wamberal
Phil Kearns (64)
The last ten years have unfolded like a Greek tragedy (not that I know anything about Greek tragedies).
Ten years ago the game was on top of the world, we were holders of the World Cup, just hosted a brilliant Lions tour, and were preparing for a home World Cup. Everything in the garden was coming up roses, even the Shute Shield grand final was drawing decent crowds at the SFS. The ARU was able to cherry pick several high flyers from the opposition. Super Rugby was expanding. The game had a great public image, and was getting lots of good publicity.
The 2003 World Cup was a huge success around the country. We were living at the Central Coast at the time, the Irish were stationed there, and it seemed as though every second kid was wearing a Wallabies or Irish jersey in the street. We made the final as expected, but lost a pulsating (daylight) game in extra time. I wonder now whether that was a turning point.
It seems to have been pretty much all down-hill since then. The game drifted forward to the 2007 World Cup which featured some of the worst, least attractive, rugby I have ever seen. The ARU threw money away on an attempt at a national championship, which should at the very least have been scheduled for the following year, when sponsors, spectators, and players might have been interested, instead the ARC being in competition with the RWC.
I struggle to think of any highlights since then, other than the Reds win last year.
The Shute Shield has been strangled by our selfish friends at Camperdown, and it seems to me that their success has been translated into a total lack of success by the Waratahs.
Proud clubs like Randwick and Gordon are on their knees. The Sydney Morning Herald has pretty much stopped covering the game. Well done, Growfat, if this was your aim, you seem to have succeeded.
The game used to be played in all the good state high schools, nowadays the best schools are all academic hot-houses, with no time for any sport, except a bit of tiddleywinks or kite-flying. So the game now seems to be totally dependent on the whim of a few private schools.
FTA is uninterested in our sport, apparently. Who can blame them, with some of the dismal performances that our national team have been dishing up for far too long?
I suppose I am fortunate in having seen the best of the game here, and I also remember the dismal days of the sixties and seventies as well. We are headed back there, at a rate of knots. The game almost died in the fifities, it was only saved by a fantastically popular Fijian tour.
What on earth can save it now?
Ten years ago the game was on top of the world, we were holders of the World Cup, just hosted a brilliant Lions tour, and were preparing for a home World Cup. Everything in the garden was coming up roses, even the Shute Shield grand final was drawing decent crowds at the SFS. The ARU was able to cherry pick several high flyers from the opposition. Super Rugby was expanding. The game had a great public image, and was getting lots of good publicity.
The 2003 World Cup was a huge success around the country. We were living at the Central Coast at the time, the Irish were stationed there, and it seemed as though every second kid was wearing a Wallabies or Irish jersey in the street. We made the final as expected, but lost a pulsating (daylight) game in extra time. I wonder now whether that was a turning point.
It seems to have been pretty much all down-hill since then. The game drifted forward to the 2007 World Cup which featured some of the worst, least attractive, rugby I have ever seen. The ARU threw money away on an attempt at a national championship, which should at the very least have been scheduled for the following year, when sponsors, spectators, and players might have been interested, instead the ARC being in competition with the RWC.
I struggle to think of any highlights since then, other than the Reds win last year.
The Shute Shield has been strangled by our selfish friends at Camperdown, and it seems to me that their success has been translated into a total lack of success by the Waratahs.
Proud clubs like Randwick and Gordon are on their knees. The Sydney Morning Herald has pretty much stopped covering the game. Well done, Growfat, if this was your aim, you seem to have succeeded.
The game used to be played in all the good state high schools, nowadays the best schools are all academic hot-houses, with no time for any sport, except a bit of tiddleywinks or kite-flying. So the game now seems to be totally dependent on the whim of a few private schools.
FTA is uninterested in our sport, apparently. Who can blame them, with some of the dismal performances that our national team have been dishing up for far too long?
I suppose I am fortunate in having seen the best of the game here, and I also remember the dismal days of the sixties and seventies as well. We are headed back there, at a rate of knots. The game almost died in the fifities, it was only saved by a fantastically popular Fijian tour.
What on earth can save it now?
