Australian Rugby / RA

[Slim 293]

He was behind Foley and Paul in 1999

That doesn’t diminish his achievements.........

Only somebody who had never seen him play would dare to suggest he wasn’t a very good player, when he was easily one of the best in the world for his position for a decent period throughout the early to mid 90’s.

 

[sunnyboys]

Via SMH: RA proposing 65% pay cuts - less than league and netball more than AFL.

Players want the cuts held in a trust with them paid later to players or to use for community rugby.

Also want a clause to break contract if not happy with the final agreed cut.

RA has said no to both.

Putting cash in a trust (run by RUPA) means it’s still a cash expense RA needs to pay. This contradicts the purpose of the cuts!

RA concerned there will be an exodus if they allow break clause. And exodus to where is what I’d ask??

 

[Derpus]

Via SMH: RA proposing 65% pay cuts - less than league and netball more than AFL.

Players want the cuts held in a trust with them paid later to players or to use for community rugby.

What money might that be? Who's advising them?

 

[shanky]

OK, so we're a bit 'torn' over whether Kearnsey should be CEO, so..

Let's throw up some alternatives, for discussion, like...

I'll not include the incumbent (since this is hypothetical) and I'll stick to 'specialist sports administrators' for ease, but feel free to add others.

Gillon McLachlan (AFL) - proven performer, couldn't afford him probably. Turned down the NRL when they were throwing money at him, so likely unwilling to move away from his preferred sport.

Todd Greenberg - soon to be unemployed, one thinks. Probably affordable. Relatively competent (based on the Dogs) but also profligate (based on the NRL) which we can't afford - with a tendency towards impulsiveness. Has proved competent in managing the venality of the RL club system, skills that might prove useful when dealing with our club scene. No background /love for rugger could prove a setback in long term development of the game (neither has he shown any inclination to develop RL)

David Gallop - Available, probably affordable. Patchy record in development at NRL and FFA. More of a manager perhaps, than a visionary game-grower. No apparent passion for anything he's been involved in. Strikes me as 'competent but uninspiring'.

Phil Thomson (CEO Brumbies) - rugger man (fmr Wallabies team mgr), been doing good work in 'the nation's capital', on the field at least. Has navigated tough financial times and still produced results. ACT schoolboys (to the extent he can take credit) were proof (last year) of a decent grassroots system. Contender.

Paul Doorn (NSWRU CEO)- too soon, with limited rugby track record

Baden Stephenson (Rebels) - also too soon, but with a pedigree in rugby

Richard Barker (QRU) - I'll let those who know more about him comment.


Smokey: Steve Tew (fmr CEO NZRU) - Retired? Or not? Clearly a performer. Would he want it? Would we want it?

Any others?


Leaving aside the identifiable candidates, can we isolate the KPI list we'd be looking for from any other candidate?

These are in no particular order (on purpose) so feel free to prioritise these according to your views.

1) proven sports administration experience
2) rugby background
3) financial management of a large complex multi-million $$ organisation
4) Australian rugby pedigree, interest, passion
5) Experience with dealing with the Sydney/QLD rugby 'complexity'
6) vs NO experience or taint from dealing with same
7) affordable vs 'pay more for the proven player'
8) dictator vs consensus-builder
9) on the way up vs proven

 

[Derpus]

OK, so we're a bit 'torn' over whether Kearnsey should be CEO, so..

No we aren't. No one wants him.

 

[shanky]

No we aren't. No one wants him.

I don't think you can say that

I know at least a couple of insiders who want him.

But that wasn't the point of my post. Instead, it was to consider a suitable successor at some point in the future.

 

[TSR]

Richard Barker is no longer the Reds CEO, That would be Dave Hanham. I believe I am correct that family matters caused Barker to stand down, but I don’t think his tenure was considered overly successful.

I think Hanham was doing some good things - but definitely too early for him to be a contender I would think.

 

[Rebels3]

I couldn’t care less if the right person has a rugby pedigree or not. I also don’t think success in business is a great indicator as sport is a little different.

David Stern or Howard Silver (both NBA) never bounced a ball at any level of basketball.

Gill McLaughlan never played in the AFL or VFL for that matter.

Roger Goodell has never played American football at any decent level

Richard Scudamore (Premier League) never played football at a decent level.

Etc.

I believe you need an interest and passion for the game but pedigree should mean very little. We place too much emphasis on silly things like this is rugby. If the most successful league in the country and the most successful leagues in the world don’t need it, then we don’t need it.

What we need is an independent commission to make decisions on behalf of the game. The CEO and the board can then decide how to implement these decisions

 

[sunnyboys]

Essentially RUPA are saying - we’ve seen the books and we don’t think RA needs to make any player salary cuts to remain afloat OR we don’t care how bad the books are, we aren’t missing out and we aren’t helping.

Pretty extraordinary

 

[wamberal]

By definition, the only person who would take it on would be a masochist with a large private income.


Or a selfless rugby fanatic.


Or a narcissist. I think I know which category Kearns fits into.

 

[Rebelsfan]

when the CEO needs to be rolled and there is no heir apparent often the job falls to the CFO who takes on the job in a care taker capacity. Since we are in dire straits right now, that might be the better course. Ms Castle has no vision or strategy other than wokeness and has driven our game into the ground - six feet into the ground.

 

[Braveheart81]

He was behind Foley and Paul in 1999

He wasn't. He was our first choice hooker and then went home from the RWC after getting injured in the pool game against Ireland.

