As a take-no-prisoners second rower, hard-hitting TV analyst and highly successful coach Phil Gould is without peer. If he is to repeat this success as an administrator, he cannot bring dressing room thinking to the boardroom, as he did this week in his email spat with David Gallop.
‘Gus’ is one of the sharpest minds in Rugby League, and is usually articulate and thoughtful in his musings about what happens on and off the field.
He is also one of the most ardent critics of the NRL, and Gould and NRL CEO Gallop have history.
His hobby horse is the salary cap and the impact it has had on retention of players, both by clubs and by the game at large, as players seek bigger deals in the UK or in Rugby and AFL.
Generally, Gould makes some very good points on the issue (such as the need to give dispensation for home grown talent) but is also prone to hyperbole and invective.
The classic example was when Melbourne was kicked out the 2010 NRL competition due to widespread and systemic salary cap cheating. Rather than focus on the Storm’s rotten core, Gould used it as a stage to attack the salary cap and more specifically Gallop.
Around that time David Gallop quite bravely fronted up to an extended interview with the Footy Show – where Gould was always going to be out for blood. It was actually hard to watch as Gould continually spoke over and bullied the studious looking ex lawyer.
Perhaps Gould is of the view that only ex-players truly understand the game, and he comes close to saying as much on occasion. Andrew Demetriou, Gallop’s equivalent in the AFL, is an ex-player and seems to garner a lot more respect in the AFL playing community.
Gould was also a chief critic of the News Limited-led Super League. When he looks at Gallop, I think he still sees a News Limited executive rather than someone who has the best interests of the game at heart.
Indeed, Gould should know better than anyone that the salary cap in its very restrictive current form is still a reaction to the massive salary increases that Super League unleashed.
For all its shortcomings, the salary cap has produced one of the most even competitions in professional sport – as evidenced by the fact that since 2001, nine different teams have won the Premiership.
Compare this to the current blow outs the AFL is having and the Premier League, which kicks off this week but they may as well present the trophy to Man United now.
I do not propose delivering a full critique on the salary cap here, suffice to say there are arguments on both sides and Gould’s repeated character assassination of Gallop over the issue is overly simplistic.
This brings us to this week’s email stoush. While this is undoubtedly a storm in a tea cup, it reflects poorly on Gould.
As a Rugby League forward, if you do not get your opponent on one carry, you go back and run the ball up even harder next time hoping to break the line. He is clearly still lining Gallop up.
In business you have to be able to have differences of opinion with people (as he clearly does with Gallop) without being disagreeable.
Gus the coach would have been used to giving players who did not follow his orders a bollocking. Apart from the late Kerry Packer and some other notable exceptions, most people do not get that luxury in business.
Gould seems incapable of treating Gallop with the respect the game’s top administrator deserves. He has no evidence that Gallop or anyone from the NRL leaked his little doodle from the Club Chief Executives’ meeting.
Broadcasting his email tirade to all other attendees at the meeting was designed to embarrass Gallop, it was classic bully-boy behaviour.
It may be that Gould is assuming that Gallop is not in the job long-term with the impending imposition of an independent commission to run the game.
However the point is not about Gallop but the tool kit that Gould needs to develop if he truly wants to nurture the game.
He was offered the job of coach at Penrith, but decided he could have more impact as the Club CEO. He now needs to start acting like one.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Gould might be too proud to accept the GWS offer...I hope so. I think Gould will maintain the rage no matter what GWS does - the axe he has to grind is bigger than GWS of course but their very existence galls Gould I'm sure, as does the GC team (as was shown by his little tantrum on the Sunday Roast when they played a KHunt clip).....the Giants should just stay well clear of Gould's orbit.....why even meet up with him?... I think that was a mistake.. anyway GWS isn't going to get itself bogged down in RL troubles...if they have spare capacity then OK they could offer the NRL access to facilities... it is a bit curious or a newcomer to the region like GWS offering facilities to the established player but there you go...you couldn't imagine the NRL's side in Victoria doing that for aussie rules players...
