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Deans' demons come back to haunt McKenzie

Roar Rookie
19th October, 2014
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Are these the same issues that haunted Robbie Deans? (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Roar Rookie
19th October, 2014
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2286 Reads

The toxic internal dramas that led to Robbie Deans being dismissed as Wallabies coach just over a year ago are still very much alive and kicking.

Removing Deans only served the short term. The problem is that the short-term fix is neither the right one or the smart one.

The coach is not the issue – never was – and the way that Ewen McKenzie, a former World Cup winning Wallaby, has been treated by some aspects of the media and some players makes one wonder why on earth anyone would want this job.

The issue is a structure that has for far too long allowed some players to think that they are bigger than the organisation that employs them, while at the same time not giving the coach full and public support.

Sound familiar? Just ask Robbie Deans.

Last year people in some quarters wanted a change at the helm, suggesting that Deans, as a New Zealander, should have never been given the job in the first place. After the Wallabies were hammered 41-16 in Sydney by The British and Irish Lions, which added to a miserable run, one could be forgiven for demanding a change.

After all, Deans had time to make a difference and had not done so. Three wins from eighteen attempts against the All Blacks says it all. But was it really 100 per cent his fault?

Let’s not forget that Deans had to battle unrest and power broking within the player group, and off-field antics by some players that would embarrass a six-year-old.

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In the end Deans was gone and the thinking was that any and all issues that the Wallabies had went with him. Right? Wrong.

Now the issues that plagued Deans’ time as coach have reared their ugly heads again, proving that the short-term fix is never the right move, and until the internal issues are fixed no coach can do this job properly.

The Wallabies have lumbered from one issue to another. It’s boring. It’s embarrassing. Financially it is killing the Wallabies brand, and in a fight against three other very strong football codes that is not a good thing.

Case in point, Kurtley Beale. This ongoing drama has been well documented so no point in rehashing what we already know, except to say that enough really is enough. The fact is if you or I had sent texts with the content that Beale’s included and they came to our employer’s attention it’s very unlikely we’d still be employed a week later. No hearing. No explanation required. Gone.

For the sake of Australian rugby Beale must go, the players who don’t like it can follow suit. Or they can stay, grow up, shut up and play rugby.

Future player indiscretions need to be dealt with quickly and the new coach must have 100 per cent genuine and full backing by the board and the CEO, especially when it comes to the playing roster.

If not I’d suggest in 12 months we will see another new coach exiting stage left.

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