For Rugby Australia, 2017 will be a year some key stakeholders will quickly want to forget. It’s a year that will be remembered for stoushes in the Super Rugby, uncertainty at an administrative level and concern about the performance of the Wallabies on the world stage.
It’s a shame that plenty of important achievements, particularly in the women’s rugby space will be overshadowed by some of this other noise.
But the good news is, if 2018 follows the lead of the final few weeks of 2017, then it could be the year that changes the face of Australian rugby forever – and in the best possible way.
It’s been a week of big announcements.
It started on Tuesday with the announcement that Raelene Castle had officially been appointed the new CEO of Rugby Australia, making her the first woman to lead a major Australian football code.
Raelene will join other women of influence in the rugby union space including Pip Marlow, Josephine Sukkar, Elizabeth Broderick AO and Ann Sherry AO. With a group of women as smart, passionate and inspiring as this group, I expect to see rugby continue to contribute significantly to the diversity conversation in the year to come.
I’m not going to lie. Raelene is not walking into an easy job. There are concerns about the financial situation of Australian rugby. Whispers of an old and tired regime. A code that is struggling in the wake of competition from other codes.
But I am confident Raelene is more than up to the task. A talented administrator who has worked in netball and rugby league, she is up for a challenge – and rugby is certainly a sport that is facing plenty.
I look forward to watching Raelene win over hearts and minds in rugby – just as she did in rugby league.
Raelene Castle is the new Rugby Australia CEO. (AAP Image/Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
Not content with one good news announcement this week, on Wednesday Rugby AU also announced the launch of its Super W competition.
Rugby now joins other codes in Australia like football, cricket, rugby league and AFL with a professional women’s competition of its own and an established pathway for young women to move from grassroots all the way to the elite level and play with the Wallaroos.
This new competition will feature five teams – Queensland, NSW, ACT, Victoria and Western Australia – and will start in March 2018. The competition will run for six weeks and the final will be in April.
This announcement did come as a surprise to me, particularly considering the decision earlier this year by Josephine and Tony Sukkar to stop contributing financially to the NRC because there was no talk of establishing a women’s competition.
But ignoring the XVs space was no longer an option for rugby, particularly after the increased focus on the Wallaroos in 2017 which saw them head to Ireland to compete in a Rugby World Cup with more game time experience than they had ever had.
The Wallaroos finished sixth – but I know with sustained focus, the Wallaroos can do better.
In order for the Wallaroos to be able to compete against some of the top rugby nations in the world, they need to be given the opportunity to play more rugby and Rugby AU needs to continue to focus on the development of a talent pool.
Ensuring that little girls who want to play rugby see that there is a professional opportunity to play their sport, is a very good way to start.
Disappointingly though, and where the ARU has gone wrong with this move is that the players are considered amateurs and will not be remunerated for their efforts. This begs the question – why are the ARU doing this? Are they doing it to save face in the wake of other code announcements or are they doing it to prevent their players switching to other codes.
Here’s a message for the ARU – if you want to create an elite, marketable, sustainable and exciting product, players must be professional. It is not fair to place training, media and additional commitments on these players when all of them will need to hold down a job or have another form of regular income to see them play in this competition.
Unfortunately, this issue really soured the announcement for me and I wonder what impact it will have on the women considering giving up their time, requesting annual leave from work and risking injury for no remuneration.
Additionally, Rugby AU also confirmed that it would bid for the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Raelene Castle. Super W. Women’s Rugby World Cup. More of this please and far less bickering about the state of the Super Rugby.
While the focus has very much been on the XV format of the game this week, our Aussie Pearls continue their training and preparation ahead of the next leg of the World Sevens series which will happen from the 26th to 28th of January in Sydney.
The Pearls won the last Series in Dubai and will look to continue this winning form as they return to Australian soil.
One woman who is looking forward to being part of the squad to take part in Sydney is Cassie Staples, who made her World Series debut in Langford this year.
Cassie has quite the story.
A talented athlete, who played netball at an elite level in her teenage years, Cassie heard some of the people at her gym talking about rugby about a year ago and decided it was time for a new challenge.
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But there was work to be done. Coming from a netball background, Cassie had never competed in a sport with contact. So before taking the field to learn the finer points of the game, Cassie’s trainer, who was helping train current UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker at the time, decided to take her to a wrestling session to see what her instincts were like in contact.
