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One of rugby league’s major problems is constantly allowing people with vested interests speak for the sport. Can someone, such as Phil Gould, see the full picture?
Can Wayne Bennett provide the best dialogue for the people, in terms of ‘speaking for the game’?
So why is it the over-riding voice on our game these turbulent past days have been Gould and Bennett, whose reputations quite rightly precede them, instead of the NRL?
Where is the guidance, where are the flashlights being shone on dark places for the NRL supporters? Where is an NRL press conference? Where is the attention to ‘setting the tone’ and careful positioning for the fans so they don’t grow more concerned than they should?
Allowing others to speak for you is a very unprofessional and not a confident thing to do. There needs to be a clear and clean separation from the body of the NRL collective playing and support group and the NRL leadership. Why does the tail currently lead the head?
This game needs to expand its vocal throw. It needs to branch out and make itself professional in more ways than it currently is; it needs commentators who are not just passionate, but passionate and intelligent, with a good eye for angling non-parochial views that deal with facts and not just blind passion.
The game needs to shed the boofhead image. Fatty and the Footy Show can – occasionally – be mildly funny, but when lumped in with everything else it must lower people’s opinions of the game.
Similarly, former boofheads who are our greatest coaches. Bennett is fantastic and all, but he is too involved to speak for our game.
The more influence you give people with no official authoritativeness capacity, the more you lose your central power, and the ability to be the one who call the shots.
The Dukes cannot be allowed to over-talk the King. But so too, the King must be fully switched on and one step ahead. On the front foot.
It’s my lament the NRL has not shown this in the previous few days.
The NRL under Dave Smith needs to take the bull by the horns and dictate direction and tact – not have outside forces do it for them.
It’s a multi-billion dollar sport in this country and time to act like it.
In fact one of the major problems is that these coaches and pundits are just ultimately fans with typewriters or former players with too loud a voice. There is only so much they can see, and only so much they can do.
If this entire issue does not bring about the long-talked about media, unit I will be astounded.
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