Australian Rugby / RA

[KOB1987]

Wayne Keith Smith

@WayneKeithSmith
·
2m

Heavy hints that Peter Wiggs was only just talked out of resigning from board of Rugby Australia after last night’s turbulent meeting. Lots of drama still to play out, it seems.

 

[Quick Hands]

Well, here's the problem. We are now a professional code at the elite level. Like it or not, there is no way that professionalism can exist without being part of, and depending on, the corporate world.

Nobody is arguing otherwise. How it's done is the issue.

So to fulfil your long-standing antipathy towards the corporatisation of the game, we must turn our heads away from money, and go back to being lilywhites.

No. We put people on the board on the basis of what they are going to do to advance rugby rather than advance themselves.

What's their vision. How are they going to put systems in place to achieve it. How are they going to measure success by the organisation.

 

[Quick Hands]

Wayne Keith Smith

@WayneKeithSmith
·
2m

Heavy hints that Peter Wiggs was only just talked out of resigning from board of Rugby Australia after last night’s turbulent meeting. Lots of drama still to play out, it seems.

Which makes me wonder again why Matt Carroll would even consider leaving the Australian Olympic Committee for Rugby Australia.

Under the current governance structure it's a complete shambles and nothing short of a large organisational broom to sweep the whole thing clean will suffice.

Wiggs has only just joined the board, he must surely be thinking 'what sort of shambolic operation have I been sucked into'

The fact that he's considering leaving (if true) means he's probably one of the few we want to stay. He clearly sees what a mess the show is.

 

[Rebelsfan]

Which makes me wonder again why Matt Carroll would even consider leaving the Australian Olympic Committee for Rugby Australia.

Under the current governance structure it's a complete shambles and nothing short of a large organisational broom to sweep the whole thing clean will suffice.

Wiggs has only just joined the board, he must surely be thinking 'what sort of shambolic operation have I been sucked into'

The fact that he's considering leaving (if true) means he's probably one of the few we want to stay. He clearly sees what a mess the show is.

totally agree. He has seen the shambolics - probably not what he had expected - my feeling is that the accounts are way out of hand and he has just got a glimpse of hell

 

[Finsbury Girl]

I personally think this couldnt be further from the truth. The health of the game - whether you like it or not - from 7th division subbies to the Wallabies is linked to Wallabies success. Almost All the income generated by rugby in Australia comes from that one team and the players that comprise it. Over the last 10 years the Wallabies have undoubtedly suffered from the player drain and that downturn is immediately apparent in the relative state of the game.



Just as an example - look at the broadcast deal. If we had a succesful and popular team we could demand higher sums which would improve the overall health of the game.



We need these players to be involved and happy. Do you really think Hooper - one of the best 7s in the world - couldnt earn more in Europe?

So your premise is that money is the only thing keeping rugby alive and well. Nothing is further from the truth. Clubs have survived and will continue to survive regardless. There will be always people like myself who'd mark out the fields, help out in the canteen, do fundraisers, play the game, run touch, reserve up a grade and enjoy a few beers for first grade. Just as there will always be people and businesses ready to contribute purely out of love for the game and club.

Some interesting allusions in your argument, the elite few should rule over the many & enjoy the lions share of the spoils. All animals are equal, some more equal than others.

 

[Finsbury Girl]

This is Australia, we love to knock tall poppies. I understand that. But the point is that the top players, in particular those at the very top, who could probably earn a lot more money playing in Japan or Europe, are showing a commitment to the national team and all it stands for.





I would listen to them. You are assuming that they are fixated on their own short term advantages. Maybe, just maybe, they actually care about the whole game. If they are successful on the field, incidentally, that will do more for the healthiness of the game the whole 50,000 play every week in winter than just about anything else.

As they say on the interwebs 'where are the receipts?'

 

[Derpus]

So your premise is that money is the only thing keeping rugby alive and well. Nothing is further from the truth. Clubs have survived and will continue to survive regardless. There will be always people like myself who'd mark out the fields, help out in the canteen, do fundraisers, play the game, run touch, reserve up a grade and enjoy a few beers for first grade. Just as there will always be people and businesses ready to contribute purely out of love for the game and club.

Some interesting allusions in your argument, the elite few should rule over the many & enjoy the lions share of the spoils. All animals are equal, some more equal than others.

Uh yeah?

I mean, its the only thing keeping it in a state of relevance anyway. Cool, that's great if your club will survive the collapse of International Rugby in Aus (doubt it). Good for you. Who the fuck outside your club cares though? I don't give a shit about club rugby, and nor do a lot of the average sports fan unless they still play. They just wanna tune in and see a Wallabies game, maybe Super. If the game is reduced to nothing but clubs in Aus i sure as shit won't be watching rugby anymore.

If all you care about is club rugby, that will survive independent of anything that happens at the top, i wonder why you bother posting here.

