The call out to the clubs being resistant to the NRC is correct. But to be fair, I think the ARU didn't work to work with them too from my experience, they backed down too easily. Also that all added up to the same people who failed to run any other level of rugby well, running rugby at the NRC level. Not to mention the fancy boys trying to have fancy position titles and not doing anything.
The heads weren't in it by anyone. Rays were the only ones who held it together somehow.
The sad thing about the national club championship view is that the diversity we need at the club level will be lost and only the strong inner city/north shore clubs will survive. Good for them, but sad for hopes of Western Sydney etc ever being on a strong footing.