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THE Sydney Roosters have a long-term plan to sign NSW fullback Josh Dugan for 2013 and launch a raid on some of rugby union's biggest names.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that the Bondi Junction club's hitlist includes Wallabies Quade Cooper and Berrick Barnes, along with All Blacks superstar Sonny Bill Williams.
A surprisingly poor start to the season has forced the Roosters into pursuing a new direction, geared towards adding speed and creativity to complement current playmakers Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce.
Dugan comes off contract with the Raiders at the end of next year and has privately told a number of people within the NRL that he is prepared to walk away from Canberra.
The Roosters targeted Dugan as an NRL rookie in 2009, but the Green Machine were swift to upgrade his contract long-term.
The Raiders fullback remains close friends with Dally M Medallist Carney from their time in the national capital and the pair would form a potent combination.
The newly-crowned NSW Origin fullback is the Roosters' top priority, ahead of Cooper, Williams and then Waratahs five-eighth Barnes.
Sydney Roosters chief executive Steve Noyce was quick to try to distance the club from the hitlist yesterday, but The Sunday Telegraph has been assured it is part of the long-term vision at Bondi.
"It's just laughable, those silly things. It's just not true," Noyce said.
"Before I got here we were more of a high-profile recruitment club, whereas in more recent times we've taken a strategy of building from the bottom and creating strong culture moving through.
"We're a high-profile club, so I'm sure there are a number of players that want to be here - but that sort of stuff is just stupid."
Despite the denials from Noyce, when you do the numbers on the club's current roster a raid on the marketplace makes sense.
Long-serving players Braith Anasta and Anthony Minichiello will be off contract at the end of next year, while recent additions Jason Ryles and Mark Riddell will retire at the end of this season.
And Queensland forward Nate Myles will walk away from the club one year early after securing a four-year deal with the Gold Coast.
Their departures and the anticipated salary cap increase to at least $6 million once the new television rights deal is negotiated will deliver the Tricolours a war chest to revamp their roster.
Current Roosters Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Frank-Paul Nu'uausala, Martin Kennedy, Carney and Pearce are all locked up until at least the end of 2013, giving the club a stable foundation to build on.
The cross-code raid on rugby stars Cooper, Williams and Barnes will be considerably harder to orchestrate, but it is by no means beyond the realms of possibility.
Cooper re-signed a one-year extension with the Australian Rugby Union last Thursday before publicly stating his desire to play in State of Origin football for Queensland.
With the Rugby World Cup and another season of international football under his belt, the timing of the mooted NRL salary cap is set up perfectly for Cooper.
Parramatta made a $1 million play for him last September before the Wallaby five-eighth opted to remain in union, with this year's World Cup a priority.
Sydney Roosters recruitment manager Peter O'Sullivan was guarded when contacted about the club's long-term plan, but he did say about Cooper: "Who wouldn't be interested in him?"
Both Cooper and Williams are managed by the same agent, Khoder Nasser, the man who also handles Anthony Mundine's affairs.
Nasser is not an NRL-accredited agent, but this is by no means a major stumbling block.
If the Roosters were to lure Williams back to the NRL, the dual international could become rugby league's first $1 million-a-season player.
Any Roosters play for Barnes would merely be a fallback option if the club was unable to persuade Cooper to come on board.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226060207715
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that the Bondi Junction club's hitlist includes Wallabies Quade Cooper and Berrick Barnes, along with All Blacks superstar Sonny Bill Williams.
A surprisingly poor start to the season has forced the Roosters into pursuing a new direction, geared towards adding speed and creativity to complement current playmakers Todd Carney and Mitchell Pearce.
Dugan comes off contract with the Raiders at the end of next year and has privately told a number of people within the NRL that he is prepared to walk away from Canberra.
The Roosters targeted Dugan as an NRL rookie in 2009, but the Green Machine were swift to upgrade his contract long-term.
The Raiders fullback remains close friends with Dally M Medallist Carney from their time in the national capital and the pair would form a potent combination.
The newly-crowned NSW Origin fullback is the Roosters' top priority, ahead of Cooper, Williams and then Waratahs five-eighth Barnes.
Sydney Roosters chief executive Steve Noyce was quick to try to distance the club from the hitlist yesterday, but The Sunday Telegraph has been assured it is part of the long-term vision at Bondi.
"It's just laughable, those silly things. It's just not true," Noyce said.
"Before I got here we were more of a high-profile recruitment club, whereas in more recent times we've taken a strategy of building from the bottom and creating strong culture moving through.
"We're a high-profile club, so I'm sure there are a number of players that want to be here - but that sort of stuff is just stupid."
Despite the denials from Noyce, when you do the numbers on the club's current roster a raid on the marketplace makes sense.
Long-serving players Braith Anasta and Anthony Minichiello will be off contract at the end of next year, while recent additions Jason Ryles and Mark Riddell will retire at the end of this season.
And Queensland forward Nate Myles will walk away from the club one year early after securing a four-year deal with the Gold Coast.
Their departures and the anticipated salary cap increase to at least $6 million once the new television rights deal is negotiated will deliver the Tricolours a war chest to revamp their roster.
Current Roosters Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Frank-Paul Nu'uausala, Martin Kennedy, Carney and Pearce are all locked up until at least the end of 2013, giving the club a stable foundation to build on.
The cross-code raid on rugby stars Cooper, Williams and Barnes will be considerably harder to orchestrate, but it is by no means beyond the realms of possibility.
Cooper re-signed a one-year extension with the Australian Rugby Union last Thursday before publicly stating his desire to play in State of Origin football for Queensland.
With the Rugby World Cup and another season of international football under his belt, the timing of the mooted NRL salary cap is set up perfectly for Cooper.
Parramatta made a $1 million play for him last September before the Wallaby five-eighth opted to remain in union, with this year's World Cup a priority.
Sydney Roosters recruitment manager Peter O'Sullivan was guarded when contacted about the club's long-term plan, but he did say about Cooper: "Who wouldn't be interested in him?"
Both Cooper and Williams are managed by the same agent, Khoder Nasser, the man who also handles Anthony Mundine's affairs.
Nasser is not an NRL-accredited agent, but this is by no means a major stumbling block.
If the Roosters were to lure Williams back to the NRL, the dual international could become rugby league's first $1 million-a-season player.
Any Roosters play for Barnes would merely be a fallback option if the club was unable to persuade Cooper to come on board.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226060207715
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