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I wrote previously about the catalogue of disastrous decisions the board and management of the Western Force have made since the club’s inception. These decisions resulted in player losses, which led to poor performance, then declining crowds and the eventual take over by the ARU.
I hoped that, with the ARU running the show, changes would be made in the best interests of the players and the long-suffering supporters. How wrong I was.
The first decision the ARU made was to sack Michael Foley, a coach that, according to what anyone says, was at least well-liked and respected by all the players. Was he the best coach going around? No, but he did manage to turn a number of good players into players good enough to represent their countries.
He never had the cattle to form a competitive side and, on balance, did the best he could.
However, to its supporters, the decision was a brave step. It signalled that good was not good enough and we assumed a top-line coach would be paid whatever was required to turn the Force in to a competitive side; something along the lines of Paul Roos’ appointment to Melbourne in the AFL.
But yesterday we heard the news that little-known Dave Wessels has been appointed. I actually had to Google him to confirm the spelling of his name.
Now Dave, I’m sure, is a nice guy, but is very inexperienced, has not played rugby at the highest level, has never been a senior coach and his only Super Rugby experience is his involvement with the Western Force.
In short, he’s everything we did not need
No sooner had the ink dried on his contract than our brightest star, Kyle Godwin, was out the door. Wait for the next resignation – who I’d bet on being Matt Hodgson – and the complete collapse of this side will be complete.
Why has the ARU done this?
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.