Cassie described that wrestling session as the “hardest form of exercise [she had] ever done”, but her coach was satisfied with her response to contact and it was time to take the field.
It didn’t take long for Pearls coach Tim Walsh and his staff to notice Cassie after they saw her competing at the Lake Macquarie 7s via YouTube video.
Cassie was invited to Rugby AU for a training day where Tim armed her with a list of ‘must-haves’ for rugby sevens, including the ability to pass left and right at speed and with distance.
After plenty of hard work and hours of training, Cassie was invited back and played her first tournament with the development team in Darwin.
Since then, Cassie has been busy. She has competed in the University of Canberra women’s sevens side in the AON rugby sevens series, which has proved to be a very important scouting tool for the Pearls coaches ahead of the World Series.
She also competed in the first leg of the World Series in Dubai and is looking ahead to the next leg in Sydney early next year.
This rise has all happened in the space of one year. The humble athlete that she is, Cassie says that the journey has been nothing but ‘unreal’ and that she feels truly grateful to be given the opportunity.
But everyone who has had the opportunity to meet this young woman knows the hours of hard work and dedication that has gone into turning her into one of the brightest and most promising rugby sevens talent this country has.
Just watch the impact that she makes in Sydney and then, onto the Commonwealth Games.
Rhys Bosley
Guest
"To be honest, PeterK, it’s not my job to look at the financial of Australian Rugby." As a journalist it is your job to cover all aspects of the story, so yes it is your job to inform yourself and your readers about the realities of the situation.
Redsfan1
Guest
Men played 100 years for no money but women automatically demand payment. Based on what revenue projections? Sorry to burst your bubble but this isn't AFL or NRL. It's like the Men's netball team coming and demanding a massive slice of the Diamonds pie. Imagine the uproar
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
Bluffboy, I've said multiple times in the comments here that if they cannot afford to do it, they should not have done it.
piru
Roar Rookie
Having a problem with women in sport seems to be a passion of yours.
Rugbyfan in WA
Guest
The new Womens NRL is a big threat to womens Rugby Union both in NZ and Australia. Especially if it takes off and some high profile union players are offered big money. Both the NZRU and RA need to act fast if they want to avoid what happen wheb Rugby union was amatuer.
bluffboy
Guest
Mary, the basis of your argument to those who question the finance of this competition, seems to be "if the other codes can why cant we". With a very sharp "give me a break". No one is attacking you and we all agree that in a perfect world, we would embrace it. Maybe if you in your next article could explain to all naysayers, which is pretty much everyone, how it can be implemented and financed, because unfortunately the ARU wont. Perhaps write about why they would even contemplate this format if they cant afford it.
concerned supporter
Guest
Hi Mary, Just read your interesting article this morning,together with the varied replies by Roarers, AFL 2016 Annual Report Extracts: "The league handed over $255 million of revenue generated by the game to clubs The league is adamant it will use its new TV rights riches to invest in the game for the next 20 years, rather than spend all that money over the next six seasons. 2016 PAYMENTS TO CLUBS 1. GWS Giants $21,548,374 2. St Kilda $18,566,589 3. Western Bulldogs $17,610,181 4. Brisbane Lions $17,532,922 5. Gold Coast Suns $17,194,594 6. North Melbourne $15,022,303 7. Melbourne $14,799,452 8. Port Adelaide $13,206,665 9. Sydney Swans $12,488,957 10. Richmond $12,358,925 11. Essendon $11,914,715 12. West Coast Eagles $11,703,240 13. Hawthorn $11,614,683 14. Carlton $11,607,942 15. Collingwood $11,304,689 16. Geelong Cats $10,787,483 17. Fremantle Dockers $10,563,307 18. Adelaide Crows $10,553,565 No wonder the AFL can afford paying AFLW people AUD $5,000. Mary, Compare the two organisations "Broadcasting Revenue" 1/ AFL, AUD $2.5 Billion - 6 years = AUD $410,000,000 a year 2/ ARU AUD $285 Million - 5 years = AUD $58,000,000 a year ARU Yearly shortfall = AUD $352,000,000 over a third of a BILLION $!!!!!! Compared to the AFL, the ARU is a financial minnow. A massive financial advantage for the AFL & also the NRL. Australian Rugby is being controlled by the organization called "Friends of Sydney University FC" Members include C.Clyne, M.Hawker,R.Davis, T.Sukkar and other power brokers. Jacquiline Sukkar is Chairman of the ARU "Nominations Committee". This committee initially vets ARU Board candidates before they are recommended, or not recommended to the ARU Board.Try and get past this nominations committee. Anyway, I wish Raelene all the best for the future, she will need it.