He was essentially our first choice hooker for a decade, starting 65 of his 67 tests. He would have captained the Wallabies a bunch more times if he hadn't missed two years of tests through injury (1996 and 1997).

 

[TSR]

when the CEO needs to be rolled and there is no heir apparent often the job falls to the CFO who takes on the job in a care taker capacity. Since we are in dire straits right now, that might be the better course. Ms Castle has no vision or strategy other than wokeness and has driven our game into the ground - six feet into the ground.

You’re completely ignoring the state of the game before Castle took the reigns.

As for your comment about being ‘woke’ if you aren’t aware of the impact that all of these social issues have on the decision making of corporate entities, even when the entity isn’t directly reliant on the handling of these issues for sponsorship dollars, then you are completely uninformed.

By all means carry in criticising Castle - but at least do it without conveniently ignoring the realities of the situation.

 

[KevinO]

Ms Castle has no vision or strategy other than wokeness and has driven our game into the ground - six feet into the ground.

You have a short term memomy mate, Castle has not driven the game six feet into the ground. She took over with the game already sunk to the middles of the earth and has been trying to dig it out.

Rugby Australia was in a worse place when she took over, everyone seems to blame her for the crap left upon her from the last CEO and Mr Clyne. I for one think she should be given a year with out Clyne sitting next to her to see what real changes she can make.

Think of the shit she has inherited:

Negotiating a new TV deal with less teams and less games in a saturated market, she has at least had the balls to say to Fox sports we are going to see who else is interested. Worked with State Unions to get them to agree to package all rugby in the same deal and see how it will go. Previous administrations did not give a crap about the Shute Shield and QRU games being broadcast. Trying to get Super Rugby on FTA at the same time. Credit is deserved for at least trying something new which would help grow the game.

Izzy issue, well that one was a issue long before she came along. At least she had the guts to stand firm and do something.

Poor Wallabies, Cheika poor form. Well this one I don't stand by, should have been sacked in 17/18 and given someone time to stand a chance at the World cup. New coach will hopefully help improve the Wallabies with a fresh outlook and a lot of new faces in the side.

NRC, has not changed, still a sinking ship that it was before she took over. Mainly due to Fox sports rubbish coverage and no money to promote the competition.

9 Million loss in a World Cup year, well guess what. the ARU lost 9 million in 2015 so when you consider inflation she actually manged to do better than the previous administration.

Now the good:

Super W, she made sure it got up and running

U20, this side has performed well and now a lot of the players are contracted to Australian Super rugby sides, this is where the future of the Wallabies will come from. So this success won't be seen until the 2027 World Cup but she won't get the credit for it than.

People seem to like blaming Castle for all the previous Administrations mistakes and fuck ups.

A Fox sports administration is the worst thing for Australian Rugby, they have done everything in there power to divide the game in this country and lower the worth of the game. They fail to advertise the competition starting, provide any sort of meaningful coverage, fail to provide a mid week show. They had the power to stop the Force getting culled and kept quite, they have an agenda to reduce Australian super rugby back to 2/3 sides (Listen to Stephen Holies in any coverage, reduce, reduce, reduce)

 

[RugbyReg]

He was behind Foley and Paul in 1999

no he wasn't. He was injured, came back and from the Cape Town South Africa test through RWC when he was injured in the game v Ireland he was first choice.

 

[hoggy]

https://rugbynews.net.au/for-austra...body-and-professional-competition-must-split/

Food for thought, separate the RA from running sporting competitions, the only issue being that requires giving up the reigns to some extent.

 

[wamberal]

when the CEO needs to be rolled and there is no heir apparent often the job falls to the CFO who takes on the job in a care taker capacity. Since we are in dire straits right now, that might be the better course. Ms Castle has no vision or strategy other than wokeness and has driven our game into the ground - six feet into the ground.

Wokeness? Really? Are you talking about the significant increase in the participation by women? Maybe you should have a look at the composition of the Board over the last few years; anybody with a brain knows that this the game has benefited enormously from its move into the modern world as it is. Our population is more than 50% female, just in case you have not noticed.


Maybe you are still dragging your knuckles because of the Folau business. This was a simple matter of an employee making an undertaking on an important issue and then going back on it.

 

[louie]

when the CEO needs to be rolled and there is no heir apparent often the job falls to the CFO who takes on the job in a care taker capacity. Since we are in dire straits right now, that might be the better course. Ms Castle has no vision or strategy other than wokeness and has driven our game into the ground - six feet into the ground.

Um no, just no.
She strategy was to invest and retain youth. Hence the success of the u20s last year and the fighting fund she set up. Most of the young kids would have gone to RL if it wasn't for her vision.

How about you give the coach she hired a chance to hold a train session before dismissing everything about her.

 

[Rebelsfan]

Jeez, my comments were more about a replacement with a lot of the conversation being about Kearns and so on, I was merely suggesting that if she was to be rolled, the CFO could take on the care taker role until such time as a suitable CEO could be found. I actually didnt mean to start a sh&t fight about her performance - although, imho, I do not think she has done a good job - but I don't want to argue that point at all. Apologies to all who have been slighted by a divergent opinion.

 

[Derpus]

Jeez, my comments were more about a replacement with a lot of the conversation being about Kearns and so on, I was merely suggesting that if she was to be rolled, the CFO could take on the care taker role until such time as a suitable CEO could be found. I actually didnt mean to start a sh&t fight about her performance - although, imho, I do not think she has done a good job - but I don't want to argue that point at all. Apologies to all who have been slighted by a divergent opinion.

Classic internet move - 'hey lets not argue about it, but let me reiterate my point first'.

I miss rugby.