It’s Groudhog Day. In the last few weeks, the Parramatta Eels have added another sad, pathetic chapter to their bulging scrap book of sporting and administrative failures.
Fans of one of the biggest NRL clubs in Sydney would be in utter despair if these developments were not so predictable, so familiar. However, this loyal but dwindling army of supporters must be seeing their despair turn to anger in light of the latest debacle.
My biggest take-away from the dramas that have been unfolding at the Parramatta Eels this week is that despite the positive developments occurring in the way rugby league is being administered (the commission, grassroots development, profitable TV deal), the AFL is still miles ahead of the ‘greatest game of all’. Strategically, tactically, and operationally.
What the NRL Commission decide to do with the Parramatta Eels – the shambles that should be a powerhouse – will greatly assist in maintaining and gaining fans in the highly contested Western Suburbs market. At a minimum, the NRL’s response will reveal how much authority, foresight and resilience the new NRL Commission has stored up and how effectively they can deploy it.
The woes faced by the Parramatta Eels are cultural and structural – solving all of the current problems would just see new ones take their place soon afterwards. This has been happening since 1986 (and more regularly in the last 10 years).
The plight of the Parramatta Eels highlights that the NRL has too many clubs with convoluted governance arrangements and boards consisting largely of well meaning, but overmatched, semi-professional administrators. Too many NRL clubs have been run by administrators who operate more on passion, adrenalin and tribal factional motivation than business and management ability.
A comparison with the best managed and administered sport in the country, AFL, offers up a stark and depressing contrast.
In Sydney alone, the Sydney Swans and Greater Western Sydney have boards full of members who are managing directors of investment banks, former CEOs of national retail chains and large construction companies (including chair of GWS, Tony Shepherd AO), senior partners in consultancy firms, and a former managing director of IBM Australia and New Zealand.
The impressive list goes on. A glance at Victorian and South Australian AFL clubs finds former cabinet ministers, captains of industry, and Order of Australia recipients littered among their high calibre boards. They are boards that befit an entity the size of an AFL or NRL club. Effective administration is a result of an effective commission, but also clubs that are well run by capable, qualified and experienced board members.
The Parramatta Leagues Club and football club boards do not come close in terms of high level management and business experience, and has not done so for over 40 years – if ever. Biographies handed out on Leagues Club election leaflets reveal a motley collection of honourable, well meaning small business people, real estate agents and (on past boards), property developers and representatives from local government.
As opposed to Tony Shephard AO at GWS, or Paul Little AO at Essendon, Parramatta has chairman Steve Sharp – a former rugby league player for the Eels and a former middle manager in state government – and deputy chairman Tom Issa – a car salesman and CEO of ‘Supercar d’Elegant’, a company that ran motor events.
On it goes. Boards should have a mix of talents, skills and experiences, but the lack of high-end management and business experience at Parramatta is clear.
The NRL has made a start in putting pressure on the Parramatta Eels to fix their management standards. They have already imposed a $525,000 fine and a suspended penalty of four competition points for badly breaching the salary cap in 2016 (through mismanagement, not cheating I hasten to add). This suspended loss of points is dependent on the club undergoing an independent audit of its operations.
Far from being chastened and then humble and cooperative, the response from the Eels has not been promising. Chairman Steve Sharp has pushed back on the entirely reasonable request for an independent auditor to review the club’s operations and recommend structural changes, and a management team on its knees appears keen to go down fighting.
As of Wednesday night, Sharp has emailed Parramatta members defiantly defending the board and its actions, announcing that the club, against the wishes of the NRL, will be appointing their current auditors PriceWaterhouseCoopers to undertake their ‘independent’ review.
With the Kieran Foran cap scandal tragicomedy playing out on social media and Parramatta fans searching for grief counsellors, the ball is now in the NRL’s court.
Without decisive and swift action, the NRL will soon be left with a stagnating, mismanaged and perennially underperforming club in the heart of the Western Suburbs, completely outclassed in a managerial and marketing sense by its AFL and A-League competitors.
This is unlikely to lead to the Western Suburbs being lost to rugby league, not by a long shot, but until the NRL acts, the seemingly amateurish, mismanaged arrangements at Parramatta will continue – denying the NRL of what should be a powerhouse franchise.
Bill Moss, formerly from Macquarie Bank, is a diehard Eels fan and has had business proposals and a request to sit on the Eels board rejected ignominiously. He is now calling for privatisation to unlock the potential of the Parramatta Eels and the region. The board will naturally reject this, but as the debacle continues and the factions keep eating their own, privatisation or NRL control is looking more and more appealing.
