Waratahs 2021

[TSR]

The players? Or the Board?

Haha - well, the players would be smart enough not to say it, and being competitive guys most of them probably genuinely think they can get there.

The board - well they probably just think it’s all the players fault.

 

[Quick Hands]

I think rugby is looking a lot healthier and on the so climb back up but biggest problem stopping the climb back up is the biggest rugby state has a pro team the fans no longer seem to want to engage with.

There really needs to be a strategic review to look at how can recover the situation. I am not sure it is just results on the field.but no doubt part of what would help get somewhere

There's a massive divide between the NSWRU and the Sydney clubs. Regardless of who anyone thinks is at fault, unless this is resolved many fans affiliated with Sydney clubs will remain disengaged with any team associated with NSWRU.

Many people around here might not like it, and certainly Roger the dodger and his board would hate the thought, but sometimes reality is unpleasant.

 

[Quick Hands]

The Tahs have so many problems across the board that it is both sad and scary.

How the hell are we so broke? Ok stadium but then don't pick stadiums we don't draw at. Play there once if shit crowd, move on and don't keep playing there. Duh.

Blaming Covid is laughable. Every bloody team went through it and they still signed and re-signed players. The Tahs barely did.

Having a K mart team was always going to be stupid but you don't have to have wallabies to win but you do need the right kind of experienced heads spread across the team that have been there and done that to help take the pressure off the kids coming through. The problem is Penney bought poorly. Wykes? really???

Penney stated that he made the decisions on who to keep and who to let go so the buck rests with him. Yes he had a limited budget but money was saved on not paying Hooper. He still bought poorly.

The team has no clue in attack or defence. Lacks go forward and look lost.

Even when Reddy was sent to the bin I could not see the Tahs scoring a try. The game plan was hot potato footy (Thanks Whittaker), dropsies, and pointless kicking. There was no threat of a decent attacking raid.

Penney's game plan (If the Tahs have one) is not working.

The problem is the result of years of decisions at board level and won't be fixed overnight.

@ 3,000 to a home game in a city of almost 5,000,000 people. There's plenty of rugby fans in the west, they just choose not to support the Waratahs.

Rugby is selling a product (Super Rugby) which the punters don't want to buy. Just like Holden kept trying to sell family size sedans and wagons when the punters were buying SUVs. Holden and GM are now gone. Ford is still here because they worked it out a decade earlier and stopped selling Falcons and went for the SUV market.

 

[KOB1987]

The problem is the result of years of decisions at board level and won't be fixed overnight.

@ 3,000 to a home game in a city of almost 5,000,000 people. There's plenty of rugby fans in the west, they just choose not to support the Waratahs.

Rugby is selling a product (Super Rugby) which the punters don't want to buy. Just like Holden kept trying to sell family size sedans and wagons when the punters were buying SUVs. Holden and GM are now gone. Ford is still here because they worked it out a decade earlier and stopped selling Falcons and went for the SUV market.

That isn’t right. We all agree with the board room issues, but 6 years ago the Waratahs were able to sell out the biggest stadium in Australia. The problem isn’t that they aren’t selling SUVs, it’s that they are delivering an inferior version of it.

 

[dru]

There's a massive divide between the NSWRU and the Sydney clubs. Regardless of who anyone thinks is at fault, unless this is resolved many fans affiliated with Sydney clubs will remain disengaged with any team associated with NSWRU.

Absolutely agree. However I don't think it is simply a one way street. There are historic unreasonable expectations that some in the SRU won't let go of. Whatever the history the State relationship with the clubs is divisive.

I'd take a punt that if a second team was opened in Sydney with the clubs involved that the Tahs fan numbers would evaporate.

 

[TSR]

I guess the bit I don’t get is how/why the SS clubs don’t think that what they are doing is ultimately counterproductive.

I know heaps of people (and on any given day I may or may not be one) who openly deride the QRU and have various levels of bitterness regarding the poor way in which state rugby has been managed. I, and I know many others, feel the current admin is a step forward, but a lot of harm has been done.

