did you mean “opinions ” ?

What most of this thread overlooks is that we now have a magnificent opportunity to reform the structures of our game. As the gurus say, never waste an opportunity in a crisis!

try listening … it won’t kill you.

Good on you, Davos, typical Roarer’s misinformed flame.

The bloke has been in the inner circle and is fully entitled to express an opinion, which is probably evidence based rather than jealousy based. Which one are you?

Alex, whatever you think about the rights of a few players, think about what everyone else out there is facing. The Prime Minister’s mantra “we’re all in this together” is not just fluff.

Many of us are lucky to still have an income, even if we have taken a hit. If our industry suffers a particular percentage hit then we either need to cop it or find a new industry to work in.

I am sure the Reds know their numbers down to a tee and most of the players would accept their lot. You are either a team player or you aren’t.

I think Marto was pretty much on the money.

Maybe too much is being made of Rodda’s rift with Thorne, and maybe Rodda can use that as a way to leverage his way to a better deal with another franchise, because of what has gone before.

It strikes me that this is a story of one individual who has found a way out of a situation that had not, hitherto presented an opportunity. A sore that was already festering?

Lucas and Hockings? That is an enigma. They are young guns on their starting paths. Brave moves, and you have to think they are both confident players who are prepared to back themselves as much off the paddock as they do on it.

Or maybe they just place too much faith in their agent?

Good luck with that, lads.

We are definitely living in interesting times.

There may well be more of these types of stories, before this plays out.

If you truly want to have a national competition etc you have to agree to expand, naturally. If you are going to let Penrith and Newcastle back in (and maybe others) then do it and don’t wait for them to fail – find ways for them to succeed.

It doesn’t matter if you are a rusted on Norths, Gordon, Randwick, Uni, Easts or any other club supporter – get on the bus and find a way to help these clubs make inroads into the competition – find ways to make them viable – welcome them, don’t immediately find ways to keep them down – celebrate their re-inclusion and help in any way you can.

We all need to get behind this. Work out what you can offer.

How are you going to help, Max?

Don’t be catty!

This is great news. What can I do to help?

Good to hear from you, Brian!

Same – doesn’t matter about the colour – say, blue – just a warning and two consecutive blues in one season means an automatic suspension the following week – it should keep players honest, if they know they are on thin ice, but also keeps 15 on the field – or maybe 5 in the bin with a replacement allowed to run on.

He said he wants to take it all behind closed doors!! That should get the Roarers going! Isn’t that what they always did?

Newsflash! The Brumbies consistently outperform the other franchises, and you might recall that they were doing it pretty well when the season was so rudely interrupted. Why not leave out the Waratahs or the Reds?
This old chestnut arises every year or so, and we Canberrans, or former ones who love the place and its team and everything it stands for grow a little sick and tired of those who think all Rugby revolves around Sydney and Brisbane. There are a few who happen to disagree, and if you think about it, some of Australia’s finest Wallabies of the modern era originated in the ACT – Roff, Gregan, Larkham, Giteau, Henjak, Rathbone, Caputo, Fenukitau, Powell, Lealiifano, Arnold, Carter, and a few more that I have forgotten about, who did not originate in Qld or NSW.
This Brisbane and Sydney centric thinking has to stop – it is what is holding back our game.
.. and what sort of idea is it that you could have “juniors” playing at the top level? Slightly off the planet, I would say!

My first reaction was incredulosity, then I noticed it was you, Sheek, taking the piss!

I doubt the editors would allow me to publish a poem as a post, so I thought I might take the opportunity to hijack your post and use the mechanism of a reply to publish it – I challenge them to edit it.

Anyway, I had a little chat with Rupert McCall the other day about poetry and he suggested it might be a nice thing to do to write a poem about the re-start of our club season, and I just happened to have opened a nice bottle of red at the time, so I thought, why not and wrote this little piece – hope you don’t mind that I have hijacked your post, but, hey, isnt that what most Roarers do with other people’s posts anyway?

Thanks for putting up with me – we will eventually have that beer, Sheek: – ………

The Resumption

I refuse to believe that’s it’s not going to happen,
This season of 2020,
Rumours abound, there are plenty?

Or will it be a fizzle
No more sausage sizzle??
Life as we know it has changed
I refuse to believe it – am I deranged?

There is hope abounding,
The curve is flattening
We need to get a sounding

No way, Hose
Stay strong, boys and
we will find a way

There never will not be a Rugby Season
There never will not be the Bretheren,

What’s the go? Give us the rub!
The tribe will stand behind this great club

This hardy band of men
When will it get going again?

Whenever it is, you can bet
we are set
and ready, steady go
A fair bit of testosterone will be on show.