It is a test of leadership for the NRL, a test of their strategic vision for the code. Do they want to maintain a blue and gold bulwark against rival codes in the historical rugby league heartland of Sydney, even if they have to forcefully demand good management practices be implemented? Or will the NRL Commission passively-aggressively half-intervene while the Parramatta Eels haemorrhage?
I have an idea what the AFL Commission would do in a similar situation, assuming an AFL club board would ever be allowed to stoop as low as the once mighty Eels.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Of course you can't hurt spin doctors,they have a mind of their own.Closed to be precise.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Laughable, amateurish, pretentious, unconvincing...gee your sure know how to hurt a guy. I'll be over here with the Kleenex wiping away my tears.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Oh I see, still sniffing around an NRL thread in the usual denial mode. I repeat one would not get anywhere near that latitude in a thread involving your code. Your argument lacked substance from day one ,simply by ignoring facts which you still continue to do. As you could not accept the fact your code has such machines and benefits from them ,as McLachlan has already spelt out,you have difficulty to digest his comments. Lecture me when and if you are capable of so doing,in the meantime I prefer debating with those who offer reality.Your endeavours at one upmanship are laughable and amateurish.I have been following rugby league before you arrived on this planet and are well aware of its flaws.You could do yourself a favour by admitting your code also has its flaws,instead of playing the perennial code propagandist.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Well you certainly took that advice on board...not. And was labelling my tip as a'pretentious jibe' the very best you could come up with. C'mon if you must lower your contributions by including irrelevant insults, rather than staying on topic as I suggested, then I would have hoped you'd have come up with something a lot better than 'pretentious'. Mate it was a genuine tip for you is to just stick the in/outs of any discussion but if you insist on weakening your arguments then be my guest. That's your prerogative. When you stray and use irrelevant assertions and opinions like 'pretentious' and 'less convincing' it's a self-defeating manoeuvre but you're welcome to approach discussion that way. If your arguments aren't sound then I guess that all you have. There was exaggeration and an incomplete picture being painted in the prior post about AFL involvement in this area, and I was on the money to call it out.
fazed
Guest
So now we have the aspect of private school aka Catholic run schools being behind the problems at Parramatta, or other private run schools, maybe the old sneers of Catholic or Public in the social ladder still exists as nothing aside from the former was worthy of higher things, especially anyone who relied on public or government schools. Certainly Fitz was a graduate of the Parramatta Marist brothers but lets not forget that Catholic education back in those days was a requirement fo children of Catholic parents, I lived next door to a very close freind of mine for all my junior years in public education. What may well be unknown is how some other high falooting clubs had huge benefactors from not just the Catholic run institution but also the Masons, but, how far do we want to head in this direction? One thing with the Emperor to realise is that he did run Parra well for years, & lifted the club to a level that it had not seen in the past, plenty of spoon years as well as good midlle of road years as well, including 70point thrashings from Easts at one point which had 2000 hardy fans at Cumberland. Fitz was a no nonsense player but his primary income was from being a local delivery truck driver, & IIRC from Flemo Markets to shops, as his own business. I will defend him for what he achieved with the club, but like I said on another thread, & perhaps here, unlike Ken Arthurson at Manly who knew when it was time to step down, Fitz sadly didn't, had he accepted the change back when the members chose a different board, & more especially with the current one to give them a chance, & perhaps help them to bring the club back up to where it should be, that is if he still has the club at heart, & the same applies to the others as well, rather than work against it. The alternative! Liturgies at 2000 paces
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
When I debate with someone who spends the bulk of their response time on a thread of a code they abhor,and deflecting the fact their code has a similar issue with that of rugby league,it is obvious I'm dealing with a closed imperious mindset.I would not last 5 minutes on an AFL thread with your typical comments and just be moderated out. I'll give you a courtesy tip(in response to your pretentious jibe) GoGWS my argument stands on its own two feet .Why? Because I at least admit some rugby league clubs depend on revenue from poker machines,you on the other hand have difficulty accepting the fact AFL clubs utilise it to the benefit of the code as McLachlan has clearly enunciated.The fact NRL clubs have bigger palaces and use more is one thing,the fact both codes utilise the funds is the reality.You have difficulty in handling the truth. There less said about money wasted on your club at the expense of the good struggling ratepayers of Blacktown the better. On that basis your argument courtesy of deflecting is in fact far from convincing.It is riddled with holes.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
The Parramatta Marist old boys network is just a myth. Boulos and Anderson are nearly a decade apart. I doubt anybody you are trying to link in the network was anywhere near the school while Boulos was there. There is only one other old boy at the club, and you would be drawing a tenuous link between he and the other two. Fitzy is an old boy too, where is the link there? Just look at the numbers that have gone through that school over the years and you'll find a heap of players and administrators (not necessarily at Parramatta)
GoGWS
Roar Guru
I can't add substantially to what I've said above. The codes are chalk and cheese, and trying to speak of AFL and NRL in the same breath on this issue is false equivalence. That was my original point, and the facts bare that out. Exaggeration and omission were in play which is what I saw and why I called BS. Tip for you Crosscoder. Probably not a great maneauver to start making assertions about someone's posts like "less convincing". Either your argument stands or it doesn't, as does my argument. You don't need to be inserting your own opinion on how convincing our respective arguments are (in your opinion). Stick to the substance of the issue. Just saying.