But large sectors still support the Reds because firstly, they are our state team, secondly we don’t blame the players (although certainly some seem to begrudge the contract values of certain individuals) and thirdlky we realise that if the Reds prosper then our lot will improve. I don’t understand how it would be different in NSW. Do the SS clubs feel they will be better served by the NSWRU falling over?

Edit: having said that, in no way should that absolve the board from its poor leadership/management of the game and/or any strategies they employ which take the support of SS fans for granted.

 

[Quick Hands]

That isn’t right. We all agree with the board room issues, but 6 years ago the Waratahs were able to sell out the biggest stadium in Australia. The problem isn’t that they aren’t selling SUVs, it’s that they are delivering an inferior version of it.

 

[Quick Hands]

I guess the bit I don’t get is how/why the SS clubs don’t think that what they are doing is ultimately counterproductive.

I know heaps of people (and on any given day I may or may not be one) who openly deride the QRU and have various levels of bitterness regarding the poor way in which state rugby has been managed. I, and I know many others, feel the current admin is a step forward, but a lot of harm has been done.

But large sectors still support the Reds because firstly, they are our state team, secondly we don’t blame the players (although certainly some seem to begrudge the contract values of certain individuals) and thirdlky we realise that if the Reds prosper then our lot will improve. I don’t understand how it would be different in NSW. Do the SS clubs feel they will be better served by the NSWRU falling over?

Edit: having said that, in no way should that absolve the board from its poor leadership/management of the game and/or any strategies they employ which take the support of SS fans for granted.

It's a poisoned relationship which would take pages to try to explain in enough detail to give the topic justice.

NSWRU have done just about everything but try co-operation and some form of partnership with the clubs. As dru points out above, this doesn't mean that everything the clubs say or want is reasonable, but equally everything that they say or want isn't unreasonable either. After years of being excluded, people have just disengaged. They don't necessarily want NSWRU to fall over, they have no interest in what NSWRU are doing.

The one thing worse than people criticising you, is people ignoring you.

Many rugby followers don't criticise NSWRU, they just ignore it and get their rugby interest elsewhere.

 

[Quick Hands]

That isn’t right. We all agree with the board room issues, but 6 years ago the Waratahs were able to sell out the biggest stadium in Australia. The problem isn’t that they aren’t selling SUVs, it’s that they are delivering an inferior version of it.

we'll agree to disagree.

6 years is a long long time ago.

Rugby can't even sell out that stadium for an AB test these days.

 

[Rebels3]

It's a poisoned relationship which would take pages to try to explain in enough detail to give the topic justice.

NSWRU have done just about everything but try co-operation and some form of partnership with the clubs. As dru points out above, this doesn't mean that everything the clubs say or want is reasonable, but equally everything that they say or want isn't unreasonable either. After years of being excluded, people have just disengaged. They don't necessarily want NSWRU to fall over, they have no interest in what NSWRU are doing.

The one thing worse than people criticising you, is people ignoring you.

Many rugby followers don't criticise NSWRU, they just ignore it and get their rugby interest elsewhere.

Not having a dig but I need some clarity as it’s just getting very confusing from an outsider.

a) what are they doing that isn’t collaborative with the clubs?

b) is there any other example of Australian sport where a professional team has to collaborate with 12 amateur clubs?

c) what do clubs want that would be classified as satisfactory?

This is what confuses me, we hear a lot of buzz words like discontent, collaboration, etc. but until it’s actually defined how does anyone know what they are trying to champion. Currently I’m still of the belief that both parties are emotively caught up in a ball of negativity without actually knowing what they are pissed off about besides a bunch of words they have been told they should be unhappy about.

 

[Kenny Powers]

The Tahs problems have been many years in the making and anyone who has been involved for more than 2 years at a Board or Management level needs to go. Penney gives the impression of being quiet deflated understandably so given not all issues are of his making and surviving the season will be a challenge.

So then who do you go to to fill the role on a caretaker basis?

If he would do it for the love not the money - return of the Chekia.

 

[dru]

It's a poisoned relationship which would take pages to try to explain in enough detail to give the topic justice.