Fox
Roar Guru
Sounds like you're making excuse for her already - nope, not her fault if she fail but because Australian Rugby is a mess. Sorry, Mary that doesn't cut it. You are either the right person to do the job or you are not - period. If you can't stand the heat then don't take the salary and job and step into the kitchen. If you do, then accept the success of failure starts at the top and if it fails then you deserve criticism as you took on the job on the pretence that your were the person who could fix the mess - end of story!!!
1st&10
Guest
Gender Quotas must be met or the PC police will start a hashtag
1st&10
Guest
Another affirmative action hire. She was very unspectacular at Canterbury and that’s putting it nicely
kkovak
Guest
The question that never gets answered is what do these women contribute to the game of rugby in Australia other than satisfying the gender quota system . The damage that has been done to the standing of the ARU in the west is considerable and these people by their silence have been party to some of the most underhanded dealings by any group of directors in Australia , but with some hope the ASX will persue penalties after the senate enquiry which exposed the lies by these people. The answer as is we all know more chardonnay vicar and is the west really part of Australia ?
Jimbo81
Guest
Yes. Black lipsticks IS a deal-breaker, up there with all the other deal-breakers. It’s almost as bad as a tribal facial tatt or driving a black SUV with a silver fern on the rear window. She’s Allblacks fan number 1! It’s as absurd and unworkable as Nigel Owens as CEO of England RU, or Penfold wines appointing Con the fruiterer as CEO.
The Dane
Guest
Mary The thing that bothers those of us that care about club rugby is that all we hear about from the likes of you and the next corporate on the board or committee is how the elites are being catered for - whether they be men or women. It's a top down approach. Unfortunately it's clearly and demonstrably not working given the performances of our elites. Club rugby is where you get your players from. Club rugby is the reason Rugby continues to survive in Australia. The Wallabies and the super rugby franchises are an irrelevant embarrassment at this point in time. Dilution of our resources in dubious, nefarious competitions that do nothing to lift the overall quality of mainstream rugby enhances the view that the people running rugby still have no clue as to what makes the game tick in Australia. What is the plan for Club rugby ? Please enlighten us. That's what most people enjoy and attend. You can have any number of women's competitions and teams for the elite but unless you provide a solid club based competition around the local clubs for these girls it won't matter whether you you pay them or not. You wont have the players and you wont develop players for your elite teams. You'll be forced to pinch them from another sport. This is not very good long term planning. Furthermore at the risk of appearing sexist it now seems that the solution to all Rugby's woes as espoused by the current board is to ensure that more elite women play the game. Many of us with an abiding affection for the game find this extremely puzzling. It seems like a solution to a problem that isn't apparent. People who are trying to keep clubs alive, coach junior teams and administer local competitions with limited resources and zero help from the ARU or whatever it calls itself now don't share this viewpoint. It appears the gap between club rugby and those running the game nationally is wider than ever. The 2 groups seem to be on totally different pathways. It makes me ponder what the agenda of the current board is? It seems as we launch into this brave new world no thought is spared for the traditional strongholds of Australian rugby- the clubs and the local competitions they run.
PeterK
Roar Guru
To put it into perspective. The mens game was amateur for 100 years up to 1996 competing with the professional mens games in AFL, NRL and Soccer. The men were expected to give up more time than the women in this initial 6 game comp for no money.
PeterK
Roar Guru
agree that replying with sarcasm to a point about attire was the correct response. I would be interested in your response though to the other more relevant and pertinent points brought up.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
Black lipstick is an automatic deal breaker? Fan-bloody-tastic.
Mary Konstantopoulos
Expert
Redsfan, then I would have rather that they didn't do it. It's funny that every other code - league, cricket, AFL and even football can afford to compensate their players, but for rugby it's too far a stretch. Give me a break.
Redsfan1
Guest
If Rugby Australia is losing money why should they take money away from the only part that makes revenue to an area that is going to drain more money? 100% certain women's rugby competition will lose money. But yea let's have a moral feel good story as the code goes broke.
rebel
Guest
Cookie, can't say as I haven't had involvement, but it sure appears that way.
rebel
Guest
I think we know the answer to that, the NRL got the jump on them. Still despite the reason it is great that it is now set up, just need to now compensate the girls for what they are expected to give up.