Aussie Pro Rugby
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@Chris-B said in Aussie Rugby:
@voodoo said in Aussie Rugby:
@Chris-B said in Aussie Rugby:
@voodoo said in Aussie Rugby:
Going out on an unpopular limb here, but I actually don't think Kearns would be that bad as CEO.
- He is smart. Maybe not a genius, but definitely smart enough to know what he doesn't know. He'll put smart people around him, his ego isn't so big that he will try to do it himself.
Is he?
He's a terrible commentator. One-eyed and perpetually hard done by. He was still whinging about Richie McCaw's cheating a couple of seasons after Richie had retired.
Doesn't preclude him from being a good CEO, but not someone who'd be near the top of my list.
Oh Chris, come on. You have to be able to separate the mans intellect from his tv personality. He is a one-eyed git, precisely because that's what 80% of his fans demand . He isn't silly.
Why? He has been a perpetual negative asshole on TV for as long as I can remember - a terrible commentator. I've made several suggestions here for him to be sacked from TV. He has detracted from my viewing of any match he;s been involved in for about five years - apart from unintentional comedy value.
To now argue that's just his TV persona and he's completely different character - well, maybe it's true - but fuck him.
That's getting into the spirit of the thread!
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@voodoo said in Aussie Rugby:
Going out on an unpopular limb here, but I actually don't think Kearns would be that bad as CEO.
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He is smart. Maybe not a genius, but definitely smart enough to know what he doesn't know. He'll put smart people around him, his ego isn't so big that he will try to do it himself.
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He has a massive roladex - yes, jobs for the boys etc, but if he needs to speak to a CEO in Sydney or Melbourne, or get a charity fundraiser going, he can open the door. That's definitely useful.
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He's a decent guy - yeah, I know some of you have different views, heard different stories, but 90% of folk I know have a positive view of him being a decent (but deviant) bastard, including my personal experience with him.
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Media - they'll give him massive reign to get stuff done. While this isn't always optimal, I think sometimes a bit of runway makes a massive difference. He'll get this. Just having fuckwits like Alan Jones off his back will give him huge breathing space.
Yeah, I agree with you on 1,2 and 4.
Never met him, but I know of someone that works with him that called him a Grade A fluffybunny.
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@Nepia said in Aussie Rugby:
@Bovidae said in Aussie Rugby:
Dave Rennie might be having a closer look at his contract and if it has any release clause.
He took over the Poo when the coach just left ... the Poo! I think he likes getting shit and trying to mould it into diamonds.
He won bloody 1st division with Wellington of all teams!
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@MajorRage said in Aussie Rugby:
Yeah, I agree with you on 1,2 and 4.
Never met him, but I know of someone that works with him that called him a Grade A fluffybunny.
And that's the thing: can't please all the people all the time.
I don't think his TV persona is going to be the one used in any ExCo or Boardroom situation BUT there is a high likelihood of an Old Boys' Club developing where an attitude like that would be tolerated.
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How fucked is Ozzie rugby when this happens? Yeah like the total destruction of grass roots support has all happened in the past couple of years under castle.
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@Machpants said in Aussie Rugby:
How fucked is Ozzie rugby when this happens? Yeah like the total destruction of grass roots support has all happened in the past couple of years under castle.
@NTA , @barbarian - what's your thoughts on this?
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@Machpants It's clear to me that a cabal of former RWC winners patting themselves on the back believe that they should be further anointed and take over the running of the game.
And so they should. Raelene has bio-engineered this virus to hide her administrative failings. Time for those employed by FoxSports to step in and save the
gameworld. -
@MajorRage said in Aussie Rugby:
@NTA , @barbarian - what's your thoughts on this?
On one hand, I see their point in that they used to have a lot more engagement with local "grassroots" clubs back in the day.
(I put the word in quotes because it means very different things to people in Australian Rugby, depending where you sit).
On the other hand, they can get fucked. Some of these guys played mostly in the pro era and took on bigger and bigger contracts to lay waste to the finances, and increasingly stepped back from duties to the lower tiers. Each and every one of them lined up to form a players union that sought a significant slice of the pie, and just happened to play in some teams that were successful / legends of the game. They took FoxSports money to do it, but would happily have taken any money.
Nick Farr-Jones and Simon Poidevin have both been involved in dodgy business dealings, so they can both get fucked squared to the power of goat rape.
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@Bones said in Aussie Rugby:
@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
so they can both get fucked squared to the power of goat rape
Quite interested in hearing more about this.
