RUGBY - Exodus feared as star exits

Otago have struck the first blow in a heated player transfer market by poaching Daniel Bowden from Northland, but the damage may not stop there for the representative rugby team with severe budget cuts on the horizon.
Bowden signed with Otago yesterday on a one-year contract, the carrot of guaranteed Super 14 selection at the Highlanders coupled with the attraction of playing alongside established Super 14 professionals in provincial games proving too tempting.
But his departure may be the first from a clique of players who formed the core of the Northland effort this season, with mediocre ticket sales and burgeoning costs impacting heavily on the Northland Rugby Union (NRU) balance sheet.
The NRU is planning massive spending cuts to try to arrest a budget blow-out with a six-figure deficit on the horizon this financial year. So the player wage bill is about to get slashed.
Jake Paringatai, the No.8, has serious money offers from clubs in Japan; Tony Koonwaiyou has yet to re-sign, while hooker Tim Dow and lock Brad Taylor are already in Europe without renewed contracts.
It is Bowden's decision to jump ship that is symptomatic though - Northland chief executive Rob Malone says a "generous" counter offer was simply not enough to repel the Otago scouts.
"The player's market is out of control at the moment," Malone said.
"We offered him (Bowden) a pretty competitive deal, but obviously he has got some visibility as far as Super 14 and the Highlanders is concerned," he said.
"The (Northland) coaching staff were comfortable with what we offered him which would have put him up with our better players, but it was not good enough."
As it stands, only nine players from the squad that played this year's Air NZ Cup are still contracted, among them veterans David Holwell and Justin Collins. So far Northland have not been able to sign any new players.
Bowden said the decision to move south was "incredibly difficult" but offered a new challenge in a new environment. It wasn't the only offer tossed in front of the talented goal-kicking back either.
His goal-kicking form and improved defensive abilities saw him courted by several rival provinces, including Canterbury.
"It took me the best part of a month to make the decision. I consulted a lot of people, even some of the boys in the Northland team," Bowden said.
"In the end I made the decision that was best for my rugby.
"I came here (to Northland) straight out of school. It is three years on and I think I am a much better player for it."
Malone said financial plans for next year included "carving about $100,000 off the player wage bill".
"There is a lot of fat in that area," Malone said.
That may see more players move elsewhere and force the union to rely heavily on their Blues franchise partners to bolster the team next season.