Also, the elite few should rule over the others? because i want players opinions to be considered. Okay then. But yes, i do value a Wallaby's opinion about rugby over yours, or the bloke flipping sausages at the BBQ.

 

[Rugbynutter39]

Which makes me wonder again why Matt Carroll would even consider leaving the Australian Olympic Committee for Rugby Australia.

Under the current governance structure it's a complete shambles and nothing short of a large organisational broom to sweep the whole thing clean will suffice.

Wiggs has only just joined the board, he must surely be thinking 'what sort of shambolic operation have I been sucked into'

The fact that he's considering leaving (if true) means he's probably one of the few we want to stay. He clearly sees what a mess the show is.[/quot

More to the point WTF are we appointing someone from newscorp to the board. If this means we are staying with Foxtel then seriously let’s pray RA goes into administration and never comes out.

 

[hoggy]

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...bua171hbBt4e8HSM13SYty5MssC705QDu1-msxnxpl-BU

Yep, and the fun continues

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

DT & SMH both running articles stating that AOC boss John Coates is backing Carroll for the CEO vacancy at RA. DT one says Wiggs threatened to quit if he couldn't appoint Carroll as CEO. I can't access either article as I'm not a subscriber so if someone who is could post the juiciest bits that would be tasty.

 

[KOB1987]

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...bua171hbBt4e8HSM13SYty5MssC705QDu1-msxnxpl-BU

Yep, and the fun continues

DT & SMH both running articles stating that AOC boss John Coates is backing Carroll for the CEO vacancy at RA. DT one says Wiggs threatened to quit if he couldn't appoint Carroll as CEO. I can't access either article as I'm not a subscriber so if someone who is could post the juiciest bits that would be tasty.

I have access to the Aus, this all appears to be the nuts and bolts of it. Dan Herbert and a couple of others wanted a recruitment firm involved, rather than just going with a captains pick. From what I can tell though Wiggs wasn’t threatening to quit, just not take on the chairman’s role. It also says that (as someone here alluded to his morning) that he looked at the books and they were much worse than expected.

Re Coates, there is a separate article saying he is in full support of Carroll going to RA, given the uncertainty around the Olympics, and citing its both what he and RA needs.

Watch this space.

 

[Slim 293]

A few nuggets from the Oz..........

It’s not Wayne Smith so the integrity of the article has to come into question somewhat, especially as it ramps up the rhetoric towards RA at times while being suspiciously sympathetic to certain parties:

A frustrated Wiggs has confided to friends he could resign as early as tomorrow, after he was backed in by the board to be the next Rugby Australia chairman on Monday night.

But the board meeting became heated after Wiggs made clear the conditions on which he would take the chairmanship.

In the meeting, Wiggs said that considering the code’s dire financial state, the fact has more than $16m in debt and — as The Australian can reveal — KPMG still won’t sign off on the financials, he wanted to appoint the CEO.

.........

Former Australian Rugby Union CEO John O’Neill was also suggested to take a board position.

.........

Longstanding board members including Pip Marlow, John Wilson and Hayden Rorke baulked at the idea of Wiggs installing his own CEO. One board member suggested they would look like “idiots”.

RA board member Daniel Herbert also disagreed with Wiggs implementing his own CEO.

The objecting board members were offended at a lack of “due process” and wanted a recruiting firm to be appointed.

In the heated meeting one board member suggested Wiggs, the Archer Capital and SuperCars boss who has been on the board for just over a month, had been “planting himself in the media”. Another criticism of Wiggs was that he was “too Mosman”.

 

[KOB1987]

Apologies I’m using the Aus app on my iPad, I can’t cut ant paste quotes, only take a screenshot.

 

[KOB1987]

Yes it’s by Jessica Halloran. The one about Coates/Carroll is by Wayne however, this is the juicy bit from it.

 

[Slim 293]

Whoops, did mean to add in that last bit..........

Former Rebels boss Rob Clarke is expected to be announced as interim CEO shortly.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Tasty indeed. I think this is what they call a Rapidly Developing Situation.

 

[Quick Hands]

Tasty indeed. I think this is what they call a Rapidly Developing Situation.

Nobody can do a corporate train wreck like Rugby Australia. It's the one area in which they are world class.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

My money's currently on Carroll & Wiggs both bailing & Old Possum Head finally ending up as Executive Chairman. God help you.

 

[Quick Hands]

Yes it’s by Jessica Halloran. The one about Coates/Carroll is by Wayne however, this is the juicy bit from it.
View attachment 11453

Not even Shakespeare could dream this stuff up. Forget broadcast rights for games RA need to get Netflix on the line to run a full length mini-series on the antics of the ARU/RA board over the past 20 years. It would outrate anything that could possibly happen on the field.

 

[brokendown]

Whoops, did mean to add in that last bit....

I'm sure if Clarke was announced in that role,the West would say WTF!