It’s been a shocking week in the world of rugby league. Some might say that the result was inevitable, bound to happen sooner rather than later.
But the timing has definitely caught everyone by surprise.
For months now, probably longer, there has been a real disconnect between the suits upstairs and the people on the ground. Head scratching decisions have been made, with little rhyme or reason. Money was been wasted. Fingers have been pointed with lame excuses offering little in the way of consolation for such poor performance.
Real leadership, leadership you can believe in, has been lacking.
Talk to Joe Footy on the street and he’ll tell you that something had to give and the status quo just couldn’t be maintained. A new sense of urgency and enthusiasm was vital if this ailing ship was to be saved before hitting rock bottom.
And it happened this week.
Honestly I don’t know what motivated the change. I don’t have the answers. Has this been a prolonged build up, or does the suddenness of these events reveal a knee jerk reaction?
I just know that when I received the news that the Eels beat the Sharks Monday night, coming from behind no less, I was absolutely gob smacked. Surely rugby league wasn’t ready for such a staggering result!
In five years’ time, I think everyone will remember where they were when they first heard about it.
In other league news, NRL CEO David Gallop resigned this week.
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