Trying to organise a brand new competition that involves 9 brand new teams with limited resources.
Each team was supposed to stump up a truckload of dollars - which they did. Some are being run by the franchises themselves. How limited can their resources be?
If they didn't have the capability to do it in the first place they shouldn't be setting it up to fail.
If the draw comes out 5-6 weeks before the first game is it really that bad? This is the first year.
Yep, it is that bad. The ARU want companies to sponsor the teams and the competition. Take a look at any decent size company, if you want more than $10k they expect a few months lead time.
So companies can suspend their own governance policies and throw money behind the competition, incurring the wrath of shareholders and auditors (with any issues relating to that) or they will have to hold off the sponsorship until next year.....if the NRC makes it that far.
The semi professional players need to organise leave, families who want to support the game but have limited time and finances have to make choices and rugby clubs who organise tours and end of year functions would probably like to put match day session together. Plus with a draw organised, tickets can be sold and revenue can start. Not to mention the ability to promote the competition.
With all my heart I want this to succeed. I just don't understand how they can't see their poor organisation has the potential to not only break the hearts of all rugby fans in Australia, but set the game back decades as NOBODY will financially support something that is so pooly run.