Force 2018

[cyclopath]

Dead right.

My opinion is, piss off and go infuriate a bunch of people that deserve it, rather than making drive-by character assassinations which do nothing to further the debate.

Well, the East Coast Elite crap has been thrown around liberally by more than a few. Given that the vast majority of posters are sympathetic to the Force players and fans, that hardly furthers the debate either. It works both ways.

 

[James Pettifer]

Its far more complex than that.
The Force IP was purchased this time last year, effectively putting the team in the hands of the ARU.
The Brumbies, Tahs and Reds were never considered for culling, it was only the Rebels and the Force - why?
The Rebels were to Cox by the ARU in 2015 - why?
When the Force were able to buy back their IP, it was refused - why?

I agree that it wasnt a desire to screw over the Force, rather, it was self interest by ARU board members to protect their own back yard that resulted in the Force being the ones dumped. And it was a series of events that lead to it that suggest there is corruption within the ARU.

Hmmm ... I think corruption is a bit of a strong accusation. Incompetence, perhaps. Clear focus on NSW and Qld, of course.

Clearly, they have had some sort of view that they wanted the Rebels to be privately owned. It failed once but they were so committed to the idea (maybe because that is how they want to progress with all teams. So when the opportunity came up again, they made the move again.

There was also a massive increase in broadcast revenue when moving to 18 teams and I don't think anyone really thought that they would be cutting teams in 2 years.

In terms of the Tahs and Reds, there is no chance that they would ever be on the chopping block. You can argue whether this is from the ARU's focus on the two states or because they have historically and currently produced most of the national team but they are always going to be untouchable.

So that leaves the Brumbies who have been Australia's best performing team albeit in a small city. Realistically, they probably should have been considered. The crowds there are as bad as the Rebels and Force and they have a much longer history of winning games. Both the Rebels and Force have had a pretty poor history of performance which would have contributed to the loss in crowds - no fun watching your team continually suck

If the Force were seeing crowds in the early days (in the 20,000's or at least high teens) and the Brumbies were seeing their current crowds, then I think there would have been much more pressure put on the Brumbies. But current crowds for the Force suck (as they do for all teams).

If the Force survive, then I bloody hope that the missing crowds from previous years turn up. The large crowds of upset Perth and Melbourne Rugby fans didn't exactly turn up on mass when the teams were under threat.

 

[BLR]

From that point on the Force were toast. There was never anyone else they could possibly cut.

It sucks and it is incredibly disappointing for all Aussie rugby fans so I can't imagine how bad it is for you guys who were passionate about the Force. If the situation had been reversed and the ARU owned the Rebels licence still and didn't own the Force licence, I can guarantee the decision made would have been different.

This is all well and good but I will repeat what I have said before, from the looks of it the ARU facilitated the transfer of the license from Cox to the VRU. They could have simply not taken this step and potentially Cox would have sold the ARU the license.

It was never just the Force, the ARU made it so through their actions.

 

[cyclopath]

This is all well and good but I will repeat what I have said before, from the looks of it the ARU facilitated the transfer of the license from Cox to the VRU. They could have simply not taken this step and potentially Cox would have sold the ARU the license.

It was never just the Force, the ARU made it so through their actions.

How did they facilitate it? I haven't seen anything solid that makes that case. Did I miss it? Genuine question.

 

[Killer]

This is all well and good but I will repeat what I have said before, from the looks of it the ARU facilitated the transfer of the license from Cox to the VRU. They could have simply not taken this step and potentially Cox would have sold the ARU the license.

It was never just the Force, the ARU made it so through their actions.

Absolutely, Clyne due to his association and loyalty to Vic rugby should never have been involved in the process.
Watching his current line of BS in his interviews makes it clear imo he is devoid of integrity and credibility and has probably been up to no good during this entire process.

 

[Braveheart81]

This is all well and good but I will repeat what I have said before, from the looks of it the ARU facilitated the transfer of the license from Cox to the VRU. They could have simply not taken this step and potentially Cox would have sold the ARU the license.

It was never just the Force, the ARU made it so through their actions.

The transfer of the licence from Cox to the VRU a long time after the decision to cut the Force was made.

Cox made it clear from the outset that he was not willing to sell the licence to the ARU.

