The Wallabies halfback Will Genia has revealed his love of the Queensland Reds has kept him at Ballymore for the next three Super Rugby seasons, despite initially agreeing to a much-bigger offer from the Western Force.
Genia performed a dramatic about-face on Monday when he signed a new three-year deal for the Reds, just three days after he'd told coach Ewen McKenzie he was leaving for the Force.
The Queensland Rugby Union announced on Saturday night they could not go close to matching the Perth-based franchises offer, reportedly between worth more than $750,000 per season.
It's understood the Reds had agreed to pay him around $500,000, a figure which they did not need to bump up after Genia made a u-turn on Sunday.
The Queensland vice-captain says he's staying because he loves the environment, the culture and the direction the club is heading.
Genia concedes the financial gain to move to Perth was quite significant but says his decision wasn't about money.
The Reds' player of the year for the past two seasons, Genia told McKenzie he'd decided to leave the defending champions following Friday night's 23-11 win over the Blues in Auckland.
But he says second thoughts immediately crept in.
