Ex-All Black halfback Albie Mathewson signs for Western Force

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10830033

Former All Black Albie Mathewson is to leave the Auckland Blues and turn out in Perth in the 2013 Super XV competition, Mathewson struggled for gametime at the disfunctional Blues this season following the arrival of his former Hurricanes team-mate Piri Weepu. And at best he is 6th-8th in the NZ half-back pecking order (the top 5 are Smith, Weepu, Perenara, Kerr-Barlow, and Ellis, with Leonard and Cowan still in the mix).

That said, he's a useful signing for the Force, who briefly had Will Genia on their books for next season before he opted to stay in Brisbane.

Bit of a strange decision on his part me thinks.
He's not going to be considered for international selection now, well he wasn't really in the pecking order anyway tbh. He's not going to win any silverware with the Force and he probably could have got a better financial deal overseas.

Perhaps he wants to stay in Australasia for the lifestyle.

But Gowales. Melbourne is overseas.
He's never going to get another run in the ABs and will struggle with Super game time.
Melbourne is a very nice city and he can probably return to Auck and play ITM Cup stuff.

I would rate Mathewson as the laziest player in the Blues franchise for the last two years.

Welcome to the world of JK.

nganboy wrote:But Gowales. Melbourne is overseas.
He's never going to get another run in the ABs and will struggle with Super game time.
Melbourne is a very nice city and he can probably return to Auck and play ITM Cup stuff.

And Perth is overseas too

It's almost as if NZ and Australia are two different countries...

Anyway I don't really rate Mathewson and to be honest any player going to the The Force or Waratahs next season is probably signing their international death sentence unless Deans is their coach (in which case they're first choice).

Maybe Mathewson is thinking that by having a one year run out for the Force he will put himself in the shop window for a return to NZ or a bumper contract in France. At the minute he won't be demanding much cash up north and no NZ team are interested so it's obviously a gamble worth taking.