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Speaker 1: Now there are reports from across the Tasman that Roger

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Speaker 1: tui Vasashek is on the verge of signing with rugby's

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Speaker 1: new Rebel three sixty R three sixty competition. The deal

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Speaker 1: is said to be worth around a million dollars that

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Speaker 1: has double what he's currently earning at the Warriors. Joining

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Speaker 1: us now is former Kiwi's captain Richie Barnett. Richie, good morning,

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Speaker 1: Good morning Eric. I mean, if you can double your income,

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Speaker 1: it's a slam dunk, isn't it?

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Speaker 2: Mad Not too, wouldn't they? Yeah, complexity and of course

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Speaker 2: the opportunity is now for players to move even when

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Speaker 2: their contract that actually to get some I guess some

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Speaker 2: benefit now and depending what age they are, they've got

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Speaker 2: options now to consider.

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Speaker 1: How much of a threat is this to the NRL,

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Speaker 1: because there are about four players at least who have

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Speaker 1: been approached apparently.

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Speaker 2: Massive, it's huge. It's something that they've always had to

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Speaker 2: contend with. You look at Joseph Mano, you look at

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Speaker 2: Joseph Soali's playing for the Australian rugby union team at

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Speaker 2: the moment. So there's always been there, it's been there

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Speaker 2: for a long while. But the money and the consortiums

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Speaker 2: that are coming up now. It's just too big a

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Speaker 2: pull of money to say no to. And it's another

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Speaker 2: challenge that they face and always has bull and they

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Speaker 2: always will.

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Speaker 1: Why do you think the Saudis are coming after rugby

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Speaker 1: league players rather than rugby union players.

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Speaker 2: I guess it's profile. You know that the profile of

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Speaker 2: players is extraordinary. And if you look at Roger and

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Speaker 2: look at Joseph Sali and you look at they're also

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Speaker 2: targeting the Offer Solomona. He's a rugby background as well,

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Speaker 2: So they're targeting people they've got a name, but also

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Speaker 2: they've also paid Rugby, which majority of my cross code

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Speaker 2: is anyway. So the opportunity to go and play with

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Speaker 2: a branded name who's been around is going to be

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Speaker 2: It's going to be interesting and challenging for the NRL,

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Speaker 2: that's for sure.

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Speaker 1: Do you reckon that any of these players would be

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Speaker 1: put off by the fact that it's Saudi money.

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Speaker 2: I don't think so. Personally, I don't think so. I

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Speaker 2: know that's been branded around with live golf and so

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Speaker 2: on where that money is actually coming from. But I

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Speaker 2: think ultimately they make their own decision and money talks,

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Speaker 2: I guess as much as you can say and go

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Speaker 2: through all and be mindful of it all. I think

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Speaker 2: money talks and it's a big it's a big poor.

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Speaker 1: Hey I am. I'm kind of into this idea. I

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Speaker 1: don't mind them doing a rebel league.

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Speaker 2: What about you a rule league. We had it with

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Speaker 2: Super Leigo with the NRL and and it's it worked

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Speaker 2: for a little while, but andre and the same with

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Speaker 2: the golf. It's the same thing where it's pulling apart

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Speaker 2: international footy club football. So you're draining resources from New

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Speaker 2: Zealand and Australia and that means it's going to impact

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Speaker 2: what's happening in this country as well. I know financially

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Speaker 2: the news rugby union are under pressure, the game's falling

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Speaker 2: away from innovation in the eyes over the game, so

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Speaker 2: this is going to have a massive impact on what

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Speaker 2: that could look like in the next year or so.

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Speaker 1: Richie, good to talk to you. Enjoy your morning, Richie

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Speaker 1: Barnett for m keewis captain. Do you know what I

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Speaker 1: would be into this if the sound has changed rugby

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Speaker 1: rules right, so they take rugby and then just change

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Speaker 1: some of the things that are really irritating to us,

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Speaker 1: like the scrum. Just get rid of the scrum. Why

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Speaker 1: are we doing that? I know rugby players love it,

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Speaker 1: the rest of us looking at it, go It's just

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Speaker 1: a weird thing that you're doing. For more from the

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Speaker 1: Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks.

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Speaker 2: It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast

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Speaker 2: on iHeartRadio