Should Gus Gould replace David Gallop?
There’s been much debate on David Gallop’s handling of the Sonny Bill Williams affair. And we hear loud rumblings that rugby league is in poor shape in Australia and that change is needed. So I invited Roar editor, Zolton Zavos, to put his thoughts forward on why he thinks Gus Gould might provide the solution, while I suggest that an even a Crow could do a better job.
Zolton Zavos: pro-Phil Gould
Even before all the drama broke this year about off (and on) field player behaviour, it was pretty clear to most ardent followers of the code that rugby league was in serious trouble.
It’s not about the product itself, which remains exciting and competitive.
Rather, it’s in the roots of the game, which - until Super League shook things up a bit — has traditionally pitched itself as a blue collar, working-class code.
And, perhaps more significantly, it’s in a dearth of lateral thinking displayed by many of the code’s most prominent decision makers.
David Gallop’s at the head of queue.
Really, recent media attacks aside; Gallop must have one of the easiest jobs in professional sports administration. The clubs are all self-managed, there’s a further layer of management with the NSW and Queensland Rugby Leagues, and then another one again with the Australian Rugby League.
It might be a little facetious to ask it, but aside from being quoted from time-to-time when players step out of line, what else does Gallop actually do each day?
What he should be doing is drawing firmer lines in the sand on abhorrent player behaviour and thinking more creativity about how better to promote his code to a new audience who want their action fast and accessible at all times.
Of course, there’s another answer.
Loathe him or hate him (are there any shades in between?), Phil Gould is a forward thinker. He’s an agent for change. He understands league players, and the league market, because he’s one of them: a former player and successful coach.
And he has the nous and the balls to take the rugby league code firmly by the scruff of the neck and drag it kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century.
If rugby league continues on its current trajectory, there’s a real danger that it will soon be swallowed up by the more financially sustainable codes - AFL, union and football.
Gallop is not the man for the rescue job.
Why not give Gus a crack? If nothing else, it might shut him up for a minute.
Steve Kaless: against Phil Gould
Making Gus Gould the CEO of the NRL is the equivalent of making the ADHD kid the litter monitor in the playground.
It might help keep him quiet, but it is not going to make any real impact on the state of anarchy and lawlessness that is the rugby league playground.
You can make Greg Bird pick up 25,000 pieces of litter or write on the blackboard “I will not allegedly attack my girlfriend or allegedly ask my friend to take the rap” (damn lawyers) but the game needs more than that.
A restructure of the organisation of the body that governs rugby league in Australia is long overdue, but that is perhaps a separate debate to who should perhaps take over.
One thing is for sure, it shouldn’t be Gus.
The next boss of the NRL needs to come with one thing, no baggage and be able to do two things, unify the factions of the game and drive the game forward.
Out of a possible score of three, Gus gets the goose egg, the big donut a big round zero.
If Gus Gould was in charge of the NRL you’d need to hire every porter from every big city hotel to carry his baggage to each and every meeting.
Gould seems to be the sort of bloke who if locked in a room by himself would soon start an argument.
He may be passionate about rugby league, but his passion (for want of a better term) has seen him fall out with a long long list of players, administrators, coaches and journalists.
This is hardly the sort of character to heal the wounds and bring the game together before charging forward.
One of the biggest criticisms of current hierarchy is it allows someone like Nick Politis to sit on a number of boards, can you imagine Gould, his life long ally making the phone call to tell Nick “thanks for your help mate, but we need a new direction”.
And what about the next TV deal, while it is no death sentence not to be on the News Ltd Christmas card list, wouldn’t the fact that he has been a long term employee (loyal servant?) of Channel Nine be enough to disqualify him as someone to negotiate that deal.
If past lives are enough to end the reign of Gallop, surely the same must apply.
Gus is a populist, he is great at telling you that your club means so much to rugby league.
It might be when they are getting flogged 30-0 on Friday night footy and he says “stick around folks, this is just how Team X likes it, they’ve got a rich fighting history and I reckon this game is far from over.”
