Force Goooooooone
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From the ARU website:
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Titus O'Reily summed this situation up pretty well in his weekly AFL preview.
If you substitue Tasmania for The Force, and GC/Western Sydney for The Rebels, it's pretty fucking apt
Think of it like this, Tasmania is someone that currently goes to the gym. They can only go twice a week due to other commitments, but they go and enjoy it. Western Sydney and the Gold Coast are more like me. They don’t go to the gym, but they have the potential to go seven days a week because they’ve got nothing else on. Therefore, they have way more potential when it comes to going to the gym. Just look at the numbers, Tasmania, two days a week tops, me seven days a week. Now, the one thing the AFL seems to have missed is that I hate going to the gym. Sure, I visited the local gym once, but that’s because from the outside it looks a bit like an ice cream shop. That’s the problem with investing in potential when it comes to things that involve people, we rarely meet our potential. -
Could have been any of the Aussie teams really.
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@NTA said in Force Goooooooone:
Chuck this on the "Aussie Rugby in general" thread.
Pretty fucked, really. WA starting to deliver a few players but the time zone and travel were bollocks.
Given the number of games each week, the time zone didn't really seem that bad. Ended up being able to fit two Aussie games into a night.
Looking at the improvements to rugby in WA and the state of the Rebels, this is a really shit decision. But I guess that's what happens when you're run by the gutless ARU, who were probably terrified of the legal action dropping a team they don't own would bring. I would've even cut the Brumbies, who had an empty stadium for a fucking quarter final, before the Force (or dropped the Rebels and moved the Brumbies to Melbourne).
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@mariner4life said in Force Goooooooone:
Titus O'Reily summed this situation up pretty well in his weekly AFL preview.
If you substitue Tasmania for The Force, and GC/Western Sydney for The Rebels, it's pretty fucking apt
Think of it like this, Tasmania is someone that currently goes to the gym. They can only go twice a week due to other commitments, but they go and enjoy it. Western Sydney and the Gold Coast are more like me. They don’t go to the gym, but they have the potential to go seven days a week because they’ve got nothing else on. Therefore, they have way more potential when it comes to going to the gym. Just look at the numbers, Tasmania, two days a week tops, me seven days a week. Now, the one thing the AFL seems to have missed is that I hate going to the gym. Sure, I visited the local gym once, but that’s because from the outside it looks a bit like an ice cream shop. That’s the problem with investing in potential when it comes to things that involve people, we rarely meet our potential.I guess the major difference between the AFL and the ARU ( from what I can gather )
The AFL have money to burn and are prepared to keep throwing it away to get what they want in the end , even if it takes a long time and proves to be expensive
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ARU to discontinue Western Force Super Rugby Licence
By ARU Media Unit
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has today resolved to discontinue the Western Force Super Rugby licence. The decision comes after several weeks of consultation with Rugby bodies and stakeholders, including Government and commercial partners. ARU Chairman, Cameron Clyne said: “The ARU Board has today made the decision to discontinue the Western Force as the Super Rugby competition reverts to fifteen teams for the 2018 season. “This has been a complex process to reduce Australia’s Super Rugby representation to four teams as agreed by SANZAAR following its review of the competition. “We are regretful that this issue has consumed so much of the public commentary on the game in 2017. It was clearly not our intention for this to play out over such a lengthy period however there have been factors outside the ARU’s control that have prevented us from completing the process. “Our decision to exit the Western Force has been guided primarily by financial outcomes. “As we have reinforced throughout this process, there are commercial realities which are linked to declining on-field performance across our Super Rugby teams which has put Australian Rugby in a position where it can no longer sustain five teams. “Furthermore, the significant unbudgeted support funding that has been provided to Super Rugby teams over the past five years has greatly affected our capacity to invest in community Rugby. “This is a sad day for Rugby, especially for Western Force fans. We accept that there will be anger and resentment over this decision and we sympathise with those fans. We sincerely hope that they are not lost to the game forever. “The decision to exit the Western Force from Super Rugby is not a decision to abandon the game in Western Australia. “Western Australia will retain an important place in Australian Rugby and the ARU will continue to support youth development programs and the community game in the West. There will be a clear pathway for young Western Australian Rugby players to reach the highest level and represent the Wallabies. “Our immediate concern is to support the individuals at the Western Force through these difficult circumstances and we will deploy various ARU management staff to Western Australia to provide assistance to all players and staff.” -
What a shambles. Personally think getting rid of the brumbies would have been the way to go, despite their success.
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@Billy-Tell said in Force Goooooooone:
What a shambles. Personally think getting rid of the brumbies would have been the way to go, despite their success.
Financially I'd have thought the brumbies were gone. But they are the most successful Aussie franchise, how would that look...
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Pulver to step down after Super Rugby saga
ARU CEO Bill Pulver says he will step aside as soon as the governing body has a replacement, after announcing the ARU's decision to cut the Western Force. -
@canefan said in Force Goooooooone:
@Billy-Tell said in Force Goooooooone:
What a shambles. Personally think getting rid of the brumbies would have been the way to go, despite their success.
Financially I'd have thought the brumbies were gone. But they are the most successful Aussie franchise, how would that look...
Both the Perth and Melbourne clubs have haemorrhaged money over the years. Brumbies are semi-stable despite drawing fuck all gate.
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@NTA said in Force Goooooooone:
@canefan said in Force Goooooooone:
@Billy-Tell said in Force Goooooooone:
What a shambles. Personally think getting rid of the brumbies would have been the way to go, despite their success.
Financially I'd have thought the brumbies were gone. But they are the most successful Aussie franchise, how would that look...
Both the Perth and Melbourne clubs have haemorrhaged money over the years. Brumbies are semi-stable despite drawing fuck all gate.
Wasn't that billionaire going to bankroll Perth or was that rubbish? Personally I couldn't see them kicking out the bum boys
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“Our decision to exit the Western Force has been guided primarily by financial outcomes.Am I the only one that reads that to mean that they can't afford to pay/buy out the owners of the Rebels, so they went with the Force because that is what they can afford to do right now?
I think it is a mistake. I am hardly an expert on the Australian sporting landscape, but from here it looks like nobody gives a shit about the Rebels in Melbourne. Long term I thought the Force had a better chance of being a medium fish in a medium pond, while the Rebels will always be drowned out by AFL in Melbourne.
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Some reactions:
Following today’s arbitration decision in favour of the ARU, and the subsequent announcement from ARU to discontinue the Western Force, RUPA CEO Ross Xenos has released the following statement: “Today's is the darkest day in the history of Australian Rugby with the custodian of the game confirming their desire to end the tenure of the Western Force and abandoning the game's national footprint." "The future of professional Rugby in Western Australia will now be the collateral damage of the decision making of the ARU and SANZAAR to expand Super Rugby to a convoluted and complicated 18 team structure against various advice and modelling received which explained the associated risks." “Players, staff and their families at the Western Force have been put under unprecedented and, quite frankly, completely unreasonable duress throughout this ridiculous and destructive process." “RUPA has and will continue to provide any support that is necessary for all players affected by the ARU's decision. We have staff in Perth and are in regular contact with all contracted players at the Force and their respective agents. RUPA will do whatever it takes to ensure that players' contractual rights are honoured and no player is unfairly disadvantaged by the ARU’s decision." “The people of Western Australia have campaigned fairly, passionately and with integrity in order to show that the Western Force deserve to have a place in Super Rugby. That campaign has fallen on deaf ears. We understand that Rugby WA are considering their legal position from this point forward and we respect their rights to explore such avenues." Out of respect for the players and staff at the Western Force, RUPA will not be making any further comment at this time.
