The re-signing of Israel Folau during the week was not only a massive coup for Australian rugby but also a massive statement.
It said that one of Australia's most high-profile athletes wanted to continue in rugby and ply his trade in the game he is thoroughly enjoying.
It was crucial to get Folau's signature and retain his services by whatever means possible. You could say the player held the aces in the negotiations by allowing himself the ability to migrate back and forth on the flexible contract.
It was certainly prudent business acumen from the Australian Rugby Union to allow Folau a degree of latitude, especially considering what has happened with the mass exodus of personnel to Europe this season.
Now it all sounds rosy at the moment and I'm sure the crew at St Leonards are rubbing their hands together with joy, but these new contracts don't come without uncertainty.
Folau, Bernard Foley and Ben McCalman are among the first to sign these flexible contracts. Their first dilemma, if you could call it that, is to find a good foreign exchange trader to get the sweetest deal on their yen.
Next come the serious questions that have to be put to the franchises and also the players.
From a club point of view, how are they going to manage the player? How are they going manage the workload? Will they be able ensure that the player will be at the top of their game for the next three years?
The Waratahs and Wallabies will want them in top form and not overworked, not to be exhausted, or even stale. So too the Japanese clubs who have all forked out big coin; they also want to get a result from Izzy. They want their new signing to explode in their competition and not fizzle out.
There is no doubt Folau will brain it in Japan, that is a given.
He does it here week-in week-out in perhaps the toughest domestic competition in the world so, with his skills, the Japanese stint should be a walk in the park.
But I need to ask something of the players that could be cutting a little close to the bone.
That question being, have they made a selfish decision by opting for this style of contract? Are they trying to bite off more than they can chew?
Is it in the best interest of their talents to double-up on seasons?
I say this purely because if they opted to go to France or the UK, they would have forfeited their right to represent the Wallabies as neither player fit the new selection criteria.
In effect they are substituting that loss of income by chasing the dollars closer to our shores.
They also could have just signed a regular contract that takes them year to year.
Let me take you back to the first collective bargaining agreement between the players' association and the union at the advent of professionalism.
It was agreed that the maximum amount of games played per year for an individual should not exceed 28 matches, taking into account trials, Super Rugby games, Test matches and club games.
That was back in 1996.
That may not sound like much but games do take a toll on your body. But ask any athlete who had longevity in their sport, and they will cite the issue as not so much the games but the training associated with getting there.
Surely now with a Super season, trials and the jammed Test calendar, that number is starting to climb.
The other unknown is potential injuries. We hope this never eventuates but it's a reality.
James O'Connor has had a poor season at the Reds, and as Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said this week, it is purely because he has struggled to get himself fit.
Surely this is a knock-on effect from going straight from his stint in France into Super Rugby with no real break for his body to recuperate.
If I do take a positive out of the situation it is that at least the flexible contracts will allow the governing body to market the best player or players in the game.
Rugby needs to really generate momentum and get the PR machine into overdrive.
Create heroes again in the game so that young fans urge their folks to take them to the game. That's the issue at the moment. Folau is the biggest drawcard, so the way to bolster the game's credibility is by creating those heroes.
For those few players who take on the flexible contracts: good luck. I hope it works, as at least it keeps the top talent in Australia and that is surely needed.
