Contract Situation

[bangorboy]

2 year deal for Angus Curtis. Good Lord.

Sexton, Curtis, moxham et al must be on peanuts to be getting these deals.

Knowing Ulster they are probably on 100k a year plus a Beamer…

[StandUp]

Next few years will be grim.

[UlsterNo9]

2023 / Unknown List

THP - Gareth Milasinovich, Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen
Lock - Sam Carter, Iain Henderson
Backrow - Duane Vermeulen, Sean Reffell
SH - Michael McDonald, John Cooney
10 - Ian Madigan
Back 3 Player - Rob Lyttle, Jacob Stockdale, Craig Gilroy, Will Addison

So remaining issues probably Henderson (would it be announced by IRFU?), the THP situation, Cooney and Stockdale.

Hendy, Cooney and Stockdale aside. Can't see anyone else being retained.

McDonald will surely be retained.

He mustn’t be great but we’ve no-one else.

Shanahan has a deal for 2024.

McDonald must be terrible. At least Shanahan is entrusted to run on with the kicking tee and water bottles.

[Lurgan Lad]

I wonder what the going rate is for the likes or Curtis, Moxham and Sexton?

Are Ulster paying top dollar for squad filler and fringe players?

Read my earlier post … according to reports £100,000 for those top players not in IQ contracts of which we only have two sooner to be one probably non if the other goes overseas as muted .. they get much more.
£60-£70,000 for team player
£30,000 for fillers
Up to £10,000 for Academy player
Top earner £600,000 for Vermulean albeit a large part of his wage is apparently for a third party .. how does that work.

So an academy player earns up to £10k, I'm guessing from the age of 18? For that amount needless to say they need a proper job, so aren't working full time on their potential rugby career. For forwards it is said that it usually takes a few years until they are physically ready for first team rugby. My question is why do we not pay academy people a proper salary from 18 so they can train full time and be prepared for playing at a younger age?

[Lurgan Lad]

The fans from the rest of the country will eventually lose interest in paying megabucks to watch Leinster in green.

As long as Ireland keep winning I don't see supporters losing interest, everyone likes to follow a successful team. Not sure it is helpful for provincial support though.

[HammerTime]

No wonder they are all fecking off to Scotland. Offering even an 18yo 10k a year is an embarrassment. So bad I’d say it isn’t true, even for UR standards of uselessness.

[Lurgan Lad]

None of the contract renewals thus far are going to get anywhere close to the Ireland squad. We should be afforded more NIQs along with Munster and Connacht. International pathway in no danger of being blocked outside of Leinster.

Correct.

And the market conditions couldn’t be more helpful.

I share the frustrations of you both, but my slant is different. Any spare funds should be spent on developing the youth player pathway in Ulster, not spent on foreign journeymen.

The provinces are feeder clubs for the international team, nothing more, nothing less.

The IRFU saying you can have more NIQs will never happen as it just says to the provinces you don't need to produce Irish talent.

I'm convinced offering schools £10k a year to employ a quality PE teacher that specialises in rugby would be well worth the investment. Much better value to do this to 5 or 6 schools rather than 2 sub standard squad players, sure it would pay for itself through improved academy players that form part of the squad.

[HammerTime]

Along with a centralised director of rugby (x2 or 3) for schools who would go round and coordinate an ‘as professional’ as possible program for each school according to what resources they have. And Coordinate it through each year grade. Teach the teachers into being high level coach’s across the board rather than teachers who can do a bit of coaching. All geared towards getting as many youngsters of the required standard into the ulster system.

[Columbo]

Understand it is Lyttles decision to leave Ulster. Offered hugely reduced terms, returning to family farm.

Yes.. and he isn’t alone on the reduced offer front, apparently pro rugby in general is pretty brutal at the moment, big re-pricing going on across the board - obviously the English clubs are tightening up to survive, Welsh with big budget cuts, but Irish sides aren’t immune, and if you ain’t a big name international you’re going to be under pressure…

[Cockatrice]

I have said for years that D4 has little or no interest in Ulster Rugby… heard enough comments that they take pleasure from our misfortunes.

They have a set up in Dublin that has a production line of players and it’s all about Ireland with the benefit of Leinster/Ireland being excellent bed fellows and all but the same thing. Nothing will change for us battling against the paymaster with our little boys club that don’t answer to anyone for anything.. Bryan is accountable to no one or nothing and frankly I don’t know what if any system we have in place except accepting Leinster cast offs and third rate Munster SH and OHs all filling their pockets and delivery little added value.. but hey apparently Mr Jones mentors the yo7ng ones.

Amazed if Henderson doesn’t take up a job overseas after the RWC I’ve even heard he has been touted for one place.

[Dave]

As long as we get a day out and a few plucky defeats.

[big mervyn]

No wonder they are all fecking off to Scotland. Offering even an 18yo 10k a year is an embarrassment. So bad I’d say it isn’t true, even for UR standards of uselessness.

It's basically minimum wage for an 18 yo apprentice

[thecrouch]

I wonder what the going rate is for the likes or Curtis, Moxham and Sexton?

Are Ulster paying top dollar for squad filler and fringe players?

Read my earlier post … according to reports £100,000 for those top players not in IQ contracts of which we only have two sooner to be one probably non if the other goes overseas as muted .. they get much more.
£60-£70,000 for team player
£30,000 for fillers
Up to £10,000 for Academy player
Top earner £600,000 for Vermulean albeit a large part of his wage is apparently for a third party .. how does that work.

So an academy player earns up to £10k, I'm guessing from the age of 18? For that amount needless to say they need a proper job, so aren't working full time on their potential rugby career. For forwards it is said that it usually takes a few years until they are physically ready for first team rugby. My question is why do we not pay academy people a proper salary from 18 so they can train full time and be prepared for playing at a younger age?

Remember that most academy players are students. They get a low salary from rugby, but they also get a lot of expenses paid. They get helped out with their food and their housing. They'll still have a far better lifestyle than any of their mates working weekends stacking shelves.

The way the system works is the IRFU pay every single player, even the non internationals. All players are put into buckets, test players, fringe test players, senior provincial players, squad players and then development etc. Each bucket has a salary band that the IRFU are willing to pay.

The IRFU might decide that they will pay senior provincial players a max of €120k a year. If someone like Luke Marshall is on €150k a year, then the IRFU will send Ulster a bill for €30k at the end of the season which Ulster need to pay from their own pocket.

Ulster don't have total control over the salary structure. The Leinster / Munster / Connacht academy will pay similar salaries for their players.

[Neill_M]

Cooney and Stockdale to 2025.

2023 / Unknown List

THP - Gareth Milasinovich, Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen
Lock - Sam Carter, Iain Henderson
Backrow - Duane Vermeulen, Sean Reffell
SH - Michael McDonald
10 - Ian Madigan
Back 3 Player - Rob Lyttle, Craig Gilroy, Will Addison

[Dave]

Everyone else away, imo.