- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
1984 Grand Slam Wallabies Mark Ella, Steve Williams, current coach Robbie Deans, Alan Jones, Roger Gould, Simon Poidevin and Andrew Slack arrive at the John Eales Medal Awards in Sydney, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. AAP Image/Sergio Dionisio
Mark Ella was a dynamic player on the field, and many fans, like myself still follow him closely, and respect his opinion and insights on rugby. Recently, though, I have found his comments and opinions a bit stale.
This is mainly due to the fact that he looks to be out to sabotage the efforts of the good people currently looking after and managing Super 15’s newest franchise, the Melbourne Rebels.
After Harold Mitchell and his group was nominated to be the primary Victorian Bid, Mark Ella, who at this point already distanced himself from any association with the Rebels bid, found himself in no-man’s land.
He issued a short statement on his VicSuper15 site noting “Vic Super 15 wish them all of the best in establishing and operating the team in the Victorian market”.
One would think that this was the time to reconcile efforts, and if there was a genuine passionate interest in growing Victorian Rugby, this was the point in time at which egos were left at the door. Had I been in his shoes, I would align myself with the winning franchise and add value where possible.
Yet Mark decided to contradict even his own ‘best wishes’ to the Rebels Management group.
On Saturday, 20 March, Mark published an article on his “The Australian Blog”, titled ‘Where are the big names the Rebels promised’. This article, possibly his own ‘Coventry Blitz’ on an unsuspecting city in the middle of the night, starts off by noting that he’s not sucking sour grapes, but merely pointing out the facts.
Now, if this is true, could Mark please tell us when the coaches, managers, or even Harold himself provided the said ‘big names’?
Thus far not a single targeted ‘big name’ was made public, and anything else is merely speculation.
He noted that the only players signed are Laurie Weeks, and Adam Byrnes, branding them ‘at best fringe players’ and how people (the fans) overestimate Rod MacQueen’s pulling power.
Although his concerns might have some justification, what I’d like to know is, what was his motivation for asking these questions? Is he genuinely frustrated about the progress of signing players, or is he just really happy for his very speculative point to be proven?
Due to the fact that Mark has withdrawn any interest in The Rebels, he has no insight into the motivation of the powers that be. Mark would not know if, or why, some players have not been signed or are yet to sign.
He does not know the reasoning behind Rod overlooking some ‘marquee’ signings, and to be quite frank, he does not comprehend what their strategy is moving forward.
At this point in time, Mark is happy to sit on the sideline and shout comments at the third man on the boundary – hoping for a dropped catch.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.