Let’s be clear: the ARU was always going to make the wrong decision. This is sadly not a surprise, but it demonstrates the lack of vision and courage that exists within the ARU.
Today the ARU unintentionally committed a strong act of patriotism by cutting the Western Force.
The Australian southern capitals have a long history of embracing our unique indigenous game of Australian rules football. Before the AFL emerged to unite almost all of the Australian states with representative teams in a national competition, Victoria, the birth place of Aussie Rules; Tasmania; South Australia; and Western Australia already had their own professional leagues for the great Australian sport.
Today, in a move that can only be described as short-sighted, the ARU decided to make an ERU-centric decision – ERU meaning ‘eastern rugby union’, which is what West Australians, when they bother to mention it at all, will now call the ARU – and cut the Western Force out of the competition.
Champagne corks must have been flying all over the AFL offices in Docklands, as this was surely a major victory for our unique domestic football code, hence the act of ‘patriotism’.
This is a momentous win for the AFL, who have been spending tens of millions of dollars Australia-wide to ensure that their brand of football, Aussie rules, was number one in the hearts, minds and, most importantly, the wallets of all Australians. Thanks to the ARU’s decision to cut the Western Force and alienate that entire state, blackening their hearts and minds against rugby, the AFL can once again take solace that they remain the dominant football code in WA.
Recently both Western Australia AFL franchises have featured in AFL grand finals and a new AFL stadium in Perth is scheduled to open for the 2018 AFL season, so with the ARU turning their backs on the people of Western Australia, who had spent over a decade building passion and support for their team and for rugby at the grassroots level, they can all forget about rugby union and go back to comfortably supporting the one footy code that they love – and the sport whose governing body loves them right back.
Many who believe the Melbourne Rebels should have been cut because rugby will never be the number one sport in Victoria are wrong. They’re not wrong about rugby never being the top sport there – it never will be – but that is superficial reasoning.
Rugby does not need to be the top sport code in each state, but it does need to be a viable option. The Force should stay so that kids growing up in WA have a team to aspire to as they progress through grassroots rugby in their home state. The same goes for Victoria – kids in Victoria need to have that professional side to aspire to.
Having the current Wallabies play in Perth and Melbourne and visit for clinics will continue with more notoriety if there is a professional team in these cities to serve as the conduit. What Australian rugby does not need is two teams in the New South Wales catchment, including the ACT, if Western Australia or Victoria don’t have even one.
(Image: Will Russell/Getty Images)
What the ARU needed to do – and what it was never going to do – was cut the Brumbies.
Yes, they are the most successful side in Australian rugby history, but who cares? The media, the ARU and sporting officials nationwide tell us daily that we need to keep our hearts in check because in the 21st century sport is a business.
The Melbourne Rebels, until some recent slick dealing, were privately owned, playing in a nice new(ish) stadium and not costing the ARU anything. The Western Force are backed by the Western Australia government and a local billionaire. Companies are lining up to open their wallets and offer sponsorship money to the Waratahs, and the Reds seem to be on solid financial footing.
That brings us to the Brumbies, who are perpetually tap dancing on the edge of financial ruin. Their stadium is a lick of mud between two dirt mounds with some bleacher seats on two sides, woefully outdated and clearly inaccessible to Brumbies fans since they couldn’t even get there to sell out a recent Super Rugby final against the Hurricanes.
If these first two facts were not enough of a sign that the Brumbies are cooked – and disposable – the third should have been the nail in their coffin. ow can the ARU overlook that level of antipathy for the Brumbies and instead cut loose the passionate Western Force supporters?
The Brumbies could easily have been cut and nobody would have cared – and by nobody I mean only the smallest percentage of the Australian rugby ticket-buying public. Sure, George Gregan would be on Kick and Chase every week railing against it, and Rod Kafer would have to be put on suicide watch, as he tears up anytime a penalty is called against the Wallabies or Brumbies in a match, but other than them there would be no major drawbacks.
So the Brumbies couldn’t sell out a home final against a New Zealand rival, one of the most exciting teams in the world to watch play, and the Brumbies ‘faithful’ couldn’t even be bothered to come out to support their team in their home stadium. The ACT isn’t that big; they can’t hide behind the excuse of it being too far to drive to the game. No, they only have their lack of interest, their lack of passion, to point to as the reason that their home final was not sold out and heaving with Brumbies supporters. Shame!
But the ARU took what they perceived as the easy way out and cut the team in Western Australia. As long as they don’t venture west of the Blue Mountains, they will never have to look a Western Force fan in the face – they can stay safely tucked in their Sydney offices and pretend that the Western Force never existed, and down in Melbourne, among the offices currently filled by the sound of popping champagne corks and joyous slaps on the back, the AFL is hoping that West Australians will forget that the ARU ever existed, too.
stagman
Guest
So the 15 home grown players in the Force and the players from elsewhere in Aus, get a chance to play SR, but everyone in the east seems to forget that the Force has contributed as much to the Eastern states players as it has to growing WA rugby. Like the Brumbies, we too are a bunch of nobodies just with even less ARU backing each year. The Force and the WA state government also contributed to NIB Stadium upgrade. Together with the Perth Glory soccer team the Force have a very good facility. The Force also have an elitie pathway for developing local talent and its starting to work. How would you guys feel if the ARU shut down your team and simply said, "if you want play SR move to Sydney.................." Maybe the Force and the Brumbies are more alike than we think......although I get the feeling we all hate the Waratahs equally. As for your team this year, sorry but Brumbies rugby under Larkam is about as interesting as bowell cancer. The Brumbies would not have got close to the Force if they had met at the end of this season.