No factions at Parta
Guest
Bill Moss would be great at Parra, but how on earth can you call Anderson and Boulos experienced? Didn't you read the article? Boulos has OK credentials but nowhere near those of most administrators at comparable clubs. The amount of power Parramatta Marist old boys are given at Parra is a disgrace. Just because the spagnolo faction are calling these guys out doesn't mean the current administration is under qualified. So sick of this factionalism at Parra. Just coz Sharpe is in power and not as bad as others doesn't mean they are way, way out of their depth.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Sorry less convincing the more you post on the subject matter, From your esteemed leader not from me or any rugby league follower for that matter on 26th October 2014 Herald Sun Gil McLachlan named gaming revenue as one of the 3 FACTORS that prompted the league's recent competitive balance push." That means the revenues(insert $88m) have a decent influence full stop.It's got nothing to do with which code gets more from this source just that they both are involved in it,and you are trying to play it down.It makes you argument hollow when the Lions want to get pokies and Southp[ort Sharks thrive on them. The fact your code has bigger crowds ,bigger income from sponsors and Tv deals,and clubs still need pokie revenue,(clubs in debt $ 91.5m) suggests to me ,check your own backyard first The pretention is embarrassing. FYI whilst you bag Penrith,the club has increased over the last few years their membership to 19,000 and merchandise sales have increased by 400%. Sponsorship is also up.Have a nice day.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
NRL needs to appoint Moss to the board. Let the current front office of Boulos and Anderson do their job. One is an experienced sporting administrator and the other an experienced football person. The one issue is the media dislikes one of them because he does things on his terms, not theirs
no one in particular
Roar Guru
And that is where the NRL will step in and appoint a board member. Poorly run clubs are a turn off for fans, and the NRL know they need a stable and competitive Parramatta. And send Cronulla somewhere, anywhere, just as long as they take Rothfield with them
GoGWS
Roar Guru
88m in 2014 for all Vic-based AFL clubs...yeah that's around what the Penrith Panthers alone makes from its pokies annually. It's chalk and cheese. NRL clubs get bagged more because they deserve to get bagged more. If the cap fits.
fazed
Guest
Is the issue of pokies & the like really warranted in this thread? why not write a new articlel about it & let it drag on. For my 2 bobs worth, I used to play the pokies, but woke up to myself in time, & the main venue was at Parra Leagues club, at that time the club was doing ok, today its a powerhouse, but I can go in there any time & not see a lot of poker machines occupied, but how much of that money today goes across to the football club? I have not had an annual report for ages but nowhere near as much as it used to give, as the football club is now all but self sufficient with large sponsorship deals. Why is it that the moral states that once put down NSW as the gambling capital owing to poker machines, these days do very well out of their inclusion in a huge range of venues, & the governments love the incomed from them, QLD, Vic, SA, is there a state that does not have them? or is there a registered club of any type that is devoid of them, & where does their money go to? What is worse, club pokies which may help their sports affiliates, or the huge amount of bet.com's that have sprung up across the country in the past few years, that are not just local owned but from across the world, the world loves Oz & their citizens who throw away their money. Sports events on TV are loaded with them. How much money is sucked into the racing industry, going into the pockets of the peasant horse owners & clubs that garner their kingdoms from the gambling money? I wont go into the liquer industry as they take the millions in as well. All of these industries as such take money from those who can least afford it, & as the RL clubs now go from Leagues clubs sponsorships to other ones, including the various levels of sponsors, how many of those are no worse than what was had before, even the chook raffles of the early days. Perhaps the next level of sponsorship will come from Bob's two up, once its legalised & corporatised.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