Or maybe he is tugging on the heart strings on a Sunday with an article about suburban rugby league grounds and the good days of footy when we used to go to games and leave our front doors unlocked because even the thieves wouldn’t dare steal from a working man while he was at the footy.
Gus’ biggest problem is that he has already nailed his name to the church door of too many issues.
As the game moves into its next centenary the challenges that lie ahead mean that everything needs to be investigated and explored.
Arthur Beetson and Andrew Johns are just two former greats of the game who have said that the number of teams in the competition needs to be examined, Gus has made it clear he believes every team in Sydney is vital to the game.
Gus may be right, but his refusal to entertain the idea is not the hallmark of a great CEO.
When Gus starts one of his rants on the Nine coverage, you can minimise the damage but filling the fridge, emptying the bladder or making a phone call.
It wouldn’t be so easy if his name in the Big League program wasn’t just followed by the letter C but also E and O.
The list of alternatives could be a long one.
Mick Cronin has run an excellent pub in Gerrigong for years.
Vote One the Crow.
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The Link said | September 2nd 2008 @ 9:48am | Report comment
Steve, I agree that the issue is more structural rather than about individuals.
An independent commission, akin to the AFL, needs to be running the game and (almost just as importantly) be negotiating the TV deal. Having News on both sides of the table in negotiating the TV deal is a confict and only serves to diminish what League should be getting for rights.
Zolton, big call to say the game runs itself!!
oikee said | September 2nd 2008 @ 10:00am | Report comment
You are pretty spot on there steve with what you have said about Gus, on top of that he is to quick to judge and make comments without thinking, and then has to do a backflip to cover. He is alright to have around, i dont really have a problem with him, but he should never be allowed to run a organisation, the game is in good hands.
Lots of peole will say Gallop is not doing enough, behind the scenes i think he is doing fine. The league needs to change its way of doing things and this is being looked at and (done) by gallop. I think we all need to be a little patient, this wont happen like yesterday, it takes 3-4 years to acheive results. Memberships are a must and expanding is also something that has to be looked at in other states.
The only real issue with the game at this time is the crowd figures at A.N.Z, league is a game that fits well with a crowd of 20 to 25 thousand, so we need these well built stadium to accomadate. Veiwing figures are not a issue. We really dont need a bigger stadium than 50 thousand, so suncorp is perfect and purpuse built for the big games.
As for off-feild behaviour, i was watching a series of crime stories about a policeman who pulled girls over on the high-way and then raped them, he got caught when he killed one of them. All professions have problems , why do you think that league should be squeaky clean, we will always have problems, we just need to try to keep the lads focused on good and bad, still dont mean we wont have any problems, its the way we deal with them is how we move forward. At least there out in the open and not brushed under the carpet now. Admit you have a problem and the reabilatation starts after that, like Gallop has said about the clubs, yes we have a problem, but at least we know.
skull said | September 2nd 2008 @ 12:43pm | Report comment
Gould is a goose of that there is no question but in my opinion he is right about one thing and that is there should be more games on Sunday afternoons. The weather is usually warmer and generally there is less competiton for the entertainment dollar on Sunday afternoons as opposed to Sat. nights.
As far as the leadership of RL is concerned there is currently no leadership, it is all reactive. RL needs a strongman in charge supported by an independent board which overseas all levels of the game. As it is all we get is News Ltd lackeys or ARL people still fighting the war.
I dont know who that strongman or woman would be but it needs to be someone who also has the best interests of the grassroots of the game in the suburbs and bush in mind when decisions are being made, not just the elite competitions.
Spiro Zavos said | September 2nd 2008 @ 1:03pm | Report comment
Phil Gould would make a terrific CEO of the NRL. It’s the poacher-gamekeeper syndrome that would make it work. Of course, he is opinioniated. He’s paid to express his opinions on television and for the Sun-Herald. I always find his written stuff, particularly, very impressive.
