Brumbies 2016

[Brumbieman]

The real story here is what happened with the sale of Griffith. Apparently there's sfa left of the money from that sale, which should have given the Brumbies a 10+ million injection of cashish.

Jones has by the sounds of it got the AFP to investigate that and it's not gone down well.

Have I got that right?

 

[mst]

So, can somebody sum up what's going on here?

Because it seems to me like Jones has been doing quite a good job, despite rubbing some people the wrong way....

Is the action deserved, or is the board potentially damaging the club to serve their own self interests?

My tip is to watch this legal action. If it is settled or drops off the radar then was is alleged happened; and it pretty much indicates that its to keep someone quiet.

"That meeting was terminated by Michael Jones, when it became apparent that the plaintiff was not an agent of Aquis or the Aquis Group and the meeting was otherwise without purpose," the defence reads.

Mr Beagle says he met with former Brumbies chief executive Doug Edwards and others at the Brumbies about the deal prior to Mr Jones taking over as chief executive.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act...r-aquis-sponsorship-deal-20160316-gnkbh7.html

 

[mst]

The real story here is what happened with the sale of Griffith. Apparently there's sfa left of the money from that sale, which should have given the Brumbies a 10+ million injection of cashish.

Jones has by the sounds of it got the AFP to investigate that and it's not gone down well.

Have I got that right?

Very close.

Jones said the Brumbies "rightly or wrongly" invested $7 million in a new training base at the university before he was on board as chief executive.
"The Brumbies financial position is that they've made losses 10 of the last 11 years and to invest the large proceeds of their only asset [its Griffith headquarters] immediately into pre-paid rent for 30 years and to buy a new facility that they don't own any equity in, there is no recourse to ever get any of that money back, you have to [ask], is that a clever decision?
"I just look at that having worked as an investment banker and say hmm, that's an interesting call."

 

[Brumbieman]

So basically we have a talented and smart investment banker coming on board and straightening things out, who deals clumsily/bluntly with the awkward truth that the old boys clubs business skills weren't as crash hot as they thought, and they've got the shits with Jones for embarrassing them.

He gets ousted and we lose the first smart and competent CEO we've had for 15 years.


Fucken fantastic.

 

[mst]

It was the ARU pushed governance review (all Super Rugby clubs) that flushed all this out. Pulver has known about this for months, bad has met with Jones recently about it.

 

[Brumbieman]

Is it anything dodgy? IE people skimming from the top?

The AFP presence suggests it's not just a bit of receipt sorting...

 

[Brumby Jack]

I think the key here is when there is current or potential legal action that usually the best thing is to not comment.

I'm not on either side here but there has been a lot more comment from one side than the other about current/potential cases. You could always, at the very minimum, confirm if a case is going ahead and then leave it at that.

 

[kiap]

General question which perhaps some people closer to the Brumbies can answer:

Anyone here ever seen a Brumbies/ACTSNSWRU Annual Report?

Most unions make them them public. I've looked and looked and never got close.

 

[mst]

I am not a fan of the way the information has been let out or the public politics.

But I would love to know the other side of the story and cant help but wonder if we would have heard anything with out Jones outburst. I would love to know his (Jones) motivation as I am pretty sure he knew there would be ramification when he spoke out.

 

[mst]

General question which perhaps some people closer to the Brumbies can answer:

Anyone here ever seen a Brumbies/ACTSNSWRU Annual Report?

Most unions make them them public. I've looked and looked and never got close.

Yeah, I tried digging to find it and have had no luck. I wondered if they withheld it with the referral to the AFP or am I just looking in the wrong places.

 

[Latts1992]

Interesting to see Leseberg has been appointed as an interim. He is a very astute rugby mind, but I certainly don't think he's as credentialed as Jones is in terms of a CEO.

 

[mst]

Interesting to see Leseberg has been appointed as an interim. He is a very astute rugby mind, but I certainly don't think he's as credentialed as Jones is in terms of a CEO.

Based on the above statements, some may argue it was why we are here.

 

[Brumby Jack]

Speight's out for 8 weeks with a frontal bone fracture above his eye. It happened in the head clash with Lealiifano near the end of the first half.

 

[SammyP]

Speight's out for 8 weeks with a frontal bone fracture above his eye. It happened in the head clash with Lealiifano near the end of the first half.

Cos that's the news Brumbies fans needed to hear right now.
What a crappy couple of days for the boys. Hope all the off field shit doesn't effect their on field results.

 

[Tex]

What the hell is going on at Brumbies HQ, I thought this Jones fella was a weirdo when he lashed Moore after signing with QLD, and comments like this have reaffirmed that opinion.. It sounds like he is threatening to take the Brumbies down if people keep pressuring him:

“If it persists, it’s not a veiled threat it’s a very real threat, I only know how to act and that is you can’t fight half a war,” Jones told ABC Grandstand.

