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Melbourne Rebels 2024

Highlander35

Steve Williams (59)
I don't know the law and legislation enough outside the ohs act, but that looks like a very technical set of arguments.
 

Rebelsfan

Billy Sheehan (19)
Let’s be clear , the former directors of Melbourne rebels are sueing RA . Melbourne rebels is now a shell of a company with no assets and no way to earn an income without their license. The players are contracted directly to RA who also holds the license . If MR win their case it will likely bankrupt RA because other franchises would rightly make the same claim
 

KevinO

Geoff Shaw (53)
If MR win their case it will likely bankrupt RA because other franchises would rightly make the same claim
I'm actually ok with that idea, RA goes bust. New governing body is formed with a constitution similar to NZRU and PE is found at the same time. New GB has Lions tour and rwc to prepare for and takes over from a position of strength.
 

stoff

Trevor Allan (34)
If the assertions on the debt are true RA have run through:
$40m in Ares loan repayments
$6m Waratah debt
$4m possible Waratah costs this season (as per SMH reporting)
$4m to operate the Rebels this year (assume similar cost to tahs)
$8m Interest on the above $54m
So $62m to the end of 2024 assuming no operating loss.
Then interest for 2025 will be at least another $9.3m, so up to $71.3m.

if the rebels board are successful RA will be out looking for more finance. Even if they’re not, there’ll be cash to the Jaguares and more NSW costs to cover in 25. The lions tour money might not get us to RWC27.
 

oztimmay

Tony Shaw (54)
Staff member
All is well and happy
Rebels to sue Rugby Australia


This is the balliest assertion of them all...

Firstly, the Rebels assert their primary liability, a debt to the ATO of $11m, is the responsibility of RA because the governing body and the club are a partnership. The Rebels contend this fealty to each other is demonstrated by RA, the club and its players all being parties to the same employment contract.
 

LeCheese

Greg Davis (50)
I'm actually ok with that idea, RA goes bust. New governing body is formed with a constitution similar to NZRU and PE is found at the same time. New GB has Lions tour and rwc to prepare for and takes over from a position of strength.
If RA go bust, the reformation of a governing body and continuation of the professional game in this country will not be that straightforward. To be frank, it’s the worst possible outcome.
 

Steve_Grey

Darby Loudon (17)
If RA go bust, the reformation of a governing body and continuation of the professional game in this country will not be that straightforward. To be frank, it’s the worst possible outcome.
Agreed - sounds in theory like a nice clean slate. In reality it will be a nightmare scenario.
 

Mr Pilfer

Alex Ross (28)
Biggest case of if I can't have it you can't have it. I thought these people (on the Rebels board) are rugby people. How does this help the game in Australia.
Exactly, this is just them going down swinging. They are suing RugbyAU and then just need to pass the money on to ATO anyway, I don’t think any of us will lose any sleep if the ATO don’t get their money back so let’s hope they don’t win.
 

stoff

Trevor Allan (34)
Yet the Waratahs are bailed out whilst not being able to run a team without burning cash in the biggest rugby market in the country and no-one seems to have a problem with it because the boys club just got on with jumping in and quietly saving them.
 

Rebelsfan

Billy Sheehan (19)
RA has wanted a centralised model for a while now. MR is now a centralised model. Players are contracted to RA, admin is done by RA. Not sure about game day operations, but those staff have been kept on for now. For a club that plays just 4 months of the year, do they need a team of 25 off field staff all year?
 

Strewthcobber

Simon Poidevin (60)
Yet the Waratahs are bailed out whilst not being able to run a team without burning cash in the biggest rugby market in the country and no-one seems to have a problem with it because the boys club just got on with jumping in and quietly saving them.
I think you might be neglecting how big a role the Waratahs $24m in assets and positive equity (at least in 2022) played in the Tahs centralisation decisions.
 

stoff

Trevor Allan (34)
I think you might be neglecting how big a role the Waratahs $24m in assets and positive equity (at least in 2022) played in the Tahs centralisation decisions.
Think you’re looking at the wrong report there. Waratahs had $1.5m in equity before being $6m in debt the next year.
 

stoff

Trevor Allan (34)
Just checking I have this right: the Melbourne Rebels directors are suing RA for bailing someone else out?
They personally tipped in as much cash to keep the Rebels going (as non-owners) as RA did to keep the Tahs afloat this year. I’d put it more like ‘rules for some’, but yeah basically.

If NSWRU has money and assets, why were the Tahs centralised with RA absorbing their debt? One set of directors expected to own their debts but not another.
 

TSR

Andrew Slack (58)
Yet the Waratahs are bailed out whilst not being able to run a team without burning cash in the biggest rugby market in the country and no-one seems to have a problem with it because the boys club just got on with jumping in and quietly saving them.
Horseshit. Most of us have big problems with the respective poor running of the Tahs, the Brumbies and previously the Reds (who seem to have their act together for the time being at least but shouldn’t be above criticism for the current state of rugby.) And you don’t have to look far to find the evidence of that. And most of us have huge sympathy for the Rebels and their fans.

What we don’t want - or at least what I don’t want - is to see Rugby Australia dragged under. Be that by the Tahs, The Rebels, the Brumbies, The Reds or themselves. It doesn’t do anyone any good. The suggestion that RA go broke and that the Lions and WC would still go ahead as planned I find very hard to believe. The fact that other fans seem to want to cheer this on has me bewildered.

Explain to me how this current course of action helps anyone but the same board members who ran the Rebels into the ground and I’ll happily change my tune.

NB I do also feel for the individual small businesses who will no doubt be part of the Rebels creditors as those people are no doubt personally impacted by this and God only knows what impact it is having on some of them.
 
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