Tahs must follow Reds with backroom clean-up

By Fallen / Roar Rookie

The Waratah faithful have lost focus. Their steely gaze is no longer fixed on their sworn-enemies north of the border. Their gaze is now aimed inwards.

Read through the Roarers’ comments on this site and you’ll find mounting contempt for the NSWRU board and management.

This was previously reserved for the banana benders.

The Tahs are a good rugby side that has had some recent on-field success, being finalists in four of their last six seasons.

They are, by no means, a poorly performing Super Rugby team, yet you’d never guess that by some of the vitriol splattered through the reader comments.

Angry fans, in-fighting, bickering, dwindling crowds – doesn’t this sound a little familiar?

Well, it does, because we’ve seen it all before, north of the border.

Nearing the end of first decade of the 21st century, rugby in Queensland was in disarray. Through the noughties, the Reds saw five coaches come and go, with just one finals appearance to show for their efforts.

The decade signed off with six miserable years stuck on the bottom three rungs of the Super Rugby ladder. After years of bleeding coaches, players, staff and members, only the diehard fans remained.

The board was rife with cronyism and in-fighting.

Then, midway through 2009, as if to rub salt into the fans’ wounds, they lost their last great hope.

In-form Wallaby and home-grown hero Berrick Barnes slipped through the Reds’ fingers for a paltry one-year deal with their bitter rivals. There seemed to be little hope for rugby in Queensland.

Barnes’ departure in July would set in motion a domino-effect in Queensland Rugby, the likes of which the Reds faithful had never seen before.

The following day QRU CEO Ken Freer tendered his resignation. Chairman Peter Lewis followed days later.

The clean-out had begun and by the end of October 2009, Rod McCall (former ARU board member and Queensland player) was chairman, Jim Carmichael (former AFL Head of New Business and Enterprise) was CEO and Ewen McKenzie (former Waratahs coach) head coach.

A CEO with no rugby experience and a dumped NSW coach – that is quite an amazing turn of events.

Within two years, the Reds are atop the table and the QRU is focused on rebuilding the image of rugby in the Sunshine state.

The crowds have returned and the fans can wear their tattered jerseys with pride once more.

The Reds have a shot at the finals this year, maybe even the title. Even if the trophy cabinet remains barren for another season, the crowds will be back next season.

Rugby has been revived in Queensland.

Is there are direct correlation between the backroom clean out and the on field success of the Reds?

It would be easy to make the connection, the results are there for all to see.

So what has this got to do with the Waratahs?

Well, if I were a Tahs supporter, I would be hoping that Kurtley Beale’s departure would trigger a similar shakeup at the NSWRU. There was a bright future when fans thought of Kurtley turning out in the sky blue jersey. This is now gone in an instant.

This final act of incompetence from the NSWRU might start a chain reaction of change, a fresh start, just like the Reds.

In my opinion, the NSWRU clean-out will not happen anytime soon. It has nothing to do with the board, management, players or politics. It has to do with results.

The massive upheaval that the fans are longing won’t happen this year or next.

Why? The Tahs haven’t hit rock bottom,. Yet.

The Crowd Says:

2011-07-11T06:22:27+00:00

New World Order

Guest


How about you lot quit whining and start winning. The state of NSW sports in General is DISGRACEFUL. Where is the pride & passion to play for NSW or a team based in NSW these days ? How in heavens name the Reds ever won this years Title, is beyond me. The Tahs wiped the floor with them in rnd 1 and they never looked that great. It says VERY little for the competition it self. Apart from that, the Tahs should have won at least 1 freaken Super Rugby Title by now. It is a disgrace. The Waratahs have a tradition going back more then 120 yrs and yet made up teams like the brumbies with players from across NSW & QLD, showed more passion and pride playing for them and proved it by winning a number of Super Rugby Titles. TBH i'm really sick and tired of where Sydney and NSW sport in general is heading. There is a major underlying factor going on here in NSW and that is poor education, crappy parenting, and pathetic government. Until these major issues are addressed not much will ever change. Let's sack ALL teachers in NSW, and bring teachers in from America & Canada and start again. Teach adults they can't just curse at every and anything. because they can't put a educated sentence together. I'm off topic here a bit LOL. But i know that the reason sporting teams across NSW do so poorly compared to other states now, is due to a bad culture arising in NSW across the last 4 plus decades. NSW is a great state. But it also needs to relearn how to be the best at everything.

