiralling out of control.
"Although there is support for Matt in the corporate sector here, I think the figures being bandied about in WA are just so huge it has the potential to just blow the contracting process out of the water," ***an told the ABC.
"I certainly think mechanisms like a salary cap need to be looked at, and I think that I'd find support for that in both New South Wales and Queensland."
***an said it was becoming increasingly difficult for clubs to retain home grown talent.
"Our offer was comparable to those of the other states but the corporate sector's jumped in and just put an astronomical figure in front of Matt Giteau by way of sponsorship, and that certainly blows us out of the water," ***an said.
With Force coach John Mitchell having conceded the squad's depth is nowhere near what is required for Super 14, several players as well as Giteau have been linked with a move west.
Queensland Red Drew Mitchell has been touted as a possible transfer, along with potential rugby league converts Ryan Cross and Willie Tonga.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=96823
?AAP 2006
jesus...