Melbourne Rebels 2024

[Rebelsfan]

So latest news is the Rebels deny VA, if they were in VA I doubt the players would have trained today.

I would think training would be a priority for players wanting to get a gig elsewhere

 

[Members Section]

Melb. Rebels deny voluntary administration status

The Melbourne Rebels insist they haven't entered voluntary administration but the move is potentially on the table for the financially-stricken Super Rugby Pacific club.

www.espn.com.au

It sound slike Wexted have been bought in to assist with the debt situation but the organisation are not in voluntary administration, at least not yet. Still a pretty dire situation, but not quite as bad as yesterday's reporting.

Still there's a long way to go to survive this, seems pretty clear that Docherty needs to step aside and let someone else come in and focus on saving the club. Whether or not you see him as responsible it's hard to see how he can give the situation the attention it needs with everything BRC capital is dealing with.

Can’t believe the board hasn’t pushed him already!

 

[Rebel man]

This is a really shit situation for Rebels fans (staff and players) but I can’t get over the reaction of many of the Rebels fans here blaming others.

RA can take a portion of the blame but this stinks of mismanagement. Every year they’ve had massive squads with heaps of interstate players. That myst have cost a motza every year.

sure RA have decreased funding but that just means the club has to tighten the belt. Clearly they haven’t. Unfortunately it means the the fans, players (perhaps) and the lower staff suffer. And the game as a whole.

I can only imagine things will get worse before they get better. Licence will likely go back to RA and things will be run ‘centrally’.

lol yeah so we should just sit millions below the salary cap it’s nonsensical

 

[swingpass]

Voluntary administration essentially buys breathing space as it stops creditors continuing to try and recoup their debt. They can still trade in administration if the appointed administrator believe it’s in the interest of the creditors, and the company can come out of administration if a path to viability is found…. Which is still a possibility and I’m sure part of the negotiations with RA & VIC Govt. If they enter VA and haven’t ceased trading immediately, it provides some hope the administrators have a way to avoid liquidation.

What is there to liquidate, what assets do they have ?

 

[KevinO]

What is there to liquidate, what assets do they have ?

Absolutely nothing, don't own any of the training facilities.

 

[KevinO]

I would think training would be a priority for players wanting to get a gig elsewhere

If they got horrible news that effected there's and family's future they would be taking the day off to sort stuff. They would not be smashing each other for the sake of a future gig elsewhere.

 

[Sir Arthur Higgins]

The Hawks - I’ll probably just cancel my Stan sports subscription and get some value out of my MCC membership.

Went through this in the merger battle with the Hawks and Demons, then the whole super shit show a few years ago. It gets pretty old after a while.

The real struggle will be if I can get behind the wallabies - Lions and home World Cup or not.

I don’t get this line. Assuming you like rugby, why would you not get behind a lions tour or a World Cup in your back yard?

 

[swingpass]

Absolutely nothing, don't own any of the training facilities.

Exactly So they come to an agreement with creditors and find someone to pay the $ and continue to “trade” or they are wound up and everybody ( includingRA) loses. IMO the former is more likely.

 

[liquor box]

lol yeah so we should just sit millions below the salary cap it’s nonsensical

It would be nonsensical to spend more money than is coming in year after year and think that it is a good business model. Unless you have a billionaire who is happy to throw away money each year then you need to try to stay within budget.

Sitting below the salary cap is not great, but I would rather watch my team play, no matter who is on the field than not have a team because they spent too much money.

 

[Rebel man]

It would be nonsensical to spend more money than is coming in year after year and think that it is a good business model. Unless you have a billionaire who is happy to throw away money each year then you need to try to stay within budget.

Sitting below the salary cap is not great, but I would rather watch my team play, no matter who is on the field than not have a team because they spent too much money.

Most comps have a rule about a minimum spend. Also with the super rugby cap being 4.4 to now 5.5m you can’t be sitting 2m below it. You wouldn’t get within 50 points ever. It’s up to Rugby Australia to fund the player payments

 

[dru]

I don’t get this line. Assuming you like rugby, why would you not get behind a lions tour or a World Cup in your back yard?

The joy of rugby has been kicked out of you by RA?

 

[Clubhouse coach]

Most comps have a rule about a minimum spend. Also with the super rugby cap being 4.4 to now 5.5m you can’t be sitting 2m below it. You wouldn’t get within 50 points ever. It’s up to Rugby Australia to fund the player payments

At this stage I can’t offer any feasible options on how they do it, but RA need to lift their funding to the five Super Rugby clubs. Why the Waratahs are in such a financial mess when they are the only Super Rugby team in a town of five million people?
Sydney should be a cash cow for RA.
If the Tahs could get one percent of Sydney to come on board as members, it would get them close to being financially independent.
Back to my original thought, both the AFL and NRL pour huge amounts of money into their teams, more so if those teams are expansion teams or are based in non traditional AFL or NRL heartlands.
RA may never have the funds of the ARL and NRL, but RA only have five teams to fund.
My point is that if you are going to have a successful presence in the Australian winter sporting market you need to give the Super Rugby teams a lot more money than four or five million and somewhere near double the salary cap, to match it’s competitors.
Until that happens we are fighting in a market with both hands tied behind are back.

