Payto & Panda: Fight for Israel Folau’s services in NRC continues; former rugby coach backs Fifita

THE fight between the Stars and the Rams for Israel Folau’s services in the NRC rages on, with both sides feeling like they’re on strong ground.

Folau is at the centre of an NRC tug-o-war.

THE fight between the Stars and the Rams for Israel Folau’s services in the National Rugby Championship hasn’t cooled down at all, with both sides feeling like they’re on strong ground and the ARU and RUPA still talking about how to fairly resolve it.

Behind the scenes, many will tell you the best solution for the competition is Folau being a high-profile salesman for the Rams and the westies would have been happy to read his comments in an ARU release on Thursday about the Wallabies road-trip to the bush and Penrith in August. “It’s no secret that I have a strong connection to the Western Sydney area,” he said.

The Stars see it as a straight contract issue and ARU boss Bill Pulver said that player allocation would be determined by a combination of “needs of the local team, the preference of the player and the registered club they come from”.

Pulver said Folau was a “sensitive issue” that would require further discussions.

Ultimately, it appears like it is heading towards a solution where Folau ultimately chooses his club, which will mean a Stars win.

Despite having told friends he would feel at home with the Rams, Folau is an uncompromising professional and his commitment to honouring the Sydney Uni deal will see him staying with the Stars. The Rams are a far better chance of getting Kurtley Beale, however.

Folau and Beale are long odds to play any NRC games but their value to clubs will be immense as brand salesman, particularly with all clubs having to come up with a hefty $300,000 in sponsorship to run a team.

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THE ill-feeling over Folau could be the backdrop for an entertaining opening round clash, however.

The NRC looks set to kick off on the weekend of August 23-24 – when the Wallabies will be in Auckland playing the second Bledisloe Cup clash.

The Stars are considering lobbying NRC bosses to give them the Saturday night game against the Rams at Leichhardt Oval, before which they’ll set up big screens on the hill for fans to watch the 5.30pm Test.

An East v West grudge match for the “Israel Folau Cup” straight after could then be a good way to launch the NRC on FoxSports, with a good lead-in audience from the Wallabies Test.

Talk around FoxSports, however, is the first game is likely to be played on the Thursday night – between a Sydney and Brisbane team – as a lead-in to Rugby HQ.

On other NRC issues, squad sizes are yet to be finalised but ARU Bill Pulver said each of the nine teams would have “32 or 33” players.

With concern among participating clubs about the numbers of uncontracted players who’ll actually get a start amid all the Super Rugby returnees, Pulver said he expected a quota of “at least half” players from the clubs.

Several Sydney clubs are yet to lock down their full $300,000 ante but unlike the state-run sides in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth, NSW Rugby is not assisting any Sydney consortiums and Pulver ruled out financial assistance from the ARU as well.

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SAIA Fainga’a could be on the move from Queensland at the end of the season, although the prospect of one team taking on all three Fainga’a brothers appears remote.

Melbourne Rebels are in the hunt for a hooker and have spoken to Saia, while they also have young Colby Fainga’a in their squad, sparking talk the Wallabies hooker could be headed south.

But Colby is also off contract along with twins Saia and Anthony at the Reds, and while it would be an ideal scenario for the trio to play together, the needs of each Australian Super Rugby franchise is very different.

The Rebels are unlikely to be able to accommodate all three, and are understood to be eyeing a hooker from overseas as their first priority.

Saia and Anthony explored the option of splitting up two years ago and leaving for France and Japan, but then Reds coach Ewen McKenzie managed to devise a deal that saw the twins remain in Brisbane.News_Image_File: Saia Faingaa could leave the Reds.

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THE last men to coach Andrew Fifita in rugby believe the former Griffith boy would comfortably make a switch back to union.

But if contemplating stretching the bank to make an Israel Folau-style run at Fifita, the ARU would be punting on a forward recruit whose last years of rugby were as a centre in bush footy.

Fifita’s stated love of rugby – which appears to have played a part in his Bulldogs contract being voided – was solidified after his family moved when he was 16 from Sydney to Griffith, in the Riverina district of south-west NSW.

The teenager played both rugby for his school and Griffith Blacks and league for the Panthers on Sundays, and made junior rep sides for both.

He was drafted into first grade for the Blacks by coach Ashley Gunn while still in year 12

“He was young and full of beans,” Gunn recalls.

“He played front row in league but we had him out in the centres because he was just a dynamic runner with the footy. He had a big left palm

“He often used to play reserve grade as well. He was always big and fast. He started to put on a bit of weight when he was 18 and played first grade.”

Gunn said Fifita wasn’t a blow-in – “he would always train” – but the youngster knew he had a footy career ahead of him.

“He was always going to be a footballer,” Gunn said.

“He always used to gee us up by saying if he goes to league he will go well. But I think he enjoyed playing rugby as much as he says.”

Fifita played off the bench for the Southern Inland Country “Redbacks” under coach Mark Ward in the 2008 Provincial Championships, which they won.

Fifita was named on the bench for the Brumbies Provincial Merit Squad, but they never played a game.

“The first time I saw him play, I definitely thought there was something to him when he had the ball in his hands,” Ward told us.News_Image_File: Fifita isn’t likely to make the switch despite his ongoing contract saga.

“He went to league but that probably suited him at the time. It will be interesting to see if he comes back to union.

“I think he would make it back. He’d possibly end up as a blindside breakaway, or maybe No.8. Just the way he runs the ball, he is a very confident runner of the ball.”

Fifita was on the Brumbies radar and has said he was offered a chance to play in the ACT academy in 2009, but chose to join the Wests Tigers under 20s instead because he didn’t like Canberra.

The Brumbies changed coach between Laurie Fisher and Andy Friend in mid-2008. Neither could remember Fifita when contacted this week but said he may have been approached by staff.

Ward laughs when it suggested he could have kept Fifita in Australian rugby by naming him captain and five-eighth.

“Funny you say that, he definitely has an opinion of his ability,” Ward said.

“He always wanted to play wherever the ball was. He actually was at me to play five-eighth for a while.”

Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie showed little interest in trying to sign Fifita after his $3.5 million NRL Bulldogs was torn up sensationally this week.

“I’ve had no chats, no follow up, we are just getting on with business,” McKenzie said.

“I haven’t lifted the phone. We are just getting on with business.

“I’ve had one meeting with him prior to Christmas. That’s it. He has made decisions in the meantime. They haven’t transpired. They haven’t made contact with us. And we haven’t made contact with them.

“I know the economics of the situation. We were never in the hunt financially. We are very much about functioning in our own environment.

“He’s got a background in the game. He has been involved in the Brumbies squad in age group.

“He is a former playing colleague of Kurtley Beale. He knows what’s going on. He actually told me he still plays (rugby) every year in a church-based tournament.

“He understands the game and knows what’s going on, but in the end he made other decisions.

“We haven’t been part of his future plans. He has made a decision to sign with the Bulldogs and that hasn’t transpired so that’s an issue for him to work out. I’m not spending any time on it.”