Australian Rugby / RA

[Braveheart81]

Saying that misdeeds should be covered up in order to protect the image of an organisation is exactly the same sort of logic that has protected crooked bankers, dirty cops and pedophile priests.

This is not what I'm saying at all. RA shouldn't be trying to cover anything up and they need to ensure their governance improves into the future. You would hope that this has been a "teachable moment" for RA.

If there is evidence that Clyne acted criminally then by all means, expose him and hang him out to dry. I just don't think that is at all likely.

My entire point is that if RA has a very public review of what happened over the last few years as some people here are demanding then in my view the overwhelming likelihood is that whilst decisions made were awful for the Western Force, they weren't illegal and it wasn't Clyne acting alone without authority. That would only prolong the unhappiness with this era of RA.

I get your analogy in regards to the Catholic Church and banks etc. and that is certainly something I have been considering through all my posts. I think the big difference here is that there has already been a significant review of the main issues people have with Clyne. There was a court case and appeal and a Senate enquiry. I also am highly sceptical that there is any criminality involved.

RA should be reviewing how their board operates, how they appoint people to the board and how decisions are made (and ensure that the chairperson isn't essentially making the decisions and the board falling in line behind them) and many other things. I just don't think it will help rugby in Australia whatsoever if this is done via some sort of public review.

 

[kiap]

Not so sure about that. I don't have a problem with the chair taking the rap, as I said. Hardly breezily dismissing anything. It has been an ugly episode and consequences ensue.
Do you know what really happened in meetings? Who said what? Who didn't?
Does anyone on here know?

I would contend that very few on these boards commenting have the detailed information, so we go with press releases from one side or another (with agendas), repeated "facts"

I give more weight to some accounts over others. Evidence to an inquiry, signed and submitted which is also corroborated by other sources, might be in that category.

To wash over all information equally, as press releases and airquoted "facts", would be disingenuous. I'm sure you wouldn't do that.

Maybe it is only one. I for one very much doubt it is anywhere near that simple.

Who else on the RA board is nominating their own replacements - are there many or just the one?

Is it kosher?

 

[cyclopath]

I give more weight to some accounts over others. Evidence to an inquiry, signed and submitted which is also corroborated by other sources, might be in that category.

To wash over all information equally, as press releases and airquoted "facts", would be disingenuous. I'm sure you wouldn't do that.


Who else on the RA board is nominating their own replacements - are there many or just the one?

Is it kosher?

Did Cameron Clyne publicly say he was nominating his replacement? Or is it the Board? Did he specifically say he was going to be part of that process, or has it been assumed? My understanding was simply that he was not re-nominating. Genuine questions - I do not recall seeing it said. I do recall it being repeated here a lot, but is there a public source? Happy to be corrected and see something concrete.

 

[kiap]

Did Cameron Clyne publicly say he was nominating his replacement? Or is it the Board?

Members of the Board continuing include Phil Waugh, Pip Marlow, Hayden Rorke and John Wilson. It is unlikely one of these will become the Chair. But if you reject that assessment then, yes, there might be an argument that it's the sway of the Board that will determine Clyne's replacement.

However the more likely reported scenario is that the incoming directors (four IIRC) will be with a parachuted in high-profile chairman. Incoming director candidates, even under the recently modified process, are overseen by a small Nominations Committee for a vote by the member unions. Clyne, as long-standing head of said committee, reviews his array of board replacements. This does not apply for the rest of the board.

As reported in the Oz, Clyne only just stopped short of telling a meeting of state delegates last week who the nominations committee had chosen to fill the board vacancies – Click paywalled, Nov 20.

Now after the event we may see Clyne announce he has stepped down from the committee for fig leaf covering purposes – given Sports Australia’s governance principle 3.9 states that the chair of the nominations committee should be independent of the board.

You've gotta laugh.

 

[Pfitzy]

To summarise the last few pages of this thread:

 

[Pfitzy]

what help do you need Nick?

ALL THE HELP, REG!!

Players, mainly. I'm Club Secretary of an organisation 12 years old that has been 1 Grade the last few years, but historically 2-3. We've tried cutting registration costs for individuals and that didn't work - even set it to zero one year after I got some grant money. Didn't change a thing. Juniors sputtered into life on 2 occasions and died again due to lack of resources and interest - soccer is fucking huge around here. AFL is coming. League is suffering as well.

This year we want 2 Grades + Colts U21. That will be a slog in itself.

Player recruitment and retention is something we need to work on with vigour. We've got several clubs in higher divisions on our borders, and another one who will be in our division just up the road.

But we're all in Western Sydney, playing an amateur comp with rising costs (insurance increased another 8% this year), up against league and AFL who can pay their players. Entry per Grade is now $4100 per annum, not including ground hire, playing kit, physio, etc.

I'm now the Delegate for Subbies Divisions 5 & 6 and want to see EVERYONE grow and prosper, but with the profile of rugby at the moment, we're relying on the kindness of strangers.