piru
Roar Rookie
Reds used to do quite well til Superleague divided everyone At least get your facts right
Ross
Guest
Okay Stagnant, it's clear you don't know the first thing about the ACT - other than you hate it of course! I heard that the Force - in a much larger state - still had to take a few players from NSW and QLD too, right? And as for ACT taking other players, if NSW don't want them, what does it matter? Canberra has the elite program to turn them in to better players. Brumbies had a very weak squad this year and still easily topped Australia and lost 3 games to NZ teams by 6pts or less. Your claim that the stadium is owned by the Australian Sports Commission is true but a bit of a furphy - ownership just transferred back to ACT this year after a peppercorn lease arrangement where Canberra took over management and spent millions on upgrades over the years. Most of the players come from Sydney to get better or because Brumbies will go very them a chance the Tahs won't. Or they come from Southern NSW - Queanbeyan is 15km West, Yass is 59km NE and Goulburn, Crookwell and Cooma are close. For anybody who has actually been here, you'll see it's very much one region... it's not like there's a fence at the ACT border! These surrounding cities and towns play in the John I Dent Cup and receive funding from ACT Rugby Union, not NSW. My club Wests just beat QBN Whites in a Qualifying Final last week. And these nobodies still make the best Super Rugby team in Australia!
stagman
Guest
But Darren, the Brumbies are rubbish
stagman
Guest
Once again the Brumbies claiming someone from somewhere else.
stagman
Guest
I think you mean, the Brumbies have taken more players from other states and teams..... The original ACT Brumbies were a team of the players NSW (Syd) and QLD did not want. Bruce Stadium is a venue owned the partially by the Australian Sports commission and affiliated with the AIS, so in actual fact the Brumbies are a team of nobodies using the Aus taxpayers facilities. Looks like the Brumbies are only the most successful at being a club with everyone's elses resources and a few of there own.
jonnyacidseed
Roar Rookie
Matt, so,im assuming you have the same view for our "well educated experienced " politicians too?
Paul
Guest
This was not the ARUs decision. This was Foxtels. The ARU have sold there sole to Fox and are broke. The decision was made over 18 months ago, under different circumstances in the WA economy when sponsors deserted the Force (always a problem when you accepted mining types) and ARU (Fox) say we will help. Items on the "spreadsheet" will be broadcast costs, timing, the changed conferences but the big one is post 2020. The West has been screwed by Foxtel.
justin lynch
Guest
Ironic? didn't Michael Chaney pick him because Fahour was too "prickly" Ahmed Fahour played Aussie rules.
BeastieBoy
Guest
Plan B Plan B. We must have the Force playing. If in the interim it can't be in super rugby, let's keep the players together and enter them in the top tier of the Japanese competition. We have had to sacrifice our team for theirs. It's the least they can do.
Ross
Guest
So cut the Brumbies, or merge them, anything to kick Canberra. Again. Now THAT is empathy! Fact is the Brumbies have the best elite rugby program in Australia. Even outsiders who come to the Brumbies having been rejected or performed poorly at other states become better players in the ACT. George Smith was told by the Waratahs that he would never be a professional rugby player, so he came to the Brumbies and the rest is history. Ben Mowen - journeyman with several seasons at the Reds and 'Tahs - made Wallaby captain in just one season at the Brumbies. The Brumbies got more out of Stephen Moore than the Reds ever could, and Chris Alcock (another journeyman) had the season of his career for the Brumbies this year. Do you really not see that? Or do you just chose not to? And 2 teams in NSW is a furphy anyway, because Southern NSW - Queanbeyan, Yass, Cooma, Crookwell, Goulburn, etc - play in the ACTRU comp and, generally speaking, for the Brumbies. This region has produced far more Wallabies than WA ever has or ever will, and their isn't enough room for them at the 'Tahs in Sydney. Fact is if the Brumbies were kicked out, these players would go to Rugby League. You can talk about potential future Wallabies in WA being lost to Aussie Rules all you want, but Southern NSW is producing proven Wallabies now and the ARU cannot afford to lose them to Rugby League. Simple really.
Timbo (L)
Roar Guru
Polarizing article. As a former force and former wallabies fan, this would have been a good outcome for me. But I would be sad to see any team go. We need more pathways and development programs, not less. How about a full season 2nd tier comp and 1 or 2 teams in the SR. Fox sports can go and Fox themselves
RahRah
Guest
Have a look at your well educated and trained chairmans track record at the NAB.
Nick Symonds
Guest
Could Twiggy do a Frankie? Could Andrew Forrest start his own league like Frank Lowy did? Teams in East and West Sydney, North and South Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania, Darwin and of course Perth. Played 4 times over for a 36 round season. How's that sound?
Billy
Guest
Rugby WA should also take part of the blame. Its was too little too late this year in winning a "silver medal" with results. I wouldn't trust them in drafting up legal documents for my business.
BeastieBoy
Guest
Why did we sacrifice an Australian Team for the third tier Japanese one. The honourable thing for the board to do who created all this mess is to resign NOW. It is clear that is what the Rugby Population want. We do not want them picking the next CEO.
John
Guest
Mark Chisholm is from Brisbane
AK
Guest
As if, Rob...advertising is national and international. Another clueless Melbourne comment that shows there is really no substance to the ARU's decision.
Yeats
Guest
The problem is that there is absolutely no transparency at all in this debacle. #showusthespreadsheet
Billary Swamper
Guest
AFL just won another battle. ARU should be getting back to Sydney, ring fencing the joint and trying to hold on for dear life now. It is the ARU's Battle of Berlin.