Why not? Young blokes need to be hot
That is the way we are wired.
All those Rugby skills hard won and acquired
Need to be on show and be admired

The Bretheren is pumped,
the dander is up,
We are ready to sup from the cup
of success,

We are bursting at the seams,
every single one of our teams,
Isolated with just their season’s dreams

Training hard on their own,
keeping up with their mates,
bursting at the seams

Too early to tell but we all want to play,
we all want to have our Rugby foray,
each and every Saturday

It’s a rite of passage that cant be denied,
We”ll need to get back to the right side,
Coaches on the money from the first ‘sesh’
Boys switched on and ready to impress

When we get back what then?
The anticipation is mind blowing,
Just can’t wait for lads to run out
and ready to give a great showing

That first kick off, that first ref’s whistle blow
will be sublime
we will reflect on the months that have passed
and say “what a crazy time”

But no time for that now,
the game’s the thing,

and how!

We are back in the moment, lost in time – the ebb and flow,
the heroics, it seems like no time had passed
then suddenly, full time,

I was having so much fun,
Glad the boys won!

Comes too soon!

Well done the victors, a great Rugby day
for the other team – oh, well, there’s always next Saturday.

That is just the way it is in our magic game,
No two games ever the same,
Tales to tell, heroic stories
Past, present and future glories.

My shout – must be a prop,
couldn’t possibly be a back,
they never have any dough,

at least not in their pockets,
maybe in their jocks, though,
The ladies seem to like it,
Forwards will never know.

More stories to tell from the front row
and, what is it that backs do?
We’ll never know.

Backs in a huddle across the bar
what do those piggies do, anyway?
Something about dark arts
Magic and blokey foreplay??

You could catch a cold
while they play the “dark art”
I’ll just polish my boots and work on my part!

Yes, we could go on,
and so could the season,
Let’s have a dream,
every team,

Be right there at the end.

Lifting a cup
Holding your hard won trophy up
Plenty of room to sup

A satisfying brew,
the strong bonds of team – me and you,
fashioned over a great season
and only one reason

It’s why we play the great game
make great mates and great friends
No two seasons ever the same,
Mateship that never ends.

Bring it on, the Bretheren!!

If you took the time to read my articles, I doubt you will find any that speculate on the goings on of the powers that be.

I think it would be great if David got the nod, but, as usual, the Roarers have made up their minds with no evidence – nothing new there – has he actually put his hand up? Is this article a probe to gauge interest, written by a stooge?

I was an acquaintance of the Gallop family in Canberra and was engaged with them, off and on, with Justice John Gallop, with whom I had associated as a member of the Navy Reserve Legal Panel, and sons and daughter. All lovely people. At that time, David was still with his previous employer before his involvement with Rugby League. A very down to earth bloke, but what struck me was his massive intellect.

It was no surprise to me that he not only went on to become such a great sports administrator, but also that he lasted so long, in two major sports, and introduced so much change.

To be at the head of two major sporting organisations in this country for as long as he did speaks volumes, and I, for one would love to see what he could do for Rugby, if he chooses to throw his hat in the ring.

The mental picture is a beauty!!

if there was a sport called “speculation” any number of Roarers would be gold medallists.
I think we should just let the dust settle and see what happens. it’s not like most of us have any say in it.

Where is that coming from Carlos?
Sounds like victim mentality to me.
All I am saying is that we are probably already broke. What are we going to do about it?
Current thinking needs to change and we need to think outside the box.

Mate, happy to accept your comment, and coming from Sydney where Gordon was always referred to as “the Trash”, I thought that was bad enough, but stunned to hear the perjorative of “the Filth”, but everyone seems to take it in their stride, so I’ll live with it. Maybe someone will explain the origins one day and, hey, just might be a good basis for an article on this website.
..and yes, I will look forward to meeting up at Bottomley, just look for the fat bloke with a head of hair – I’ll get the first shout!

Thanks, Bobby – it comes from the heart.

Thanks all – 11 comments this time.
It’s an interesting reflection that when we write about grassroots Rugby only a few seem interested. We all seem to be able to commentate on the big issues, but not the smaller ones.
It always reminds me of an old joke that I heard – 2 guys talking about family, etc, and one says to the other ..”in my house, my wife makes all the small decisions, like which school the kids should go to, what sort of car we should have, buying all the clothes, and running the household budget, etc etc and I make all the big ones, like whether America should go to war with China, and how the policitians should run the country..”
Kind of encapsulates it.
Yet grassroots Rugby is the heart and soul of our game. I get way more fulfillment out of spending a Saturday at my club watching my team(s) go around than I ever will writing or reading or commenting on this website.
Gentlemen, if contributing to this eminent website is your only Rugby involvement can I encourage you to get down to your local club, whether it be Premier, or Subbies, or a bush club and enjoy a Saturday of watching young blokes running around.
Put your hand up for a job – there is always room for one more volunteer. Then you will truly get the sense of it

My sentiments, entirely.

Disagree with several of your points and I am not saying that the players or coaches are doing it wrong – womens and under 20s’s going gangbusters – its the management decisions that need to be looked at. The whole concept of going back to our roots may well be forced on us and we should be prepared for it.