He won’t get the CEO’s job because he is not a News Ltd protegy. David Gallop was involved with News Ltd’s Super League bid. This has totally compromised him when it comes to issues regarding the contracts of players, as the Sonny Bill Williams affair revealed.
There has been a vicious campaign run against Gould in The Sunday Telegraph by Phil Rothfield and Rebecca Wilson. And this campaign, in itself, is a justification for putting Gould into the top seat. He would certainly give RL a coherent game plan to take it securely into the 21st century. Right now, the game is the play thing of two media outlets, Channel 9 and News Ltd who are milking it for all they are worth.
Gould would do for RL what John O’Neill has done and continues to do for RU in Australia.
Justin said | September 2nd 2008 @ 1:20pm | Report comment
Gould should be involved in some capacity as he has a passion for the game and has a great understanding of its nuances also. Some sort of role in operations and or future competition strategy may be a possibility. However being involved as a consultant and running the show are 2 entirely different matters. What experience does he have in running multi-million dollar business?
Not sure why having a couple of journo’s running a “campaign” against you is grounds for becoming top dog of a sporting organisation?
cosmos forever said | September 2nd 2008 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
Spiro, I look forward to the Gould-led NRL - A five team Sydney competition that changes the rules each week based on a mixture of ridiculous ‘rose coloured glasses’ statements and whatever gets more ratings for the 47 minutes of (delayed) footy shown on the CEO’s former network (sms us now if you want the stripping rule chucked out by next week - 131bundy for yes, 131rum for no).
I could take Gould’s ramblings if they were genuine and less about the perpetuation of some commentator’s WWE type persona. I have no doubts has the good of (his and his only) game at heart but he’s become too much of a cliche of himself.
Redb said | September 2nd 2008 @ 2:17pm | Report comment
How long will it be before Gallop gets the chop or is he doing such a good job for News Ltd he’s safe or as long as he wants the job?
Redb
oikee said | September 2nd 2008 @ 3:14pm | Report comment
Spiro, yes i do enjoy to read gus when he writes because he can look back before he enters the send button to make sure he has not put his big foot into it. Him running the game would be like, hey lets try this, spend 100 million and say, no that dont work, ok give me another 100 million to fix it. We know where we need to improve, it takes time to see results like memberships and other growth. We all think that cutting Sydney teams would be good in the long run, Gallop does not think this way.? Why.
If Gus could fix the problem then it would already be fixed. I am sure that they all look at surgestions from everyone’s ideas, and Gus would have plenty,.
As for Union and john O’neil , he cant get any worse because they are at rock bottom. So he is only going to look good in future years. But then again, with the wallibies performing like they are at the momment, nobody might care enough to worry about them. At least they have the world cup in new zealand 2010 which will keep a few amused.
One thing assured in this world, Kangaroos winning world cups, the others are a lottery. We have 9 , i am looking forward to 10.
Koala Bear said | September 2nd 2008 @ 3:45pm | Report comment
Absolutely Yes!!!
~~~~~~~
KB
Midfielder said | September 2nd 2008 @ 4:07pm | Report comment
In its current management structure it would not matter who was in charge. As many have said change the management structure ………. whether PG is CEO material I am not sure, but I am reasonably sure DG is not the person to take league forward as he is to close to News and IMO being part of the SL war on the News side it would be hard for him to take all the League guys behind him.
oikee said | September 2nd 2008 @ 4:22pm | Report comment
Yeah Midfielder, pretty right but the thing that really hurt league is the fact we left aderlaide and perth. Now we are trying to expand back with tender feet because of failure at this present time. Thats all we need is for the other codes to see us expand and fail. That makes headlines.
Super league in england is growing at a rapid rate, they have france tied up, and i see they have another team about to enter what would be our jim beam cup. On top of this they have taken the plunge into wales, and there next millium magic games will be held in scotland. The sooner we bite the bullit and get expansion going the better, if clubs die or have to move then so be it, at least we will be national along with all the other codes, you see where i am going.