GOGWS Look I fully understand you wanting to defend your code as being absolutely faultless on all things,but the reality when it comes to the usage of poker machines paints a complete;ly different picture. All bar one AFL club in Melbourne has them as a source of revenue.Even the so called wealthy clubs. So let's cut the glass house modus operandi . I also note clubs like the Lions in Brisbane are also looking at a licensed club with poker machines.And of course Southport AFL club does its best to grab the money from those unable to really afford it. A n acquaintance of mine's father put his house through the poker machines and spent the remainder of his life renting,I thus need no lecturing on this subject. As to Penrith (and I don't have to live there or be a member)yes they have a huge sprawling poker machine palace and just like the poker machines in AFL clubs leaches money from those who least can afford it.Just like your code and mine takes gambling money from the betting agencies.. The Panthers have record number of members(i.e. securing other revenues) this year,thought you living there would know this. Now as i have stated the NRL is pushing for clubs to look at revenue sources if possible ,knowing full well poker machine revenue can dry up substantially just as he Dragons ,.Sharks and Manly have found out.The Sharks and Manly get SFA one from the licence clubs. You are still carrying on like a hollow man playing the AFL moral crusader. To use an analogy ,if you rob 1 bank with menace ,and I rob 2 banks with menace,we are both bank robbers.The crimes are still the same methodology. In an ideal world there should be no bank robberies or no need for poker machines.It's not hard,nothing to do with your using "By definition". So what you are in effect saying but not prepared to admit it,AFL clubs only recently taking up poker machines,they are the good guys.These same clubs knowing the impact on the community yet still take them up.These clubs lost their moral fibre it seems.. Yet we in Sydney were constantly reminded and bagged for it by AFL types,about rugby league and poker machines,yet your clubs quite happily extracted $88m from punters in 2014 in Melbourne. The more I read about it and your using definition to defend it,just shows the extent of the hypocrisy.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
The NRL clubs wanting to rely less on pokie revenue. Really? Have you been to the 'mega Panthers Club' - it's like a mini casino with row upon row of pokie machines attended by grey haired zombies perched on stools pecking away like demented battery hens. Lonely and sad people pouring their pensions and their kid's inherentence down the drain. I rarely go to places like the Panthers but I have the misfortune of having to go there occasionally because my cousins live near it and they like meeting up there. It is a very sad place full of sad people. The Panthers was in the news a couple of years ago and they quoted the gaming revenue and it wa staggering - I don't recall what it was but it dwarfed the football operations. Again, the Panthers are really a pokie palace that also happens to have a RL team.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Yes well I'm sorry the Souths backflip seems to have occurred (in 2008) which is a little inconvenient fact for you when you said no such thing occurred. And don't worry it wasn't a huge effort mate - I just recalled Rusty's backflip when you brought it up. No effort. Zero effort. I just know BS when I see it. I also seem to recall voluntary administration for that club a few years later? Anyway I don't know, or really care, whether Souths currently has pokies but I'm not taking your word for it that's for sure. A lot of inaccurate and incomplete information coming from your direction. What is clear though is that big Rusty was seeking to make a bold change in direction which was so notable it was regularly in the news at the time which is why I recalled it -so Souths clearly had its nose in this particular trough for some time and took many millions from the local community (and it would not surprise me in the least if they still have pokies today). I have to admire Rusty for trying - he at least was trying to take the club away from this reprehensible and exploitative source of funding a sporting team.
J73
Guest
You were probably right in 2008... Just checked my diary and it's 2015. Actually if you want to go back to 2008, I'm pretty sure the Swans still had poker machines then! Seriously, go warm some milk and have an early night, it's been a busy day for you GoGWS.
GoGWS
Roar Guru
Souths didn't backflip? Are you sure? http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/souths-no-pokies-vision-blinded/story-e6frext9-1111117176559
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
You still don't read what I have stated re the nRl wanting to reduce the reliance by clubs on poker machines,which they are doing.I have given examples of those Sydney clubs who receive next to nothing. As to what numbers of clubs of each code and as to how much they rely on them is irrelevant,when you are pompously talking about the problems of gambling. Neither code can throw stoneAnd on more than a number of occasions AFL types threw it up to the NRL fans,pretending they didn;t have poker machine involvement.Talk about a con job. Well they have record membership this year ,so you got that one wrong GOGWS.