Force plugging holes in leaking ship
Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:13
Troubled Super 14 franchise Western Force are reportedly facing an uphill struggle to keep hold of their big-name players for next season and beyond.
The franchise has recently been under the media spotlight with rumours of a rift between coach John Mitchell and some senior players doing the rounds.
Those rumours were denied by Western Force officials, but the outfit now face another threat to the stability within their ranks, with several of their leading players nearing the end of their existing contracts.
And indications are that many of those players - including Wallaby star flyhalf Matt Giteau, and colleagues Drew Mitchell, David Pocock and James O'Connor - could conceivably leave the Perth franchise for greener pastures.
According to the Australian newspaper, one of Giteau's main sponsors at the Force, bankrupt fuel technology company Firepower, has not honoured their payments to Giteau, which has led the player's management team to look for other third-party sponsors within the Perth region.
However, it is conceivable that the player could move back to the Brumbies if he does not receive a satisfactory offer.
Giteau played for the Brumbies from 2003 until 2006, notching up 40 caps for the Canberra side before moving on to the Force.
Force Chief Executive Greg Harris confirmed that the Western Force board had a tough time retaining their players in the current financial climate, and said that recruiting top players was very difficult while the strong pound and euro enabled European teams to offer players plenty of money.
"We have a significant number of players coming off contract," Harris said.
"That's an important factor. We also have a coach who is a well-proven coach.
"There are a number of issues. The biggest is the dollar value. I don't think John Mitchell is a factor, I really don't."
Harris denied that coach Mitchell, who has signed a three-year extension on his own contract, was one of the factors that was causing players to hesitate about continuing their careers at the Force.
"If there was an issue, it would be up to me to take it up [with the Rugby WA board]," Harris said.
"I've had no official report or dossier on anything. End of section," he told the Australian.
Mitchell's manager, John Fordham, has already expressed his displeasure at the way Mitchell has been portrayed following a recent players' meeting, and denied that a 'gripe sheet' had been compiled by the Force players outlining their complaints about the coach.
Fordham discussed the report with John Welborn, the Force's player representative on the Rugby Western Australia board.
"John Welborn took the time to call me to say the report of a recent player meeting was distorted and very disappointing," Fordham said in a statement.
"He categorically denied that a dossier existed. Because of this, there is obviously no substance to the newspaper article's claim that a so-called dossier will be tabled at the next Rugby WA board meeting.
"John's assurances are in line with the advice John Mitchell received from two of the Force's senior players, vice-captain Matt Giteau and captain Nathan Sharpe."