Super league will gobbly up europe with-in ten years, there pay t/v deals will increase and they are slowly growing the game in the countries that matter. We need to grow our game outside of Sydney, gold coast is a good reason to see that. Wellington would help new zealand and australia league because of the under 20 talent. We need a person with vision.
Justin said | September 2nd 2008 @ 4:37pm | Report comment
Okee - care to expand on the rapid rate comment? France tied up how? Scotland? Give me a break….
Steve Kaless said | September 2nd 2008 @ 6:51pm | Report comment
Hang on Spiro if the amount of times you appear in the Rebecca Wilson, Phil Rothfield column suddenly becomes the most important criteria for the top job at the NRL suddenly we have an impressive field.
Willie Mason suddenly looks a shoe-in for the role once his playing days are over, Sonny-Bill’s recent behaviour probably puts him out of the running, but maybe Paul Vautin is then the man for the job.
Although, if the coverage from this page of sporting gossip is to be the litmus test then let rugby league show the way by having the first female CEO of a major footballing code. Step forward, Candice Falzon!
Jason Cave said | September 2nd 2008 @ 7:57pm | Report comment
Is it about time the NRL changed their orgainisation to appoint a commission (ie the AFL) to run the game instead of one man wielding all the power? And surely former PM John Howard would be a good choice to be on the NRL commission-and probably make him chairman as well.
oikee said | September 2nd 2008 @ 8:52pm | Report comment
Good one Jason, while we are at it lets vote johnny back for P.M , I think John Howad has got more things on his plate than rugby league, even though he has given great support over the years, just like Kevin Rudd is now.
Justin , dont you watch super league? They have a team from france in the comp. And they have a team out of Toulouse starting in the National league next year, does not seem like alot but with this comes t/v coverage. As you know and from what we have learned over the years is league is a ood t/v product, so this gives them exposure in france.
As for wales they have a team from in the super league for the 1st time next year, something that has never happened before in wales.
Scotland gets exposure this year from the world cup, and next 2 years gets the super league millium magic week-end which attracts around 60 thousand to the long week-end. Does not sound like much but this is how wales got a team into the comp, by having league played there for 3 years and alot of hard work done by their club in wales to attract fans and plant grass roots. Scotland might be a hard sell but if it means beating the poms, then it should not take long for them to get a solid team.
The last t/v deal that super-league made has given them good opputunities to further develop the game, seems like this is what they are doing, good luck to them. All the comments i have written are on the net if you wish to look them up. I am just repeating what has already been said and taken place. You can do your own reseach about the veiwing figures for super league but i have heard they are good right across england, so they have lots of support for the game. Oh and 83 thousand turned up for the challenge cup final at wembley on the week-end.
Midfielder said | September 2nd 2008 @ 10:26pm | Report comment
Oikee
What deep down in my soul hurts with me relating to league. In the mid 90’s it was sailing along with a very solid business plan moving forward. Left alone more than likely RL would have taken Fiji and maybe another island in the South Pacific.
Remember in 1989 the RWC at Concord Oval drew about 13, 000. In Queensland Gold Coast and Two Brisbane sides, as you say teams in SA & WA.
Along comes News all but killed league, …….. lost the second Brisbane side, lost the Gold Coast side ……….. meaning anyone who could not make the Broncos could go to the Brisbane Lions (AFL), ……… Union saw the writing on the wall and formed the Tri Nations, so kept there best players and south pacific. SA & WA lost and as you said almost impossible to get back.
Now the very organisation that opened up Brisbane to the AFL & took league out of SA & WA, saved the south pacific for union, turned long time league friends against each other ………… is now in charge and ………. signing deals with itself via foxsports and takes a very healthy dividend to boot.
