Central Contracts......Again

[Leinster Lout]

So POM is on a central contract but SOB isn't?

[sid]

POM JUST signed a Central contract. Will edit op.

Can I get a central contract?

[Jackie Brown]

POM JUST signed a Central contract. Will edit op.

Can I get a central contract?

No you're not from Munster

[fourthirtythree]

The story at the time was that sean didn't want one and that it was less attractive to some of the younger players. Image rights etc.

[desperado]

The story at the time was that sean didn't want one and that it was less attractive to some of the younger players. Image rights etc.

expand please.....

[gfo]

The story at the time was that sean didn't want one and that it was less attractive to some of the younger players. Image rights etc.

expand please.....

Centrally contracted players have all their image rights and advertising opportunities controlled by the IRFU.
SOB couldn't go out on his own and get sponsorship, only what the IRFU allows him to have, while they can force him to appear in any promotional shite they want.

[HenryFitz]

Centrally contracted players have all their image rights and advertising opportunities controlled by the IRFU.
SOB couldn't go out on his own and get sponsorship, only what the IRFU allows him to have, while they can force him to appear in any promotional shite they want.

They might have made him do that Eden Park photo-shoot. He'd never be able to show his face at the mart again if he had.

[desperado]

. M

The story at the time was that sean didn't want one and that it was less attractive to some of the younger players. Image rights etc.

expand please.....

Centrally contracted players have all their image rights and advertising opportunities controlled by the IRFU.
SOB couldn't go out on his own and get sponsorship, only what the IRFU allows him to have, while they can force him to appear in any promotional shite they want.

Not so sure about that. For instance Radge has H+A Marketing managing all his product endorsements and sponsorships. Not so sure the IRFU are too bothered what he promotes/makes money from. Anyone wanna buy some cutlery . Seriously though are Leinster paying any players more than they would get on a central contract

[johng]

Just updated the OP. Presuming Ciano is a central

[blockhead]

So does this mean that SOB basically said to the IRFU, " I'll have the Leinster branch pay my wages, not the IRFU"? Must make him very popular with the province. Whats that? About E350k onto Leinsters costs that could have easily being paid by someone else. Odd.

[Xanthippe]

Just updated the OP. Presuming Ciano is a central

Presume so - here's what it looks like

[Munsterboy]

The story at the time was that sean didn't want one and that it was less attractive to some of the younger players. Image rights etc.

expand please.....

Centrally contracted players have all their image rights and advertising opportunities controlled by the IRFU.
SOB couldn't go out on his own and get sponsorship, only what the IRFU allows him to have, while they can force him to appear in any promotional shite they want.

I know Healy's manager and he definitely gets and manages all Church's promotional work for him (those Berocca Youtube videos for example). The IRFU have nothing to do with it.

Last I heard of the IRFU controlling image rights etc. was when Woody fell out with them over it about a thousand years ago.

[ronk]

I can only find 17 18 now (in fact I can't find Rory Best's, but I'm pretty sure he's on one) 7 of them ending in May.

Potentially all 7 may not renew/get renewed.


Healy & Kearney, up in the air.

Ferris & Trimble, would you renew them? 1 is unlikely to get many caps and the other is permanently injured.

Sexton, Don't mention the war.

Bod, may call it a day, may only play provincial (unlikely, more likely all or nothing)

Rob Kearney........2013
Stephen Ferris........2013
Paddy Wallace........2013
ROG........2013
Sexton........2013
bod........2013
Andrew Trimble........2013

Donncha Ryan........2014
DOC........2014
POC........2014
Jamie Heaslip........2014
Gordon D'Arcy........2014
Keith Earls........2014
Tom Court........2014

Mike Ross........2015
Tommy Bowe........2015
Peter O'Mahony........2015

Cian Healy........2016

Rory Best........Dunno

Question.... Anyone add to that number.

There are 5 players on that list who either weren't first choice at the time of signing those contracts or weren't projected to be for long. Court I can totally understand because of the way he was backup tight head, Wallace too in terms of being a 3rd choice out half who was supposed to always be available, but not be used. Strategic thinking, at least.

The other players are ROG, DOC and POM. No system is perfect in terms of making predictions, but this is going against all reason. It's all the more frustrating when the IRFU decide not to hold onto a franchise player.

First and foremost central contracts were to keep the big names here when the provinces couldn't do it on their own.

Next call on a central contract is interesting, there'll be a few losing them: Trimble, ROG, Wallace, Court, Sexton, DOC and depending on injuries/retirements: Ferris, POC and BOD. Leaving a much smaller pool. Zebo just signed a 3 year contract with Munster so it would be madness to give him one soon. Strauss is possible but not fully necessary given competition. There's Murray, but I can't think of other candidates in the short term, save doing whatever we have to to keep Henderson.