2011-05-03T05:39:37+00:00

Damo

Guest


Oh Denby ,surely there are more pedantic posts out there than my humble effort. Keep your shirt on tiger. Like you I get more passionate than most at a Tahs game. And agreed- the new board structure may help Tahs culture. But you have missed my point . Of course there needs to be more passionate support for the team. Other teams have it. Why don't the Tahs have it? Because there are not enough people reading posts like yours telling us to turn up and yell? No Reds force Rebels fans don't need to be told- they just do it. There is a culture in those teams and places that encourages it. Unlike the Tahs where management have not yet found a way to connect the team to the passion of the people. . This is still a free country. If the people are not passionate enough to yell for the 'local' team management must ask ' why?' and then find ways to change the culture . The fans have less control of these things than those who make the structural decisions.

2011-05-03T05:13:49+00:00

Damo

Guest


Sheek 'sometimes having more does not help' There is something in this. NSW has too much of most things except the things that matter Passion Rabid tribe of fans Coaching autonomy Players ready to fight together for the jersey Over a century of tradition does not seem to help the Tahs in this last aspect. Teams like old Brumbies, new Force and new Rebels, new Reds seem to have fans that lend support to their teams. They are grateful for their teams. Tahs fans by comparison seem uninspired and turn up with an expectation that they should win for the price of the beer and the parking hassles at Moore Park. Penrith would be a venue closer to the centre of the state both geographically and culturally. Tahs need new culture, preferably with underdog status.

2011-05-02T00:09:39+00:00

Denby

Guest


Damo, That is the most pedantic, hair splitting post I have ever read. You are wrong, it is not the fans it is the followers. Regarding the fans not choosing the team, spending the budget ect, that does not happen at any other team either. That is also a riducilous post. My point is and after saturday night it probably even stronger than ever. The Tahs are a good side with a passionless bunch of fans. They lose they get bagged for losing. They win they get bagged for playing ugly. They win playing running rugby they are told the opposition was too weak. On saturday night they won, 3 tries to nothing in rainy slipperly conditions against a fired up Rebels side. That is a good win yet during the game, several people in the crowd around me moaned about going home because they were not scoring enough tries. The fans need to support the team more. They need to cheer more. I have actually been shooshed at a game for cheering too much. This is a sad state of affairs.

2011-05-01T19:52:54+00:00

Damo

Guest


Yes Rooster, my guess is that McKenzie is influencing Tahs board now from a distance of 600 miles and several years. Obviously the coach was not the problem back then. Also Tahs have Plenty of good players(if relatively passive). So what is left ? What could be the problem? - absence of rabid tribe of fans (as in EVERY other OZ team) - lack of connection with the market that these fans would come from if the Tahs culture was not a navel gazing one centered on a fancy stadium in Eastern Sydney. - lack of connection with the market that passionate raw boned rugby players would come from if the Tahs culture was not ditto . - A truly 'local' feeling amongst the players and fans. Two of the few Tahs stars hail from western Sydney. (BTW I don't like the idea of traveling out to Parra or Penrith or Orange for a rugby game but for team culture I would bet that is where the necessary passion is). The SFS is cosy. In more ways than one.

2011-05-01T10:39:06+00:00

Damo

Guest


Bay ' - Tahs fans have 'consistent.....complete contempt' for the board. If It wasn't such a sad topic that would be a beautiful phrase. Agreed regarding changing coaches and deck chairs. We need a new ship with a functioning ice breaker.