How can the above be, league is managered and financially raped each year by a US media company, who did all in its power to kill it off ………… it hurts to much to think on …………. but F me ……… deep down in the soul it hurts bad
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 9:40am | Report comment
It hurts me too midfeilder, and if you think about how stupid news was to let go of those 2 states makes you think that the people running the game back then were no cleaver than you or I. Anyhow what we did back then and how we do things now are two very different senarios. What they have to do now is grow the game again, slowly will do as long as we keep moving forward with possitive steps. And i think this is happening, the game itself is very good, there is no problems really with the product, and what does not worry me is weather we are the 2nd or 3rd best code in australia, but as long as we keep the game strong with-in our clubs we are doing fine, i really think we need to forget about ever trying to be the number1 code, this will never happen, A.F.L and soccer will fight that one out over the next 20 years, good luck to them.
As for league we get to enjoy the game we love and watch great players running around and entertaining us as they have done all season. The real growth of the game is coming from england, they have steped up to the mark and moving forward faster than we can do here in oz. I see South Sydney have seen the light and their membership drive is the number 1 priority, as it should be with all clubs, aussie rules has taught us this much if nothing else, goes back to the old saying, if you cant beat them, join them.
One last thing about league in Perth, it wont be that far off getting a team playing from there, they have a agenda and are moving the game forward . 2015 would be a likely expansion, we need to get the other clubs in order before we look to expansion, the one thing we dont want to do is expand and create a weaker compitition, the a.f.l are in danger of doing this, not that i think it will hurt them long term. Just one last comment that you might find interesting, given that league is really only 2 states, we are doing very well in the bigger picture, just imagine if we had 5 states interested in league, we still might not be the number 1 code, but we would be looking pretty good.
Look at possitives rather than negatives, this is what the rugbyboss would be doing, their expansion is coming from japan i think, very clever because he knows they have the money. The problem with that is if they can expand then so can league, we would pick up alot of players who dont cut the grass in union, but would excel at league.
Final word about the world cup this year that has not been said the t/v coverage, its the largest coverage that league has ever had into other countries , so there is a demand for the game even if its not played alot in those countries.They would not bother if they did not want the games shown?
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 10:03am | Report comment
Going back to Gus Gould and him being in charge , here is one example that would make him very ordinary if he run the game. Take the video refs, ouch, now we all know that this is one of gussy’s biggest sore points with the game, can anyone remember the last time they were not used? I sit their watching the replay and have my opinion like everyone else who watches them.
Yes we went through that period where all calls were getting called wrong and we were yelling at the t/v because they made mistakes. But tell me this, would we be better off without them, do you really think that if we took them away we would be better off or not.
What we need is for the ref to ref, if he sees a try then call it a try, dont keep going upstairs for every-thing.
We live with dud video calls so a dud ref call would not put us off-side, but as for getting rid of them, whats that make Gus, a dinosaur if he thinks this way, just improve the calls like they are doing and get on with it.
This is why i think gus would do more harm than good. You ever watch Seinfield with George and nobody remembering Bozo the clown, the clown told george he was living in the seventies. This is how i see gus, he really needs to let go of the past.
The Link said | September 3rd 2008 @ 10:47am | Report comment
oikee, enjoying your posts and insight.
Souths moving to approx $16m in revenue without pokies is impressive compared to the chook raffle club they were pre Russ. I agree it looks like they may be the future model for Sydney clubs, not just with membership but sponsorship and other revenue initiatives.
With the Reds in the Jim Beam Cup WA is building nicely. To consolidate the heartland Central Coast and Sunshine Coast should be in the mix for expansion. Not too sure on Adelaide though.
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 11:05am | Report comment
Aderlaide is not a problem, it will come with time, if you have a team from Perth then they get to play against the storm, this will create rivalry, now if you were aderlaide and seen this happening it would not take long for Aderlaide to want some of the action, no Perth is the main priority, Aderlaide will come when there ready. We dont want to get pushy, let them do the work, thats what Perth are doing. They have the best personel in Perth working extremely hard to get things in place, and i might add are acheiving good results.
