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He’s re-signed and it seems many think John O’Neill will deliver a World Cup with Robbie Deans and voila!, Rugby will bank the benefits. I’m not convinced for a number of reasons: one being the state of our game is not any better than it was after the initial wave of professionalism settled.
The saddest thing, in my opinion, about rugby is the fact that when I say ‘our game’, it seems to extend mainly to those in Australia who went to private boys schools or have a familial following of the game (usually via an ex-pat parent).
Even when we had money to burn after the 2003 World Cup, our administrators failed to build on that public support and get them interested in a local level of rugby.
Instead we see clubhouses struggle or shutdown and the local club competitions look like under-23 trial matches. No money ever seemed to come to the clubs, yet you were able to watch your schoolmate who signed three-year deal with the Reds drive around in a flash car and shout beers as if he was the next big thing.
He wasn’t, but he has a nice house to show for his efforts.
When we expected new recruits to come from state school competitions as their competitions developed (e.g. The Ballymore Cup), instead we saw them go to local Queensland Cup Rugby League and only more faces arrive from the same private schools.
Reading the profiles of elite rugby players reflects the lack of penetration of the state schooling talent pool. The Wallaby team sheet practically says “all privately-schooled”. Wavell State High School won the Ballymore Cup last year with a massive team full of talent, yet we see the names of these star players are aligned with NRL clubs.
Not to say the best talent is exposed at school-level. Queensland’s policy of signing schoolboy stars backfired immeasurably when it became apparent that a minor percentage of these players actually become great players.
I was once a member of a Colts team with twelve academy players but didn’t make the finals against teams with little or no academy representation.
If you weren’t in the academy, you didn’t make the Reds, simple as that.
Hence our experienced players departed for overseas or just gave up the game, as the rewards were very few compared with our semi-professional league counterparts. Club rugby stalwarts are a dying breed.
Playing premier grade rugby in Brisbane, you were more familiar with rugby league recruiting officers and coaches rather than anyone from the Reds.
At one stage I was aware that the Broncos had twenty-two recruitment officers in Queensland and the Reds had one. I’m not sure where the number sits now, but given the QRU financial plight, I doubt we’re in a better situation.
Mr O’Neill had an opportunity to turn the ARC into a meaningful competition with semi-professional players mingled with full-timers. The obvious great flaw was the franchises not being associated with traditional clubs and thus not garnering enough support.
If the fleet had been called Easts-Randwick do you think they’d have struggled for a crowd?
People will turn up for an improved, promoted local product (e.g. Balmain’s Ladies Day 2010), but it is up to the administrators to provide the incentives to players below the elite level, instead of watching millionaires like Giteau reap the rewards while winning nothing.
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.