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'Rugby really needs to get its own house in order': Rabbitohs hit back over rugby's raid

By Kim Ekin
Cameron Murray catches a pass during a South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL training session at Redfern Oval on March 13, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have hit back at the rival code after suggestions that Eddie Jones was interested in their star Origin rep Cameron Murray.

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Wallabies coach Eddie Jones put Murray on his shortlist of potential crossover targets, news which got back to the rugby league second rower.

Murray’s own public response didn’t rule out a move in the future once he is off-contract in 2025, saying ‘he loved’ playing the game as a schoolboy at the prestigious Newington College in Sydney but watered down any suggestion a move would happen before then.

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South Sydney CEO Blake Solly has come out and taken a swipe at Rugby Australia saying they need to get their ‘own house in order’ while they haemorrhage talent to rugby league in the junior ranks.

“Cameron is a great player, he’s a great person, and he’s developing into a wonderful leader,” Solly told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“It’s been a privilege at Souths to watch him go from being the talented junior footballer to an NRL player to a Kangaroo.

“I’m not surprised rugby have shown an interest in him, but the fact is he’s contracted until the end of 2025, and we’d love him to stay longer. In truth, rugby really needs to get its own house in order.

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“It continues to lose talented kids to rugby league every year, it has financial challenges, and it will need more than some NRL signings to solve their many problems.”

Rugby Australia’s chair Hamish McLennan also got involved in the war of words calling Solly ‘sensitive’ over Murray’s playing future.

“Why is he being so sensitive? And we make no apologies for showing an interest in Cam Murray. He grew up playing rugby union. It’s a free market.”

Murray had been likened as a midfield prospect by Jones but a code switch is unlikely to happen before he is off-contract after 2025, ruling Murray out of featuring in a potential Lions tour.

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Rugby Australia’s big target Joseph Suaali’i has also re-committed to the Roosters club until the end of 2024, but the short-term deal leaves the door open for a union switch ahead of 2025.

Eels centre Will Penisini and Melbourne Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona were also on Eddie Jones’ wish list.

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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