Gallop needs to look at what the Celtic Crusaders (Wales) crowds are next year, they have the same amount as perth have but by joining the super league i wonder how far that crowd will grow. Should be interesting, give them 3 years to find out. New Zealand should also be looked at closely, I dont think Wellington would be a bad idea of having them in the league also, they want a team and can produce alot of talent. This is why i think having less teams in Sydney would provide a stronger comp, But this is a sore point and something that should sort itself out with time. The Bulldogs brand would go well in brisbane.
True Tah said | September 3rd 2008 @ 11:18am | Report comment
oikee,
re: the whole SL expansion, whilst its a bit off topic, there were calls that one of the expansion licences should have been given to Widnes/Whitehaven or a Cumbria-based side, on the basis that the Cumbria region is probably the only part of the UK where RL is number 1 sport and both these clubs have done impressive things re: junior development…think of Tasmania not been given an AFL side.
Dont know how the Celtic Crusaders will go, the WRU has recently announced that they are considering a 5th pro team in the Principality, and Welsh rugby players are amongst the best paid in the world.
The Link said | September 3rd 2008 @ 11:18am | Report comment
Adelaide would be 5 years behind Perth I reckon, I agree lets not drop a team in without the groundwork being done.
Like the idea of Wellington, thought the Orca’s bid had some merit a couple of years ago. Now there’s a rivalry, Warrirors v Wellington…
Michael C said | September 3rd 2008 @ 11:35am | Report comment
Midfielder -
re the whole company thing - - it reminds me of the Emirates take over of Manchester City…………..clubs are just tradeable entities…………so, why not the NRL as a whole?
It’s not pretty from a sports fans perspective.
I have no idea how long the AFL can hold out - but I’m happy for now.
btw - - - how about Brian Waldron to replace Gallop?
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 11:56am | Report comment
Yes i have had a real good look at what they have done with the franchising in super-league, and the way they went about there bussiness was just brilliant, something that will pay massive dividands to them in future years. It was done very sutterly by taking over the defunct celtic warriors union club and drawing on the jumiors in that area, with union wanting to introduce a 5th team into the comp now has played into super-leagues plans because the union strength of numbers is very weak if they do this, by having a fifth team will stretch they playing talent to the limit, this is why the team folded in the 1st place, super league wales on the other hand has a greater exposure and comp to play in, this in itself will make it more attractive to juniors in the area.
With the other teams missing out this was also part of there plan to make the game more attractive to television audience which is what they are striving for, the one thing that is in this comp’s favour is that relagation is still there, so these teams that missed out are still in the running after 3 years, this again is something that makes super-league so attractive to other league clubs. I would think that they will expand to 16 teams next time and still have the relagation for other teams not in the comp. Its very good for them because the teams who have missed out know they will get a chance again within 3 years. Shame we dont have this in oz but we are 2 small a country to do this. Population i mean.
Same as what aussie rules is doing in qld and new south wales Link, rivalry between teams, wellington and warriors would build up a very good match, it would be like a state of origin game.
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 12:03pm | Report comment
Yes, dont know much about Waldron but i like his comments, they are all contriversal but thats what league is about, and he wants Perth into the comp ASAP.
Towser said | September 3rd 2008 @ 12:23pm | Report comment
Oikee
League has been going in the North of England & flourished in its heartland small towns since the beginning of the last century. It has never flourished in the South or indeed the larger cities of England even in Leeds the only exception ,it plays second fiddle historically to the Football team.
In my home town The Sheffield Eagles struggled & ultimately failed even though in 98 I believe they won the Super League.
The same scenario in London.
Why because essentially League is a small provincial town sport ie it can provide a spectacle to a certain level to a certain audience. Once the audience becomes larger in bigger cities particularly industrial ones it cannot match the appeal of Association football.or i would say in this country AFL. The Football leagues in England reflect generally the population size of a town & the football standard is reflected accordingly. Rugby League towns in England are no bigger than what would be considered 3rd division football towns at best many 4th division & less.