ClipperWithChipsOnBoth
Guest
A cookie monster.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
I love that last line: "Quite simply, the AFL is a monster." One important bit of information that this article leaves out - the Panthers and GWS share a big sponsor, and it's the big sponsor telling them to pull their heads in. Clearly, the sponsor sees more bang for its buck if the two clubs are cosying up to each other. Otherwise, I don't see a big deal to the facilities being used by their youth teams.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
http://www.sportal.com.au/league-news-display/gould-dines-with-enemy-134326 I find the whole 'Gould dines with the enemy' thing disturbing on a number of levels. From the GWS point of view it's OK. I don't see any issues in offering facilities to host RL junior players.....this could work as long as RL fits in around the needs of GWS and the AFL junior programs,....There's really nothing in it for the AFL other than maybe goodwill.... If say the NBA set up an Australian academy in Melbourne and also opened the doors for aussie rules juniors then as a local footy supporter you might think - "well that's nice of the NBA".... my hunch is that the GWS offer is genuine and if taken up then hopefully some RL supporters might just be thankful (though some will never be happy with anything GWS does).... the AFL facilities are probably going to be under-utilised and if there is some slack there why not offer it to RL... While I think offering RL access to AFL facilities is OK what I think should be avoided is any direct associations with Gould....GWS should offer this access directly to the NRL not discuss it with Gus who has seemingly appointed himself as the Western Sydney representative)... well I say run don't away away from Gould...he is bad news.....just look at how much of a loud mouth pain in the backside he is for the NRL.... just stay away from him...he'll just bring you down and drag you through the back pages every other week....so I think GWS opening up communication with Gould is their first major tactical blunder in an otherwise pretty good campaign so far....
mushi
Guest
how do we know what the independent commission would of done. A 5 year ban would have been unprecedented for such acts in the globe so maybe our independent commission is this new guiding light unlike any independent commission ever known to man?
FT
Guest
Gould is a loud-mouthed bully, short and simple. That has a place on the paddock, when a player intimidates his opposition and galvanises his team mates. That has a place in the changing rooms, when a coach challenges his players to dig deeper to overcome their opponents. That has a place in the media, where editors and producers look for drama and entertainment by giving those with controversial views a platform. However, it does not have a place when you are in Gould's position. He is representing the club, its players and the local community. Each of these stakeholders is entitled to expect Gould to act appropriately as a role model because of the influence he can and will have on the club's culture and ultimately the club's performance and success.
JP
Guest
Even if you agree with that sentiment - passion being key to being a leader for a company - that role is Chairman of the Commission, not the CEO. Chairmen set policy - CEOs make it happen. Gus might be a decent vision man, but as for an administrator? He doesn't have the runs on the board yet. I also suspect he would be susceptible to the manager's curse - a tendency to micromanage issues. For mine - I think Gould does a good line in polarising (and thus creating) opinion and discussion about rugby league. This might make him a better marketer of the game than a runner of it. If he had to have a role with the NRL, that's the department I want him leading - the one that looks to grow the game and set market direction in the medium-long term.
Gus fan
Guest
Gus knows that NRL is really struggling and losing ground to other games, that is why he is so passionate about doing something about it. Good on Gus, love him! Gus should be the CEO of the NRL.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
"Perhaps Gould is of the view that only ex-players truly understand the game, and he comes close to saying as much on occasion. Andrew Demetriou, Gallop’s equivalent in the AFL, is an ex-player and seems to garner a lot more respect in the AFL playing community." I've never agreed with this. As a former player, Gould doesn't understand the game any more than any other knowledgeable NRL fan. Yes, he may understand what it's like to play in a grand final or to kick the winning goal, but in terms of the game itself, he doesn't automatically understand it more than others simply because he played it. As for Demetriou, any respect he may receive is because of the job he is doing, not because he is a former AFL player.
GG
Guest
Phil Gould is a mug!