The goat rape part? Or the dodgy business dealings?
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@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
@Bones said in Aussie Rugby:
@NTA said in Aussie Rugby:
so they can both get fucked squared to the power of goat rape
Quite interested in hearing more about this.
The goat rape part? Or the dodgy business dealings?
ALL OF IT
Edit: Nah I'm no businessman.
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@NTA So do you think Castle should go?
Or are you more worried about the replacement?
I've always viewed Aussie rugby as a posh private school boys club. However, I'm different from most in that I don't necessarily see what is wrong with that. Society demographics are what they are, and they don't change because people say they should. SA game has taken huge strides in this, but last I saw, they were playing in front of crowds which measure in the 100's. And this despite being current world champs.
Is it better for Aussie to go back to this (or at least acknowledge thats all it really is and build off that), or keep trying with the different approach - which is what RC was brought into do, no?
Or do I have this all completely wrong?
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@MajorRage said in Aussie Rugby:
@NTA So do you think Castle should go?
Or are you more worried about the replacement?
I've always viewed Aussie rugby as a posh private school boys club. However, I'm different from most in that I don't necessarily see what is wrong with that. Society demographics are what they are, and they don't change because people say they should. SA game has taken huge strides in this, but last I saw, they were playing in front of crowds which measure in the 100's. And this despite being current world champs.
Is it better for Aussie to go back to this (or at least acknowledge thats all it really is and build off that), or keep trying with the different approach - which is what RC was brought into do, no?
Or do I have this all completely wrong?
"Wrong" is for hindsight
I think there is enough positive from Castle's time in the seat to persist for another year or two. Changing horses now would be no guarantee that things get better - and going back to someone like the previous idiot
mightEDIT: probably will just make it worse.The Board needs a broom through it before we can tell if it is the Executive or the Chair. First rule of fixing something: only move one part at a time or you never know where the problem really was.
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@Bovidae a sign of the character of the man! and possibly a more savvy operator who nudges from behind the scenes... if at all??
I think that open letter approach is shithouse - Castle ain't flash but she's been dealt several shitty hands since taking over. Sure her bluff over Izzy etc wasn't great, but Oz rugby has been in a state for a while and Rennie's appointment was a really big deal and the best thing to happen to their game in a long time.
Where were all these guys earlier on in the piece? maybe they were providing support etc but this just seems like they want to ditch Castle for a good ol boy.
@voodoo I'd give Kearns props (not hookers) if he addressed his 'tv persona' versus his business persona. Like @Chris-B I loathe his one-eyed, lynch mob commentary approach. He may well be a smart guy but he's got a loooong way to go to convince me of that lol (as if he gives a shit ha ha).
But I am interested in hearing his motivations around the role. Is he knowingly going into a thankless and hiding to nothing role to try and save the game? or does he think he's the (only?) guy that can right the ship?
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@Bovidae said in Aussie Rugby:
A notable absentee on that list is the most successful Wallaby captain and always a sensible voice amongst the dross - John Eales. What to make of that?
Well Eales has been on the RA Board for the best part of the decade so signing a letter calling for a sweep-out of leadership would be somewhat self-incriminating.
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The reasons for the current mess are many and varied. The issue I have with the signatories of that letter is that it once again makes the assumption that the fault for this rests with the current administration.
That is clearly not the case. Seeds were planted throughout the late 90s (with the initial CBA with RUPA which gave over too much cash to players), the 2000s (when we squandered the cash generated from the RWC) and the 2010s (where we let Super Rugby become a mess).
There's also a mistaken assumption that because we were successful in the late 90s/early 00s, that if we recreate the environment that allowed that success in 2020 then we will return to the glory days. Things like a 'strong grassroots' with players bleeding for their local clubs.
While some of these are nice to have, the core truth of the matter is our success was due to a rapid, efficient response to the game turning professional. While it took 10 years, the rest of the world caught up with us and now we sit roughly where we did before.
So when a crop of former players AGAIN come out and call for a change in CEO without any tangible ideas for improvement, I roll my eyes and so do many people like me.
Because under Castle we've actually seen a bit of progress. Our junior system is working and we have a great crop of youngsters coming through. We've signed key players to long-term deals. We've appointed a bloody good Wallaby coaching panel. We look like we've got a clear run to the line to get the 2027 World Cup.
The biggest problem that I can see is Super Rugby, and I am yet to see any viable solution that provides a better on-field product without losing tens of millions in TV $$. Until we have that I'm not sure we can start to turn things around at all levels of the game.