Maybe if that was on the table the ARU would have taken a different approach. I still doubt they would have as they already had the ability to cancel the Force licence.

I think suggesting that the ARU took various actions to ensure that the Force was the only team they could cut is drawing a long bow. From the outset they were the easiest team to cut and that is the path they took.

 

[Killer]

The transfer of the licence from Cox to the VRU a long time after the decision to cut the Force was made.

Cox made it clear from the outset that he was not willing to sell the licence to the ARU.

Maybe if that was on the table the ARU would have taken a different approach. I still doubt they would have as they already had the ability to cancel the Force licence.

I think suggesting that the ARU took various actions to ensure that the Force was the only team they could cut is drawing a long bow. From the outset they were the easiest team to cut and that is the path they took.

No he didn't, that wasn't until well after this carry on started. If you remember he was not saying anything which was why the Rebs supporters were becoming very concerned.
Perhaps during this early period there were opportunities to buy his licence but that was never going to happen bc of Clyne and Clarke who was still around.

 

[Braveheart81]

I still don't understand why you think the ARU were going to heavily pursue buying a licence from a third party when they clearly believed they were able to just cancel the licence of the Force which they already controlled.

I think it is a huge stretch that they did this because of some bias towards the Rebels and not because it was seen as the easiest and cheapest option by a long way.

 

[Shiggins]

The moment Cox said "no sale" to the ARU, that was the end of the story for the Force.

I promise you, if Cox had sold to the ARU, the Force would still be around.

There are probably many reasons why the Force were "better" than the Rebels on a spreadsheet, but here's the oft-repeated newsflash; none of that matters because WE HELD OUR OWN LICENCE.

That is what saved the Rebels, not some desire to fuck the Force over.

So, perhaps the whole East Coast Elite/WA Poor Cousins crap can stop. It was embarrassing when I was a kid growing up in Perth, and it's embarrassing now.

?

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[Slim 293]

No he didn't, that wasn't until well after this carry on started. If you remember he was not saying anything which was why the Rebs supporters were becoming very concerned.
Perhaps during this early period there were opportunities to buy his licence but that was never going to happen bc of Clyne and Clarke who was still around.

Cox put out a statement back in May stating they would not sell the license to the ARU........

 

[dru]

I think it is a huge stretch that they did this because of some bias towards the Rebels and not because it was seen as the easiest and cheapest option by a long way.

A HUGE stretch? I am confused that Stokes had to recuse himself due to relationship with the Force, but this was a discussion that seems never to have eventuated for Clyne and the VRU.

Perhaps I'm easily confused.

 

[Shiggins]

Anyone who thinks the force have been treated fairly over the years is off their head. The rebels got everything they wanted. More international players. More money. We got the shaft

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[BLR]

Cox put out a statement back in May stating they would not sell the license to the ARU....

Yet there were rumours despite this conversations were still taking place.....

 

[cyclopath]

A HUGE stretch? I am confused that Stokes had to recuse himself due to relationship with the Force, but this was a discussion that seems never to have eventuated for Clyne and the VRU.

Perhaps I'm easily confused.

Eh? Do you mean Stooke? Getting your Sandgropers mixed up?

 

[Slim 293]

Anyone who thinks the force have been treated fairly over the years is off their head. The rebels got everything they wanted. More international players. More money. We got the shaft

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Really?

 

[Slim 293]

Yet there were rumours despite this conversations were still taking place...

Rumors are not facts though.........

 

[Shiggins]

Really?

100 percent. We have never been treated equally

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[Shiggins]

Did my personal views of clyne get deleted ? Fair enough

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[Braveheart81]

A HUGE stretch? I am confused that Stokes had to recuse himself due to relationship with the Force, but this was a discussion that seems never to have eventuated for Clyne and the VRU.

Perhaps I'm easily confused.

Stooke not Stokes. He recused himself from the board meetings because he didn't want to be involved in cutting the Force.

What is Clyne's relationship with the VRU? He played for Victoria 30 years ago?

 

[Braveheart81]

Anyone who thinks the force have been treated fairly over the years is off their head. The rebels got everything they wanted. More international players. More money. We got the shaft

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No one is saying the Force have been treated fairly.