Where to for Twiggy Rugby?

[kiap]

Twiggyball is going to take a lot work to get off the ground.

It may not even happen.

Vested interests in the status quo (certain media and entertainment entities could be part of that … I don't know) may not want it to happen.

Forrest's mob are not going to be announcing things on their own for now. And given the ARU has to approve any competition – and given where their existing bread is buttered – it's not surprising that Brett Robinson and Ben Whitaker aren't making daily press conferences to pump the story.

Silence has been the ARU's publicity "Plan A" for two years now anyway. It works well in some cases …

So, unless there is a major development to announce, we may not hear much in the way of regular reporting.

But if there is no step up from gossip and snippets to actual IPRC stories before the start of next year's Soup, then the chances of a comp happening probably start dropping away.

In the meantime we all banter away. I should try and develop my truth bomb techniques.

 

[half]

I am holding off any judgement at this stage as it still early doors.

My concern's are two, but its as I said too early to make judgement calls.

First on the surface of what I have read a 6 team Pan Pacific / Asian competition with only one Australian team will not garner massive Australian support and does little to prepare for a National Domestic Competition.

Second the level of funding TF is willing to outlay, until this is known then its near impossible to access the level the competition will be at.

 

[kiap]

First on the surface of what I have read a 6 team Pan Pacific / Asian competition with only one Australian team.

Okay, here's the first questions for you:

How many Australian teams will the ARU allow such a competition to have? One, more (or even none)?

For argument's sake let's say a consortium wanted to resurrect the Stars under coach Peter Playford to join the IPRC and cream off Sydney players with top-up pay they don't currently get within the 3rd tier. –– Green light from the ARU?

 

[half]

Okay, here's the first questions for you:

How many Australian teams will the ARU allow such a competition to have? One, more (or even none)?

For argument's sake let's say a consortium wanted to resurrect the Stars under coach Peter Playford to join the IPRC and cream off Sydney players with top-up pay they don't currently get within the 3rd tier. –– Green light from the ARU?

I have no answer to your questions because as I said its way to early. If TF however unlikely was to seek my advice, the first thing i would do is go to Bret Patworth and say look I got 10 million to build up TGM. TGM will become the Sydney base of my competition, then have a SS select team based out of TGM, I would then set about looking for other areas capable of creating a local side with a cheap to run stadium. The ARU could do nothing about this as its already existing clubs. But as I said I am holding off any judgement until the final make up of the competition is know and funding levels revealed as without such detail everything is pure speculation.

 

[wamberal]

10 million would not be enough. Apart from anything else, North Ryde RSL has some sort of lien over the property.

And it is not within Pappy’s gift to make decisions about it.


It would cost a huge amount to turn TGM into a proper facility. Everything is falling down.

 

[kiap]

I have no answer to your questions because as I said its way to early.

Yep. But really my point is that many hoped-for goals for the Twiggy competition, including perhaps the National Domestic Competition you mention, are not likely to happen instantaneously.

They're not going to "pop up" a pro rugby competition within one season to take away teams and players (in big numbers) from the existing comps straight up.

The IPRC will likely have to get something smaller working first. If that can include more than one Oz team, then great. But they will have to build over several seasons to get a substantial comp.

The ARU could do nothing about this as its already existing clubs.

Don't know about that. It would come down to the power brokers behind such a move, rather than whether they are existing clubs or not.

But, yes, with enough "rugbypolitik", it could be made to happen.

 

[kiap]

It would cost a huge amount to turn TGM into a proper facility. Everything is falling down.

Yeah. Other than being an okay ground owned by a rugby club (well, the part they own, it seems, is going to be reduced) TG Milner is not ideally located for Sydney supporters anyway.

But this is really a sidebar to discussing potential future comps and teams participating, IPRC or otherwise.

The idea, if that's the expectation, that Forrest is going to be throwing money around to any rugby club with their hand out is mistaken, in my view.

If potential Asia/Pacific teams are to join the new comp, they will have to bring a lot of their own financial backing. This would be no different for a potential Australian team.

 

[Braveheart81]

TG Milner looks pretty bad on TV for the NRC.

Quins also looked bad last weekend for the Rising vs Rams game.

Certainly you'd prefer televised games to be at a ground with a better surface.

 

[Brumby Runner]

Do you have any evidence for this? Of course not. Why would the ARU try and can a tournament that could really help them?

Well, they had no compunction about canning the Force so it's not a big step upwards to can a competitor competition in the West if they think it's in their personal best interests.

 

[Brumby Runner]

IIRC there was very little information in the public domain about the establishment of World Series Cricket until most of the influential players (not just cricketers) were signed sealed and delivered. Maybe Forrest is taking a similar approach?

 

[wamberal]

On the subject of Millner, there is an interview with Rob Frost in Rugby News.

Like Rob, I grew up near the ground, so obviously there will be a lot of sadness when the rugby club moves away. But given that the majority of Eastwood supporters live to the north west, and considering that the local suburbs are now heavily skewed towards families who have no interest in organised sport, it is inevitable.

 

[jimmydubs]

Well, they had no compunction about canning the Force so it's not a big step upwards to can a competitor competition in the West if they think it's in their personal best interests.

Exactly. The notion that the ARU makes decisions in the best interests of Australian rugby has been disproved. Whether that's laziness (taking the short term easy route in cutting force), personal interests (clarke-rebels), incompetence (super 118 & letting rebs lose so much) or just a predictable outcome of their nepotism is up for debate or probably just a combination.

 

[wamberal]

Nepotism?

 

[jimmydubs]

Nepotism?

There's probably a better word to describe what I mean but it doesn't seem far off the mark.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Fair point. I don't know, I just got swept up in the excitement of it all and was hoping we'd be a bit further down the track by now. But maybe that's me being unrealistic.

I would suggest unrealistic as ARU announced providing working group to work with them and you would surely know working out mechanics for new competition not a two week exercise! They are working together (twiggys team and ARU) so let them have a decent couple of months to work it out as only really enacted once Force cut.


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[TOCC]

Do you have any evidence for this? Of course not. Why would the ARU try and can a tournament that could really help them?

There's plenty of reasons ARU may not be completely supportive of this comp, and the main reason is that it would see a power shift and the ARU would lose some control of the game in Australian, many of the inflated egoes at the ARU would hate that

 

[Rugbynutter39]

There's plenty of reasons ARU may not be competent supportive of this comp, and the main reason is that it would see a power shift and the ARU would lose some control of the game in Australian, many of the inflated egoes at the ARU would hate that

I am hoping they are bigger than that as the ARU would know they are in a tough place and by working with outside parties ie provision of the working group they can take part of the credit for what unfolds. I also think they have enough to deal with so I am not sure they really want to control everything and believe most would be grateful for more positive collaborative approach by twiggy. Well that is what I hope as we are screwed if ego's and desire to control main motivation as opposed to what is best first and foremost for oz rugby.


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[TOCC]

. Well that is what I hope as we are screwed if ego's and desire to control main motivation as opposed to what is best first and foremost for oz rugby.

This very reason is why we are where we are

 

[Rugbynutter39]

This very reason is why we are where we are

Poor quality of management and poor decisions made over last decade would be more by reasoning for why we are here.


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[TOCC]

Poor quality of management and poor decisions made over last decade would be more by reasoning for why we are here.

You could list dozens of reasons why we are where we are... rife nepotism and individuals focussed on advancing their own organisations ahead of the greater good of the game in Australia is a significant factor, not just at a national level, but right through the ranks from state to clubs.