To illustrate this once Wigan & Hull perhaps the largest of RL towns outside Leeds developed EPL standard football teams they surpassed the Rugby League clubs.
Remember we are talking about England here not Australia where the social conditions are very different.
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 12:45pm | Report comment
Your point being, i have already admitted defeat by soccer in oz, we are not trying to be a number 1 code, never will be, but the competition will always be good as it is in north england, people enjoy the game and thats all, when i say growing or expanding into other countries i simply mean expanding, not taking over other codes, its a very hard push to get league recognised in these countries. It is not like soccer where alll you have to do is turn up with a ball and away you go, league is a hard push for any area that has not grown up with the game. As you know rugby is not a good help when it comes to league, they have there own agenda. I would be happy with a team from Wales and a team from France. Another team in London would be nice.
Worlds Biggest said | September 3rd 2008 @ 1:36pm | Report comment
I think Gould is just the bloke League needs. Yes he is opinionated and polarises people but so does John O’Neill and Andrew Demetriou. These guys have huge egos and thick skins as does Gould. To run one of the big 4 winter codes you need these qualities which Gallop doesn’t have ( not sure about Soccer’s Ben Buckley either ). Gallop wants to be mates with everyone which doesn’t work in the muddled up convaluted administration of the various league bodies. Gould could harness all that negativity and anger and turn it into a positve by moving the game forward under his leadership. In saying this he wouldn’t go near it, not with a nice TV gig and newspaper article to keep him occupied for 6 months a year and the other 6 months doing Bo Didley.
Towser said | September 3rd 2008 @ 1:45pm | Report comment
OIkee
I presume your talking to me when you ask “the point being?”
The point was certainly nothing to do with football in Australia & to do entirely with the Super league in England & what can be expected from it.
You seem to have assessed the situation pretty well yourself so no more to be said from me.
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
I think they get paid for working all year in the n.r.l , as for doing bo didly in the off season i would have to say its not really a good comment, if you take into account all the planning involved to sort out heavens know how many issues involved from this year and all the games and planning for the next year along with international games and planning for the next season’s format it seems like doing diddly would be a nice holiday for any man. Not to mention the small team they have to plan all this in which i have read it is mi-nute compaired to other codes. Thats the one thing that is not talked about, league has a very full season and it is very hard to grow the international games because of this, we just dont have enough time to get our international season off the ground, we are flogging a dead horse to make our international game better because our local comp is so strong.
Towser, England has a good healthy comp, it is growing nicely, i have mentioned this before somewhere, what i have said was that they will become the strongest rugby comp in the world with-in 10 years because they will have the best players over there. By reducing there over=seas quota back to 3 players per team will mean that they can buy our best players. They will have all the cash to pay big money for our best players and we wont be able to stop them , money talks. And again i really dont find a problem with this, as long as we get all the games telecast here in Australia. Once again, more money for super league, see we can not stop this, but then again why try to stop it, just means our international game will get better.
Towser said | September 3rd 2008 @ 3:37pm | Report comment
Oikee
Funny you should mention this. I remember saying a while ago on a different subject that their is no god given right for this country to have the best RL competition in the world. As a born & bred football fan it is something that you accept that the best competitions have never & never will be in Australia purely & simply because as you say “money talks” Unfortunately (for Australian league fans that is) they have been use to having the best players in the NRL. It just needs a different mindset to the game.,accepting that the best may not be here. For football ,we join most of the countries in the world in lamenting that the cream of our players are in Europe. Why should league albeit on a smaller scale be any different? Or for that matter Union.
Doesnt mean you regard your game any less or follow it less ,you just follow the best somewhere else & the local comp adjusts to the level of the players remaining. Its very different between league & football in this respect in that football has a bigger world pool of players to draw from but still in relative terms the A-league will find its level in the world football market.
On the NRL side of the ledger it will find its level on the world scale it operates under. Thats what happens in an ever increasing global world. Fact of life.