2011-05-01T10:26:41+00:00

Damo

Guest


Baz, 'salesmanship' ??? Mate if you are going to sell something a few things are necessary - a quality product - a belief in it - a list of satisfied customers Tahs ATM only have the first of these criteria (if that). Tahs don't have a marketing problem . They have a cultural problem that will only be sorted with the wholesale change that others on this thread have called for. BTW I agree regarding Mumm and Baxter and Carter. I wish we had Eales Topo and Horan. But we dont. These kids aren't selectors. They are doing their best. They have served their state and country with courage. They deserve more than some of the extreme negatives they cop on this site. Amping up the insult to these guys does not change selectors decisions but it sure would effect the individuals.

2011-05-01T10:00:32+00:00

Damo

Guest


Mw 'what do they want?' I can't speak for everyone and I don't have any idea what goes on in Tah management BUT what I want is - A management team that draws on all sectors of the state and not just a few spots in one city - A team that fights for the honor of wearing the jersey -'A team that is fed by young players that have been developed by a broad grass roots devpt program - A team that plays with a courageous entertaining style whether they win or lose - A management team that respects the coach and let's him do his job - like Link gets to do - A management team that is transparent with it's processes - A management team that takes on other codes in rugby territories like western Sydney and country areas - A management team that spends it's money on creating a culture of real passion by bringing the game to the people , not just telling the people where Moore Park is and waiting for them to turn up - A management team that takes forums like this one seriously. That will do for starters MW. Simply Tahs fans are not satisfied with how team has gone for about 5 years . Yet Tahs have done much better than Reds whose fans are satisfied with their team? Why is that so ? Answer that and you will have some idea of what NSW rugby fans are yearning for.

2011-05-01T09:31:38+00:00

Damo

Guest


Deny 'the problem likes with fans and Pretend fans'? How so? Are the fans deciding who is bought and selected? Are the fans coaching the team? Are the fans deciding where games are played? Where money is spent ? No the problem is that this team lacks a following - followers by definition must follow the leaders. And what many people are saying is this leadership cannot find passionate followers to follow a passionate team that represents the suburbs, towns and regions of NSW.

2011-05-01T06:17:03+00:00

Damo

Guest


Yes Sheek the problem is finding unity. We seem to have an imposed unity at Tahs. When the 'leadership' whoever that is, is able to make contact with the people(incl those outside the city clubs) and the player market in outer Sydney and NSW regions, then we may have unity, in numbers, and with passion - which is what other teams have.

2011-04-29T09:22:46+00:00

thurl

Guest


That doesn't mean there's no influenceor interference from NSWRU

2011-04-29T08:17:06+00:00

sheek

Guest


This is true. Southern NSW couldn't get away from the rest of NSW quickly enough, rugby-wise speaking.....

2011-04-29T08:15:55+00:00

sheek

Guest


I want to add that also historically, because NSW have so much resources in rugby, there has been a tendency from time to time (regrettably more often than not) to fritter those resources away as people with different agendas, pull in different directions. As an example of Australian rugby overall, look what happened to the financial windfall of AU$47 million from the 2003 RWC. It seems like in no time at all, various unions &/or people managed to fritter this away. it's not only union, but league also. Look at state of origin. NSW has such a huge pool of players to choose from, that often there is little thought in building combinations or developing players. If you don't perform after one or two matches, you're thrown on the scrap heap. Compare this with Queensland. Because they have a smaller pool of players to select from, they are more judicious in their selections, & more patient in bringing players along. Sometimes having more doesn't help, if you don't use your resources wisely. From what I've seen in the past 40 years, in both union & league, NSW don't always use their bountiful resources wisely.....

2011-04-29T08:13:43+00:00

Wylie

Guest


Technically don't the Brumbies already represent Southern NSW?