 

[Wallaby Ways]

looks like the nzru got their wish only 3 aus teams

Not necessarily

 

[hoggy]

At this stage I can’t offer any feasible options on how they do it, but RA need to lift their funding to the five Super Rugby clubs. Why the Waratahs are in such a financial mess when they are the only Super Rugby team in a town of five million people?
Sydney should be a cash cow for RA.
If the Tahs could get one percent of Sydney to come on board as members, it would get them close to being financially independent.
Back to my original thought, both the AFL and NRL pour huge amounts of money into their teams, more so if those teams are expansion teams or are based in non traditional AFL or NRL heartlands.
RA may never have the funds of the ARL and NRL, but RA only have five teams to fund.
My point is that if you are going to have a successful presence in the Australian winter sporting market you need to give the Super Rugby teams a lot more money than four or five million and somewhere near double the salary cap, to match it’s competitors.
Until that happens we are fighting in a market with both hands tied behind are back.

NSW should be a powerhouse, but the years of inclusion in Super Rugby have ensured that they can no longer achieve that.

No local Derbies
only 6 or 7 games yearly in your own market
constantly changing competition structure
Never being in control of you own roster
increased competition from other codes
an inability to adapt the competition to meet market needs
very poor scheduling
forced resting of your own roster for the national team, How are you supposed to then sell memberships????
lack of interest in over half the teams, who are based overseas
A competition that the governing body has never prioritized
Over compensated workers for the money the competition generates
No business model driving change for the better, no competition.
Just one team in your primary market ( the single biggest mistake Union has made ?????????????)

And the list goes on

That's is why NSW are no longer a powerhouse.

 

[Clubhouse coach]

NSW should be a powerhouse, but the years of inclusion in Super Rugby have ensured that they can no longer achieve that.

No local Derbies
only 6 or 7 games in yearly in your own market
constantly changing competition structure
Never being in control of you own roster
increased competition from other codes
an inability to adapt the competition to meet market needs
very poor scheduling
forced resting of your own roster for the national team, How are you supposed to then sell memberships????
lack of interest in over half the teams, who are based overseas
A competition that the governing body has never prioritized
Over compensated workers for the money the competition generates
No business model driving change for the better, no competition.
Just one team in your primary market ( the single biggest mistake Union has made ?????????????)

And the list goes on

That's is why NSW are no longer a powerhouse.

.Good points Hoggy, most of these are an easy fix.
I would also through in the option of having an o/s marquee player and a wallaby eligible player exempt from the salary cap.

 

[Adam84]

.Good points Hoggy, most of these are an easy fix.
I would also through in the option of having an o/s marquee player and a wallaby eligible player exempt from the salary cap.

Noting the current financial issues of clubs, and inability to balance books by the board, this is a horrible idea

 

[Yoda]

At this stage I can’t offer any feasible options on how they do it, but RA need to lift their funding to the five Super Rugby clubs. Why the Waratahs are in such a financial mess when they are the only Super Rugby team in a town of five million people?
Sydney should be a cash cow for RA.
If the Tahs could get one percent of Sydney to come on board as members, it would get them close to being financially independent.
Back to my original thought, both the AFL and NRL pour huge amounts of money into their teams, more so if those teams are expansion teams or are based in non traditional AFL or NRL heartlands.
RA may never have the funds of the ARL and NRL, but RA only have five teams to fund.
My point is that if you are going to have a successful presence in the Australian winter sporting market you need to give the Super Rugby teams a lot more money than four or five million and somewhere near double the salary cap, to match it’s competitors.
Until that happens we are fighting in a market with both hands tied behind are back.

People are hardly attracted to the game because it has become so boring to watch. I would say the Rebels played the best footy last year, in that they were exciting but unfortunately that didn’t translate into many wins… I know many ex players who now no longer watch the game. I can remember going to watch the Brumbies in Canberra and the Tahs in Sydney and they had packed out stadiums… not any more. I put that down to boring predictable rugby. How in hell are the Rebels expected to be financial in an AFL mad town. No chance. At the least the Force have a population with South Africans who have adopted their home team. Huge plus is also Twiggy is backing them. Not sure of the answer … I know one thing though. We need more footballers and less athletes.

 

[Rebel man]

At this stage I can’t offer any feasible options on how they do it, but RA need to lift their funding to the five Super Rugby clubs. Why the Waratahs are in such a financial mess when they are the only Super Rugby team in a town of five million people?
Sydney should be a cash cow for RA.
If the Tahs could get one percent of Sydney to come on board as members, it would get them close to being financially independent.
Back to my original thought, both the AFL and NRL pour huge amounts of money into their teams, more so if those teams are expansion teams or are based in non traditional AFL or NRL heartlands.
RA may never have the funds of the ARL and NRL, but RA only have five teams to fund.
My point is that if you are going to have a successful presence in the Australian winter sporting market you need to give the Super Rugby teams a lot more money than four or five million and somewhere near double the salary cap, to match it’s competitors.
Until that happens we are fighting in a market with both hands tied behind are back.

The problem is the AFL has been trying to support and grow the game in NSW and Queensland for over 100 years now and through the Swans and Lions they are starting to see a ROI. Rugby Australia still just thinks of the heartland

 

[hoggy]

.Good points Hoggy, most of these are an easy fix.
I would also through in the option of having an o/s marquee player and a wallaby eligible player exempt from the salary cap.

Sorry, but I don't think they are easy fixes.
They require Vision, planning, financials, sacrifice, complete change of direction, expertise, something the RA have shown little ability to do over the last 20 years.

 

[Proud Pig]

The only answer for Australian Rugby is to live within it's means. That means let all the best players earn money overseas and pick the Wallabies from overseas players just like the Socceroos do. Drop the salary cap to $2 million per club and accept where that leaves the domestic game. Yes, the quality of the super comp will drop but if all teams have the same salary cap it will still be competitive. At least the game should survive on a cheaper footprint rather than circling the drain as it is doing now.