“So if I go to war, it’s going to be ugly and there are going to be a lot of people who get burned by it. I desperately don’t want to do that, so all I’m asking is for the people out there who are having a hack at me, they know who they are, back off.

“I think this cancer that’s currently affecting us is only bad for the Brumbies and unless it’s turned around, is ultimately going to be terminal for the Brumbies. You just can’t withstand this stuff perpetually, it will eat away at the organisation.”

“It will have a major impact on Australian rugby, because if the Brumbies cease to be an entity, which is one of the very foreseeable outcomes – and has been a stated outcome of some of the people having a hack at us – if that is allowed to happen, the ARU will be in default of the SANZAAR agreement, because they are required to field five teams every week.

“And if this organisation folds and goes into administration the ARU is in default. They are big stakes games that a lot of these guys are playing, and it’s fairly irresponsible of most of them to do it. They are looking at self-interest rather than the interest of the organisation. I’m trying to avoid the fight – I’ve been taking hits since December, I weathered the storm, and it’s the same guys again.”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...e/news-story/826e38df1a4d96742312efc2033aece3

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Loose unit.

 

[kiap]

Loose unit.

He may well be. Perhaps Latham-esque as proffered above.

BUT

If $7m of the Brumbies was invested at UC ... only for them to still be renting (??!!) then questions had to be asked.

The only bloke asking questions has now been boned.

Ordinary mug members of the club are in the dark. It seems the old boys in control of the joint don't even deign to make their annual reports public.

And now everyone is being told to shut up. Shush ... it's secret Brumbies business.

 

[Tex]

He may well be. Perhaps Latham-esque as proffered above.

BUT

If $7m of the Brumbies was invested at UC ... only for them to still be renting (??!!) then questions had to be asked.

The only bloke asking questions has now been boned.

Ordinary mug members of the club are in the dark. It seems the old boys in control of the joint don't even deign to make their annual reports public.

And now everyone is being told to shut up. Shush ... it's secret Brumbies business.

Interesting. Obviously I'm not privy to the governance of the club but that all sounds a bit questionable.

Sunlight and transparency is an effective disinfectant etc etc.

All that said, I'm a firm believer in airing your dirty laundry appropriately and this smacks of a tantrum from a bloke on the outer, rightly or wrongly.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

ACT Brumbies chief executive and All Black legend Michael Jones fired

--SMH--

ACT Brumbies CEO and All Blacks legend Michael Jones has been stood down by the club's board. No reason has been given for the sacking by the board apart from one member confiding that Mr Jones appeared "slightly whiter than we imagined he would be" and another member admitting that Mr Jones seemed "about 400% keener on the lunchroom cakes and donuts then we imagined he would be."

Michael Jones in the pale light of day. At night. Or maybe just in the shadows.

ARU boss Bill Pulver was in Canberra on Monday to meet with the Brumbies board and despite the sacking came away "quietly elated" that he had, in fact, secured a rugby football signed, in person, by Mr Jones. "He signed it on the spot" blurted a wide-eyed Pulver. "I was so excited I could hardly breath. Michael's exploits for Auckland back in the 80's and 90's absolutely thrilled me to pieces. And then when he switched to the blindside flank and soldiered on with continued greatness for a few more seasons? Just a legend. Although, I must confess that upon meeting him he did appear to have turned a bit catastrophically white of late. And pudgier. And about 6 inches shorter. Oh well, it happens to the best of us. Still, legend! Honestly, I can't even remember why I flew up to Canberra now. Oh well. See you, guyz!"

 

[kiap]

Interesting. Obviously I'm not privy to the governance of the club but that all sounds a bit questionable.

Sunlight and transparency is an effective disinfectant etc etc.

All that said, I'm a firm believer in airing your dirty laundry appropriately and this smacks of a tantrum from a bloke on the outer, rightly or wrongly.

I listened to the radio interview.

Jones is under pressure and said something to the effect of opening a full war, albeit reluctantly, which could get ugly. Also that if (only an if, mind you) the club went belly-up as some have suggested is possible - although Jones himself denied they were in that sort of strife at the start of the interview, then there would be consequences for the ARU within SANZAAR.

Those things, I'd say, are true. Perhaps not street smart, though.

The difference for Jones (and dare I say it, Papworth) compared to other more, ahem, traditional administrators is that they aired their views directly.

The other way is for these things to be filtered through the media via a favoured journo or opinion column squatter. The original source remains anonymous and untouched.

The difference between Jones and Pappy, of course, is that Jones can read a balance sheet ...

 

[mst]

Reports (Gavel) suggesting Jones is set to fight the decisions to stand him down. It would certainly ensure the facts come out.

So if Pulver was part of the decision yesterday could the ARU get dragged in to this?