2011-04-29T07:58:17+00:00

sheek

Guest


For as long as I've followed rugby union (more than 40 years), consensus has rarely existed in New South Wales. Indeed, so unhappy were some folk with NSW, they created the Sydney rep team back in 1965. Then in the early 80s for example, you had Mark Ella captain of NSW & Mike Hawker the captain of Sydney, or the other way, I can't remmber which. Furthermore Phil Cox was scrumhalf for one team, & Peter Carson the other, & there was almost always about half a dozen variations in the composition of the two rep teams. Then in the late 70s to early 80s, there was actually a split among the premier rugby clubs (or district clubs back then) with two parallel comps being run. And if the city folk weren't arguing with each other, they were arguing with NSW Country, who more often than not didn't have much time for the city slickers. Indeed, around 1977 current Wallabies centre Geoff Shaw (also incumbent captain), backrower Greg Cornelsen & hooker Peter Horton, all leading country players, took off to Queensland, where they found the administration much more to their liking. So you see, historically NSW appears to be divided more often along philosophical & political lines, than they are united. It's too easy to say it's a north versus south harbour thing, or north-east private school versus westies high school divide. I reckon NSW would just be so better off splitting into two, or even three. Even though the talent might be spread thinner, at least the players & officials at each club would hopefully be reading off the same sheet. Unity will always win out against disunity.

2011-04-29T07:29:10+00:00

Red Rooster

Guest


Link is the longest serving NSW coach and those that interfere obviously moved him on - Ironic now he coaches without interference elsewhere and the cry is for a high quality coach at the Tahs - Everyone needs to look past the Links and Hickeys and look at who actually makes these decisions. You can be assured the chairman and board members do not change as often as the Head Coach and CEO and these people are making these critical decisions - you could probably add the Captain in with that lot as well.

AUTHOR

2011-04-29T04:38:41+00:00

Fallen

Roar Rookie


Jameswm I think you might be on the right track. By all accounts, on the training ground and at the selection table Ewen calls the shots for the Reds. No late night calls from a board member ordering a player dropped or retained. He makes the tough calls and doesn’t appear to receive any external interference. Andy Friend wasn’t afforded the luxury of full control at the Brumbies, few coaches have in the capital. I suspect neither is Hickey at the Tahs.

2011-04-29T04:23:22+00:00

jameswm

Guest


Get a high quality and highly credentialled coach. And then back them. Back them when they put Waugh and Mumm on the bench, or when they start a 19yo at 5/8. Back them when they lose a couple of tight games, and back them when the youngsters make a mistake or two. Back them when they sign a 33yo lock for 2 years because they think that's what the team needs. And back them when the team grinds out a 2nd half kicking for territory for a morale-boosting victory. But it's got to start with the high quality coach.

2011-04-29T03:58:06+00:00

Bay35Pablo

Roar Guru


Fallen, I'll disagree with your basic premise, being that critcism has increased recently. The Roarers have been pretty consistent is holding the NSWRU in complete contempt. it just gets slightly nastier when we aren't doing as well. Interesting link (no pun intended) between NSW doing well and having a decent coach we didn't sack for a number of years. Hickey's OK, but he ain't no Link. We will be heading for rock bottom if the bozos start sacking coachesagain every 5 minutes in the vain hope it will change the deck chairs on the titanic somehow.

2011-04-29T03:52:10+00:00

Denby

Guest


After my rant, I do agree with some of your points. Hickey is clearly not a brilliant coach. Beale is a better fullback than flyhalf and he has not played flyhalf in a long time. Halangahu is having a terrible season. 2 years ago he was solid without being extrodinary, very good in defense. He was a decent backup inside back. This year he is not worthy of a space in the training squad let alone contract. The Tahs need to pick a very good coach. I am still unsure how Hickey got the job. They also need more backup inside backs. Halangahu is in terrible form and Barnes has been injured which leaves us with nothing.

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