Meanwhile, Premier Rugby keeps talking itself up as "grassroots" and warehousing players just to keep their bottom line intact. Four Grades + 3 Colts? To what end?

First Division Subbies Clubs are running between 4-7 Grades and 1-3 Colts sides. You can't expect them to farm out players but the lower divisions are going to die without more participation. Some guys are driving an hour across town to training for a club whose catchment they left years ago.

Maybe I need to combine my day job and run some analytics on player location versus club catchment?

 

[barbarian]

Have you been winning games Nick? That was what killed my old Subbies club. We entered a vicious cycle of losing games, then losing players, so we lost more games, then more players, leaving 25 blokes to cover three grades.

I stopped playing due to injury, but since then they dropped right down to 6th div, one team, and thankfully started winning again. Now they are up to two sides, and had another winning year. You can feel the momentum around the club again.

As you'd know our club has advantages yours does not, but like the Wallabies I found wins were easily the most important commodity in attracting and keeping players.
.

 

[Adam84]

At the time Rugby Australia was dealing with financial pressures and the Israel Folau controversy. Rennie impressed both, but Castle also heavily impressed Rennie. She is, he claims, the best chief executive he has negotiated with.

“What was really important was strong leadership, I want to create change and progress to a stage where there is really strong domestic footy and lots of great young players coming through the system,“ he says.

Another attraction was how Johnson was trying to stem the bleeding of talent to Japan and France by offering four-year deals.

“That helped my decision,“ he insists. “If Johnson wasn’t there that would have made me nervous about what I was heading into.”

 

[Dctarget]

Wait that doesn’t fit with the narrative. Raelene can’t actually be competent can
She?! /s

 

[Adam84]

Pocock responded to Folaus captaincy claims, he said Hooper is doing a great job and contracted until the next RWC, so isn’t sure where Folau is getting the idea he would be captain form.

 

[Slim 293]

But Pocock says he doesn’t know why Folau thinks he would oust captain Michael Hooper.

“I think Michael Hooper has been doing a great job and he’s contracted to the next World Cup so I’m not sure where Izzy’s getting that from,” Pocock said on Fox Sports News on Friday.

Hooper, 28, is two years younger than Folau, making it more implausible the former rugby league and AFL star would be thrust into the top job.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby...a/news-story/a9d5074b403207a81844ad9fa480a4bb

 

[Pfitzy]

Have you been winning games Nick? That was what killed my old Subbies club.

And there's the problem.
Keeping guys helps winning.
Not winning loses guys.

Lean couple of years on the victory front. Hoping to get back a couple of blokes who thought they'd try Premier Rugby. Not having a fifth division comp meant no second grade meant a couple of other guys walked to bigger clubs.

I'm seriously hoping your old club gets 2 grades on the park, and about 6 others! Get fifth division back and clubs can start retaining players.

If we can tap some local Rugby schools (Oakhill, William Clarke) for Colts, that'll help

 

[Slim 293]

Anti-discrimination complaint now lodged against Folau..........

https://www.news.com.au/sport/sport...u/news-story/155aec0606e9e24e2fc62c65f1fe93a2

 

[barbarian]

And there's the problem.
Keeping guys helps winning.
Not winning loses guys.

It's the vicious catch-22 of subbies rugby. And the even crueller twist is if you win too much and take out a title, expect at least half of your team to retire and never come back.

We won a first grade title in about 2010, and it was simultaneously the best and worst thing to ever happen to the club.
.

 

[Finsbury Girl]

Wait that doesn’t fit with the narrative. Raelene can’t actually be competent can

She?! /s

Typical brown nosing that means absolutely nothing. He's going to bag the gaffer is he?

 

[wamberal]

Typical brown nosing that means absolutely nothing. He's going to bag the gaffer is he?

He strikes me as being somebody who enjoys speaking the truth. He could have given a non-committal answer, couldn't he?

I cannot find it in me to believe that a Keewee would stoop to brown-nosing.

 

[RugbyReg]

Typical brown nosing that means absolutely nothing. He's going to bag the gaffer is he?

well he didn't have to say anything did he?

 

[Sully]

https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2019/12/02/wallabies-sunwolves-grey

Wallabies assistant Nathan Grey appointed high performance advisor, will also hold Sunwolves role

Is it just me? He doesn't deserve a promotion.

 

[Derpus]

https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2019/12/02/wallabies-sunwolves-grey

Is it just me? He doesn't deserve a promotion.

Absolute master of failing upwards.

 

[KOB1987]

https://www.rugby.com.au/news/2019/12/02/wallabies-sunwolves-grey

Is it just me? He doesn't deserve a promotion.

It sounds more like the departure lounge to me.

The former Wallabies centre will move into the high performance advisory role vacated by Stephen Larkham following his appointment at Munster and work with the men's and women's sevens programs, Wallaroos, Junior Wallabies, Australian Schools and U18s and State U19 programs.