My letter to the NRL CEO, Part 9: Just chillax, Dave

Dear Davo Smithy, I’m sorry to hear that you’re having a rough trot of late.

As certain agenda-driven ‘journalists’ fanatically clean their sniper rifle scopes, I thought for a change of pace we’d go back over some of our past correspondence.

First up, the NRL All Stars Match.

With the Auckland 9s comp stealing the pre-season thunder, 2014 represents a perfect opportunity. Imagine the Friday before the grand final as rugby league fans thirsting for action in a packed out Townsville stadium watch in awe as indigenous and islander players collide in Origin-style tribal warfare!

Then the crowds… Oh the crowds! Woe, the crowds!

Yes, they’re down, but you’d be a fool to ignore the poor on-field performances of several traditionally high-drawing teams. More importantly, what needs to be done is to put a human element into the scheduling process.

A super computer in Canada isn’t going to be able to tell you the exact worth of holding the Bulldogs versus Rabbitohs on Good Friday. These games are the skeleton around which the rest of the season is structured.

For example, look at the Easter and Heritage rounds. Focus on the big match-ups and events in the club histories:
– Eels versus Dragons Sunday Easter Show game
– Roosters versus Tigers SFS Game on Easter Monday
– Dogs versus Eels grand final 30th anniversary
– Raiders versus Tigers grand final 25th Anniversary
– 80th Anniversary of the CRL
– Warriors and Cowboys 20th seasons

Then through the rest of the season, a systematic scheduling of traditional rivalry games.

That’s the kind of ‘big game’ mentality you need to apply to the draw if you want to end the crowd lamentations.

But big crowds need big rectangular stadiums and that means we do need to look at ground rationalisation.

Based on the geography of Sydney, the fan-bases and existing infrastructure long term we need to be improving the poor sightlines and locations of Homebush and  the SFS with two new stadia – western (Eels, Bulldogs, some Tigers and Rabbitohs) and eastern (Dragons, Roosters, some Tigers and Rabbitohs).

Penrith, Campbelltown, Cronulla and the Northern Beaches are still too far flung to be adequately serviced and need their own facilities, but the reduction to six Sydney stadiums is an attainable goal.

The next hot issue then is Sydney club rationalisation. A bitter pill for some to swallow, but a conversation that must be had for the future of the game.

First up Davo, you have to ignore those ‘journalists’ who peddle their wares by deriding management’s foresight to explore the relocation scenario.

The pros and cons of all options must be carefully evaluated. But like I said to you before, now is not the time for reactive measures.

Suddenly relocating or booting out a club is hardly going to win the game fans in either the old or new locations.

What I’m talking about is a measured and strategic response to consolidate the game’s fan base in Sydney.

If it comes to it, a merger is still the preferable option so that the original heartlands still have a local team, keep some home games and the issues of two smaller clubs can be addressed at the same time.

You also don’t have to sell to the new area the concept of adopting a failed Sydney club. I still suggest that in the long run the merger proposal would make both the two weaker clubs and the game stronger than the axing, relocation or keeping the status quo.

At the end of the day though Davo, everyone knows it’s not an easy job running the greatest game of all – just ask the last two Davos!

Just cancel your Daily Telegraph subscription, relax and enjoy the grand final between the Roosters and Sea Eagl—-

Argh. No. I can’t even finish that sentence.

Perhaps Rebecca Wilson is right after all. Judgment day is upon us! We’re all doomed!