One rugby league vision is failing
Roar Guru
By Steve Kaless, 22 Jun 2009 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- NRL, Rugby League
National Rugby League CEO David Gallop at a press conference at NRL headquarters. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
The biggest challenge facing the NRL isn’t ensuring Brad Fittler knows which is his hotel room but rather ensuring that the One RL dream becomes a reality.
While, Fittler was busy buying some extra strong nails and a jumbo hammer for a coffin with the headstone marked “my coaching career” it also emerged than the QRL are considering backing away from the plan to have rugby league run by one independent body.
The concept of streaming lining all the various RL’s that run the game is one that is long overdue.
However, getting blokes to hand in their passes to the gravy train with all the meals, hotels and tickets that come with it always proves difficult with self interest continuing to rule the day.
However, while it may be painful for some it is absolutely vital to ensure the game is run with greater efficiency and strategy and less self interest by clubs.
There is a lot to admire with the way the AFL board runs things, and while rugby league may not necessarily need a carbon copy of it what it does, there is the need to do away with many of the boards which clutter up the game and largely seem to be there to keep their board members well fed at half time.
What is more, wouldn’t an election for the independent board bring some entertainment!
I’d love to see many leading columnists have their names on the ballot paper, after paying off their mortgages with the advice on how to run the game wouldn’t it be great to see the scribes putting their hand up.
On a more serious note, it would also be a great way to bring in some leading former players onto the board and also the input of those leaders in the community with a passion for rugby league.
Doing away with boards populated by people whose ultimate interest is in the welfare of their individual club rather than the game as a whole won’t be easy.
But who wouldn’t want to see the minutes of a meeting between Gerry Harvey, John Singleton, Shane Webcke and Rebecca Wilson?
I’d back it would rival the opening ten minutes of Origin football.
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Mike said | June 22nd 2009 @ 9:32am | Report comment
“While, Fittler was busy buying some extra strong nails and a jumbo hammer for a coffin with the headstone marked “my coaching career” …”
A load of rubbish. The fact that Freddy got drunk and couldn’t find his room has ZERO to do with his coaching ability. He copped a fine, now he should soldier on. Journalists who think that this sort of thing is even newsworthy are a waste of space.
Mushi said | June 22nd 2009 @ 9:47am | Report comment
What a coach that put in place a relatively draconian alcohol ban being found drunk the night prior has nothing to do with his coaching? Coaching at that level is talent evaluation, tactics and motivation. Hard to motivate when the players’ view of your integrity is undermined by you not following your own rules.
Mike said | June 22nd 2009 @ 9:48am | Report comment
He copped the same fine as the players, nothing more to be said.
Nug said | June 22nd 2009 @ 10:13am | Report comment
Freddie Fittler is a NRL Coach. How can he expect the players to follow his instructions when he himself sets a bad example. It’s all about leadership, not the personalities. There must be cohesion within a team for them to give their best, otherwise they will fail miserably. Respect is what is needed. The players must respect the coach and vice versa.
It’s the same with the NRL. All clubs must respect the decisions of the NRL Board and they in turn must respect the Clubs. Making the NRL one entity is a must if the game is to succeed well into the future. Take a leaf out of the AFL books, bite the bullet and just do it. If people are hurt, so be it. What’s important is the big picture.
Mike said | June 22nd 2009 @ 10:19am | Report comment
Of course he has to follow the instructions. That is what I am saying, whereas you are arguing for the contrary. You want a different standard applied to players.
By your highly artificial standards, a player who gets drunk must be sacked from the team. That is nonsense. Freddy never laid down that a player who gets drunk must be sacked. Anyone can make a mistake.
Freddy laid down a standard that if you breach the rules you cop a penalty. He breached the rules, he copped the penalty. Assuming its just a one-off (which at the moment it cannot be anything else), then that is the end of the matter.
Richard Brockhurst said | June 22nd 2009 @ 10:19am | Report comment
Mike…..Who told the media anyway. Did the Police or some other trouble maker. Maybe someone from the Sharks who wants an excuse to get rid of him?
Mushi said | June 22nd 2009 @ 10:38am | Report comment
If you are one of those responsible for making the rule then you need to be held to higher level of accountability, for example if Gallop started bagging the referee’s after he had been fining coaches for doing the same I would expect him to get fired for not being able to live up to the standard he requests of others.
Plus other player have been stood down for the week.
Tom Alexander. said | June 22nd 2009 @ 10:41am | Report comment
Be probably exchanging one gravy train for another look at the Corporate World and the financial mess they are currently in with companys being run by rogue Ceo’s and their hand picked executives decisions being rubber stamped by gutless and in many cases complicit commitees Rugby Leagues problems with governance is tidly winks compared to the chaos thats happening in the outside world, plus imagine a board with Beckie Wilson on it other than gossip and innuendo would anything really constructive be possible.
Finno said | June 22nd 2009 @ 11:09am | Report comment
I had to have a chuckle at Fitlers action on the weekend and Im glad it was nothing more than a drunken mistake.
But the NRL has some issues with its partnership with 9. I generally listen to the league on the ABC whilst pottering around the yard. Lets make this clear league is probably my 4th choice of football codes but i still like to watch/ follow it, being from Qld I have little choice anyway, with whats on the radio/ television. It seems to me it come down to attitude 9 treats the sport a advertising ploy to get people to watch the tele to flog a product. I have even noticed that the betting agencies have managed to get Ray Warren to slip in a plug whilst calling the game.
If you listen to the ABC with David Morrow, Craig Hamilton ,Gerry Collins, Tim Gave, Quentin Hull, Warren Boland and Warren Ryan. Its a different game theses guys love them game they love to call it and give great commentary to the in and out of what teams, tactics, play etc. Because they have to product to sell the except the game, there is a feeling that it is more than a marketing tool.
My point is that having cooperate persons on boards is a neccessary evil but they will change the face of the game if it isnt getting ratings and will be truley damaging. I can see why the QRL hestitate to dive into one independent body option as the RL season is having quite a hard year.
Steve Kaless said | June 22nd 2009 @ 6:14pm | Report comment
Mike,
I think you may have misinterpreted my comments regarding Fittler. I don’t his ‘incident’ in itself is enough to rule him out of his job, however when you look at the competition table and the fact that their seems to be a real issue with motivation I think the writing in on the wall.
He has already had Beetson and Peter Sharp brought in to help him out, he can’t have many lives left.
Finno,
Important to note that while some may say league is having a hard year with various incidents taking place, the same can’t be saif of it’s crowds, ratings and memberships. They all seem to be going along quite nicely. Obviously it would be better not to have to discuss the booze ups gone wrong but it doesn’t seem to be having the doomsday effect that so many prediction (all of whom didn’t seem to watch rugby league in the first place.)