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Roy & HG did a good job on Gus tonight,... they just read Gould's article and added their ideas about stopping GWS...very funny... nude NRL crowds, arresting AFL supporters, NSW government banning AFL games, advertising GWS games and then when AFL fans show up just make last minute changes to put on an NRL game.... Roy & HG treated Gould's hysterical article with about the level of seriousness it deserved...Gould has lost the plot (for a change)...Gus it's OK buddy.... RL still is number one in Western Sydney mate, and it will be number one for a very long time, probably forever... GWS isn't out to sink the 4 NRL teams in that region and couldn't if they wanted to...if they succeed GWS will eventually cut out a little sustainable niche... is that OK with you Gus?!... is it OK Gus if some people in the GWS region have the option to play and watch aussie rules?,,,,.. you don't see hysterical nonsense like this in the Melbourne media, or Perth media ...
yewonk
Guest
so he can articulate his opinions, but what has he achieved in actual administration. nothing and he wont come up with anything. taking this game to its full potential is something he wont be apart of. im sick of gould, im sick of andrew voss, ray hadley, gyngell, news ltd, to just to name a few of the backward thinking squabblers.
betamax
Roar Guru
"Perhaps Gould is of the view that only ex-players truly understand the game" Understand the game-yes. Run and administer the game-no. Case in point Parramatta. People with a love of the game, but with a background in business are best qualified to run the game. Gould is a former player and commentator with little understanding of running a business.
Hansie
Guest
Gould's backdown was one of the fastest ever seen. The joke was when he used the phrase "it's nothing personal". In that case, why try to belittle a guy in front of an audience? Gould loves to criticise, but doesn't like to nominate solutions.
soapit
Guest
the one thing about gould's salary cap whinges is that he never actually puts up a detailed solution on how to fix it. no system can be perfect in the conditions that the nrl is in. gallops comment was spot on inviting gould to actually sit down with him and talk about issues and see if they can come up with a solution but goulds not interested. he's been too long in the media with no real responsibility and is only capable of generating headlines pointing out things he doesnt like without ever having to actually come up with a solution (not just the salary cap but stripping rule is another one that comes to mind, stop complaining and tell us what you would do to fix it phil). gallop works in the real world however where problems need real solutions and compromises have to be made.
Frank
Guest
Joe, well said, there is no doubt Gould has a sharp mind but he also has a sharp tongue. Yes he's a media man, collaboration & consensus doesn't sell newspapers but Gould's hurting the game, that in turn hurts the fans. Gould talks tough on players following a code of respect for each other about time he gave Gallop some respect. He needs to get those tree trunks moving in the right direction !
Renegade
Guest
Well Said. I'm a bit over Gould and i think Penrith may already be too after this morning's rumours about jennings....his clearly lost the playing group. It will be interesting to see how he turns this around, which is where he should turn all his focus on rather than criticising people above him who are actually doing a good job.
Sea Eagle of Brisbane
Guest
I agree about Gallop, he can’t do too much more without money. Well, couple of years ago Carney was jumping on the top of cars (damaged few) in a drunken rage in Goulburn, for me that was his last throw of the dice. He should have been banned for 5 years at least, since he had a dozen drunken incidents so why protect him any more? The Independent Commission would have banned him for life for such behaviour.
oikee
Guest
Yes, i agree, Gus needs to stop going after Gallop, he also has to realise that Gallop has done not to bad, on the little funds the game has mustered. If Gallop had a billion dollars and the game was run like this, then he would be in his rights, but at the moment, Gallop has done remarkably well, the game itself is even and exciting, the off-field issues have been dealt with resonably. He tries to not get to involved with player issues, which is alright, the emotion of these issues need a week to settle before the correct punishment should be looked at, yes i am talking about Carney.
Sea Eagle of Brisbane
Guest
Couple of good and bad points about Gould in the Telegraph today by a person who studied his doodling. 'DOODLEGATE has revealed Phil Gould is intense, ambitious, secretive, highly intelligent and emotionally repressed. His self-ego, nevertheless, does not like to be challenged. His energy levels demand release as pent-up energy may revert to negative energy where intense emotional undercurrents exist”. To sum it up by one word, CONTROVERSIAL. All in his life he only listened to money. Be it Packer or Politis (or the Panthers now), never listened to anyone; only when the money shown to him, accepted bosses opinion. He has obviously lots of good points where the game shall go in the future so I will be intrigued how he takes on the Independent Commission when it takes over the running of the game.