[suisse]

Next call on a central contract is interesting, there'll be a few losing them: Trimble, ROG, Wallace, Court, Sexton, DOC and depending on injuries/retirements: Ferris, POC and BOD. Leaving a much smaller pool. Zebo just signed a 3 year contract with Munster so it would be madness to give him one soon. Strauss is possible but not fully necessary given competition. There's Murray, but I can't think of other candidates in the short term, save doing whatever we have to to keep Henderson.

POM's was absolutely crazy. If everyone was fIT, he mightn't even make a 23 man squad. I think he's a good player, and he might be a Munster captain very soon, but that doesn't mean he should have a CC. I don't believe in conspiracy theories, but when you see this, you wonder if the rumours of helping to ease the pain about paying back TP are true.

Murray will get a CC. I presume Sean O'B will too. Rob Kearney.

It looks like the IRFU will be saving money on these. Of those due to expire this summer, I can see only RK and maybe Ferris getting one.

[fourthirtythree]

As long-term first choice Murray has to get one. Not that we would be in danger of losing him particularly but just so the IRFU have control of him and he gets looked after. In that sense I'd like to see them given more to young players to avoid the burn out we seem to be getting in the game at the moment. Rather than being a loyalty bonus for long standing players like BOD, DOC, ROG (I know, very different scenarios but you know what I mean) it should be an investment in the future and in the protection of our talent rather than an extension of the Munster plan to keep the over 30s playing as long as possible. Worked at the time but the game is more aerobically demanding right now.

I'm not saying drop everything, but shift the focus. Hang on to players at the very peaks of their career (Sexton, Kearney) manage the younger players to avoid injury (O'Brien, Healy) - I am focusing on forwards as being players that can get career threatening degenerative injuries quite young if pushed too far.

The boat's sailed on Ferris in that regard and he should not get a central contract. I'd sooner Henderson did if it were a choice between the two.

[Jackie Brown]

No central contracts to the over 30s. It stifles our international development.

[blockhead]

No central contracts to the over 30s. It stifles our international development.

You're so ageist smellie wellies...... er I mean Jackie.

[Jackie Brown]

No central contracts to the over 30s. It stifles our international development.

You're so ageist smellie wellies...... er I mean Jackie.

Ahhh back in the day... Don't get me confused with Squeaky Bum!

[locho]

We need to take a serious look at central contracts and their purpose following the J10 debacle.

We can't go down the road of having 25-28 players on central contracts as we did in the mid noughties for obvious reasons the cash aint there now. But also this isn't the best use of playing resources. That many players sends out a bad message to anyone outside the group as you assume that most within that circle will be picked for Ireland Squads and so it proved during the EOS era, while neglecting those outside of the clique ad nauseum.

We also cannot afford to be handing them out like sweets to aging pros just because they won us a slam two years previously. (see messrs ROG, BOD, DOC, Leamy, D'Arcy etc.) By doing so it only enhances the stigma for younger players that they'll have to wait for retirement/injury before they'll get a look in.

The best approach (IMO) should be to target a core group of say 10-15 and put all national resources into them and let the provinces pick up the slack on the rest. This core group should be between 24-32 years of age for forwards and 22-30 for backs. This covers an 8 year span and is more than enough to keep control of our top talent. it's improbably that players outside of this bracket either younger or older would leave the system, (younger knowing they'd be on the verge of it and older due to Tax reasons which are well stated). Anyway players above 30/32, while having much to offer in the short term (by this i mean 1-2 years), are clearly not the guardians of Irelands future success.

Players should be offered 2 year deals, with two distinct signing periods, post WC and mid cycle. This would give focus to the WC cycle also.

Not perfect and probably needs further thought/refining but hey at least it's a starting point.

[johng]

The problem of securing provincial contracts has been exacerbated by the IRFU recently reducing the number of centrally contracted players from 30 to 19.

OK I think I have a handle on this now

Donncha Ryan........2014
DOC........2014
POC........2014
Jamie Heaslip........2014
Gordon D'Arcy........2014
Keith Earls........2014
Tom Court........2014

Mike Ross........2015
Tommy Bowe........2015
Peter O'Mahony........2015
Rob Kearney........2015

Cian Healy........2016

Rory Best........2013 or 2014 not sure

That's 13. The other 6 are all up in May

Stephen Ferris........2013 Who knows?
Paddy Wallace........2013 Gone.
ROG........2013 Gone
Sexton........2013 Gone
bod........2013 Who knows? 1 more year or possibly not.
Andrew Trimble........2013 Gone

So between 4 and 6 Central Contracts up for grabs for next season.

Conor Murray??
Luke Fitzgerald??
Craig Gilroy??
Richardt Strauss??