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Australian Rugby / RA

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I'm waiting for the judgement in his defamation case to come back which is due next month.

Hopefully he gets done for millions. He deserves it.
 

Derpus

George Gregan (70)
Should, for example, Rugby Australia give its blessing to James Slipper to join the Brumbies or would it be concerned that he and Scott Sio, Australia’s two best and most experienced Test looseheads, would both be playing for the one franchise?
This seems like an advantage to me. They can share the workload for state and country, rather than both being flogged by their states and being exhausted come Test season.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
This seems like an advantage to me. They can share the workload for state and country, rather than both being flogged by their states and being exhausted come Test season.


Absolutely. We would be in a better position come test season if more of our players, particularly tight 5 players could average 50 minutes a game or less rather than playing 65 minutes a game during Super Rugby.
 

Lindommer

Steve Williams (59)
Staff member
How sad. How very, very sad. How dare ANYONE disagree with the wisdom of The Parrot's squawkings. :rolleyes:
 

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
So here we are. Things look very grim. This is the time that a good CEO really earns her or his salary. No doubt Castle was the best available candidate for the job. Without being snide about it, she was the best we could afford.


Without casting unnecessary aspersions, she does not have much of a track record in our sport, which means that she has not built up a network of trusted contacts in the game. It also probably means that she does not know all that much about what works and what doesn't.


So what the fark does she do, and how does she do it? Direct the coach to make changes in his approach? Order him to put the cleaners through his support staff? Or pack his bags?

Or just hope for the best? Whatever she does she is going to be under huge pressure, and she has very little experience in the game, or contacts, to give her a basis for action, or inaction.
 

ForceFan

Chilla Wilson (44)
Rugby's Rapid De-Clyne
Code is going backwards yet its leaders are missing in action
Brendan Cannon - Daily Telegraph - 30 September 2018

I am Wallaby 769.
It was the greatest honour to wear my country’s colours in the international rugby arena.
I write this column as a concerned former player, rugby supporter and rugby parent.
I cannot sit back and be silent anymore, unlike those who run the game.

Rugby Australia seems to think it’s acceptable to remain invisible while the drowning noise of disenchantment and frustration among our rugby family grows by the day.

I am staggered by the anonymity of chairman Cameron Clyne.
The code is facing its greatest crisis and he is nowhere to be seen or heard.
Clyne was front and centre last year.
Where are you now Cameron?
Your voice, your influence and your presence matters, to help lift rugby up as it falters.
Your platform and capacity to promote the game in a multitude of ways is without limitation.

You made the highly contentious and emotionally-charged decision to axe the Western Force last year.
You fronted up then, beside Bill Pulver, to stand as one on the decision.
Why then in the year that has followed and the game is being challenged on multiple levels do you disappear?

I am constantly approached on the street by people asking me, ‘What is going on with rugby?’ I have no answers for them.
I don’t know what Rugby Australia plans to do about rapidly diminishing crowd figures, television audiences, and growing lack of interest in the game. Because they haven’t told us.
I don’t know what their vision is for the future of Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship, and how the next broadcast agreement will work for Australia’s interests. Because they haven’t told us.
I don’t know why the Wallabies structure hasn’t undergone a significant review when the team is at an all-time low seventh in the world rankings. Because they won’t tell us.

Other codes share a united front.
The AFL and the ARL chairmen promote their games and proactively engage in its direction and provide public influence.
AFL commission chairman Richard Goyder and chief executive Gillion McLachan jointly work towards the game’s consitition that proclaims they are a “keeper of the code”.
NRL chief Todd Greenberg and ARL commission chairman Peter Beattie have joint responsibilities for fostering, developing and funding the game from the junior to the elite levels.

Clyne and RA chief Raelene Castle are missing in action.

On April 12, 2016, the Australian Rugby Union announced the Australian Rugby Strategic Plan for 2016-2020, with a vision “to inspire all Australians to enjoy our great global game”.
The four pillars are:

1. Make rugby a game for all – our community

2. Ignite Australia’s passion for the game – our fans

3. Build sustainable success in the professional game – our elite teams

4. Create excellence in how the game is run – our administration.

We’re two years in.
I’ve read those four mission statements over and over again, and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.


No parrot here - just a Wallaby feeling the pain from the state of the great game in Oz.
 

I like to watch

David Codey (61)
So here we are. Things look very grim. This is the time that a good CEO really earns her or his salary. No doubt Castle was the best available candidate for the job. Without being snide about it, she was the best we could afford.


Without casting unnecessary aspersions, she does not have much of a track record in our sport, which means that she has not built up a network of trusted contacts in the game. It also probably means that she does not know all that much about what works and what doesn't.


So what the fark does she do, and how does she do it? Direct the coach to make changes in his approach? Order him to put the cleaners through his support staff? Or pack his bags?

Or just hope for the best? Whatever she does she is going to be under huge pressure, and she has very little experience in the game, or contacts, to give her a basis for action, or inaction.
I just hope she doesn't still have Desi's phone number......
 

p.Tah

John Thornett (49)
I’m guessing Alan added this bit to the letter:

In simple terms their introduction has killed true democracy, reduced merit-based appointments and introduced the insidious practice of identity politics.

The latter relates to backgrounds such as age, religion, social class or caste, culture, dialect, disability, education, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, gender identity, generation, occupation, profession, race, political party affiliation, sexual orientation, settlement, urban and rural habitation, and veteran status.

You don’t need an independent board to cater for all as a geographical representative is perfectly capable of looking after the broad church.
 

Rebels3

Jim Lenehan (48)

After reading this im more worried for the game than i was under the incompetence of RA

Do we keep going with the mob that couldn't organise a shag in a brothel???? no thanks

or

do we go with this mob, thats made up of shameless plug merchants and self invested parties?? No thanks

If these are the options Id rather support Twiggy, and even then i feel there is better options at least his team has some fresh idea's beyond a 20km radius and doesn't want to send the game back to the 1980s.
 

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
Whilst I admire the drive for change, the above linked article smacks of Will Carling's famous "57 old farts running rugby" line.

I have a tremendous regard for Bob as one of the great rugby coaching brains, but there are several others in that "steering committee" who come to the party with too much political agenda for my liking. We need fresh faces and fresh ideas. I'm increasingly concerned that the code is headed for the scrap heap in this country and I do think that it needs to be bottom-up and driven by the grass roots, but I don't know that these guys talking their own books is where the impetus needs to come from.
 

Strewthcobber

Mark Ella (57)
Not sure which bit is my favourite
The bit where they completely ignore Victorian rugby
The bit where they've sent the letter to the premier clubs and will get round to the other 99percent of clubs in some unknown form at some unknown time
The bit where they expect those clubs to pay subscriptions so Papps can serve as the executive (paid?)
The bit where one member of the steering committee is three weeks off dropping the n-word live without consequence and talking of accountability

So much to like here
 

dru

Tim Horan (67)
Is someone able to put up a link to the actual letter? Couldn’t find it in the article and my search skills are failing.
 
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