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 3:40pm | Report comment
Towser, yes i have reread your post and now understand what you mean, i have been to England and i thought stockton-on-tees was a lovely place. So you can get a gist of my full knowleadge of england is like. I only went to the north of england and it was world cup time, so i did not see many league games being played.
But getting back to the fact that super league will have all our best players, i really think it has started now, we have lost Jason Rhyes and Ray Cashmere, along with Greg Eastwood and you have 3 of the best at the moment, They are all young and i think Cashmere was just starting to become a origin player if he hung around. It does not seem like alot but i think they are our very best quality, and cusak was very good, and i see he played in the challenge cup final.
Anyway, come 5 years from now i would love to have this conversation again. There is something about the super league that seems to be right, they have a good man in charge. I also loved the way he changed the millium game to Scotland after celtic was admitted to the comp. It was like our work is done here lets get on with it.
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 3:53pm | Report comment
Just read your last post towser, yes dead right, and at least i think Gallop has accepted this and knows he cant stop it. Could you imagine Gus in charge, kicking and screaming and trying to get league fans to boycott English super league, give me a break, i have dealt with idiot union reps, why would i listen to Gus, many would, makes the change in the work place so much harder. Hah
The Link said | September 3rd 2008 @ 4:41pm | Report comment
Back on Waldron, don’t know if I agree with you oikee, he’s too sensationalist with no substance, particularly today with offering Penrith two kegs of beer and a case of Jim Beam bourbon if they beat Manly this weekend, what a peanut.
oikee said | September 3rd 2008 @ 6:29pm | Report comment
He might be a peanut, but if you offered someone 2 kegs of beer and a case of bourbon and they just happen to beat manly, how stupid would penrith look? In return Melbourne would get 100 thousand for winning the minor premiership. Hope manly hang on because i think they need the money for ground repairs. At least we know the money would be well spent.?
Gruffalo said | September 4th 2008 @ 6:33pm | Report comment
Gallop got the CEO job because the janitor at the Daily Telegraph turned it down.
You don”t employ a Catholic and hope he will spruik atheism.
Gallop is a News Limited man. They pay his keep. They pay him for results. Results means News Limited profits. The welfare of rugby league is secondary, at best.
For every North Sydney Bears fan (knowing their club - and 100 years of tradition - was defrauded of their licence), his mere presence is execrable.
The Answer said | September 4th 2008 @ 8:09pm | Report comment
Come on Link, a great line from Waldron, all used to stir the pot and create a few more headlines. Cartons of beer and bourbon, the currency for a true league fan.
Dennis Fitzgerald could learn so much from him.
Interesting talk that the WRU are now thinking of adding a provinical side to the Crusaders area. It was the introduction of the provinical system that allowed the Crusaders to be born in the first place after people jacked it in when sides were merged and the Crusaders owner was dudded out of a union franchise….by none other that ex NRL CEO David Moffatt. In protest he set up the league team and it hasn’t looked back.
Reading some of the comments from the coach John Dixon offers you a rare touch of sanity in the world of spin and slander between League and Union.
The Gaffer said | September 5th 2008 @ 6:17pm | Report comment
Same old, same old Gruffalo. Do you ever write anything new, I’m sure I’ve read the sam epost from you at least a dozen times.
How is your News Ltd boycott going? I hope you are watching any Fox Sports at the pub.
Dean said | September 23rd 2008 @ 2:04am | Report comment
The thing I like about Gus is his (apparently unearnest) passion for the game, he’s seen it from the veiwpoint of the fans, the players, the clubs, the administration, the media and the coaches. He is an articulate, intelligent man with a very strong presence (you watch Mathew Johns go all submissive when Gus is around) who would get things done. But I agree, he’s ruffled a few feathers over the years and is seen as Sydney based bias man. I think it would be a radical but politically ubstable appointment. I think Ita Butrose should be given the job, she really turned The Womans Weekly around imagine what she could do for our game?