hoggy
Nev Cottrell (35)
I would also suggest by Grassroots that is also the failure to grow the domestic product, rugby maybe different that the NRL/AFL but it specifically chose a structure different than those two opposing codes, and quite clearly this was a bad decision 20 years after they had that option.FTA was maybe a past problem but I personally don’t believe it. Fans weren’t lost cause you had to pay for it, fans were lost cause the grass roots were neglected under the strategy that a winning wallabies is what we need and there is an element of truth there. Fans will get behind the wallabies if they are winning but that doesn’t necessarily translate to the rebels and tahs and if clubs aren’t funded then it’s not easy for a kid to go play and build a life long connection. You’re left w fleeting connections tied to wallabies success which can never be permanent.
The Rebels are a case in point of a club stuck in no mans land, they were set up to ultimately fail as the winning Wallabies strategy started to unravel.