NSWRU have done just about everything but try co-operation and some form of partnership with the clubs. As dru points out above, this doesn't mean that everything the clubs say or want is reasonable, but equally everything that they say or want isn't unreasonable either. After years of being excluded, people have just disengaged. They don't necessarily want NSWRU to fall over, they have no interest in what NSWRU are doing.

The one thing worse than people criticising you, is people ignoring you.

Many rugby followers don't criticise NSWRU, they just ignore it and get their rugby interest elsewhere.

This.

 

[Kenny Powers]

The one thing worse than people criticising you, is people ignoring you.

Many rugby followers don't criticise NSWRU, they just ignore it and get their rugby interest elsewhere.

2020 Shute Shield Grand Final crowd 5,000 (COVID19 restricted), Leichhardt Oval

2019 Shute Shield Grand Final over 9,000 at Bank West and bit out of the way for Warringah and Uni Fans

2018 Shute Sheild Grand Final over 15,500 at North Sydney Oval.

Predictions for the Waratahs biggest home crowd this year?

 

[RugbyReg]

2020 Shute Shield Grand Final crowd 5,000 (COVID19 restricted), Leichhardt Oval

2019 Shute Shield Grand Final over 9,000 at Bank West and bit out of the way for Warringah and Uni Fans

2018 Shute Sheild Grand Final over 15,500 at North Sydney Oval.

Predictions for the Waratahs biggest home crowd this year?

how many games to they play at the venue over the course of the day for those finals?

 

[The Nomad]

Once upon a time the Tahs and the Reds were a representative team for their states , not a separate entity or “club/franchise”.

Don’t know what happens in NSW , but there is still some feeling of this in Qld .

It’s sad to think that what should be your team is trumped by what’s best for your club or other self interest .

As a Qld’er , would normally be happy to see a team from NSW suffer , but it does rugby in Australia no favours for this to happen .

I wonder if this is how the disconnected NSW fans feel ? As in the Tahs “brand” does not represent them .

For the sake of rugby in this country I hope you get your shit sorted .

 

[Kenny Powers]

how many games to they play at the venue over the course of the day for those finals?

At Leichhardt Oval they had 1st Grade, 2nd Grade and 1st Colts.

 

[Drew]

Now Pat's a mate, but I will try to say this as impartially as I can but he has one of the finest rugby brains of anyone I've come in contact with. Still remains one of the most skilful and smart players I ever saw as well. He's on the board up here in QLD, and I am glad he is. I don't think he has interest in coaching at high level anymore but I know he helps out his best mate Mick Heenan (record breaking UQ Coach) whenever needed.

The Tahs could do a lot worse..but it won't happen regardless.

Somebody compared Will Harrison as a player to a modern day Pat Howard.I wasn’t saying he would or wouldn’t be a good coach, it was just a joke reply on two footballers from different eras. You don’t get picked in the brumbies backline of that era without being good.

 

[hifflepiff]

Once upon a time the Tahs and the Reds were a representative team for their states , not a separate entity or “club/franchise”.

Don’t know what happens in NSW , but there is still some feeling of this in Qld .

I wonder if this is how the disconnected NSW fans feel ? As in the Tahs “brand” does not represent them .

Its tough, but what I can tell you as someone thats lived all over, is that Sydney is a big and in many ways a geographically/culturally segregated city.

For those without harbour front views, the East- West divide runs deep, and people have a pretty strong view on who the Tahs brand represents.

 

[KOB1987]

we'll agree to disagree.

6 years is a long long time ago.

Rugby can't even sell out that stadium for an AB test these days.

We actually aren’t disagreeing all that much. The lack of crowds at a Wallabies match is for the same reason.

Back to the Waratahs/NSWRU, we can all agree that this has to be pretty close to rock bottom and the time for change is right now.

 

[RugbyReg]

Somebody compared Will Harrison as a player to a modern day Pat Howard.I wasn’t saying he would or wouldn’t be a good coach, it was just a joke reply on two footballers from different eras. You don’t get picked in the brumbies backline of that era without being good.

that's a comparison that just doesn't make sense. Harrison is more Bowen like