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The Rumours Thread

S

Stewartliddle

Juniors
Messages
459
twinkletoes said:
360 said its not a board meeting today...its the junior rugby league meeting.

On another note, Phil Gould, who I detest as a person but has an immense knowledge of the game has said sacking the coach will not solve any of the problems at the Dragons which he says have been in the making for years and years (fully agree with that) and solving all the issues will be a 5-10 year process..not a quick fix by sacking the coach.
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Gould is only making those statements so he can poach some of our young guns coming through. Every single statement he makes in the media has a purpose, he is a shrewd operator. He would love nothing more then to come through and take Reed, Halangahu, Loko etc. We need the right coach to inspire these kids, and improve them. Shane's attitude and grumpy demeanour doesn't cut it in 2026
 
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getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
37,266
Stewartliddle said:
Gould is only making those statements so he can poach some of our young guns coming through. Every single statement he makes in the media has a purpose, he is a shrewd operator. He would love nothing more then to come through and take Reed, Halangahu, Loko etc. We need the right coach to inspire these kids, and improve them. Shane's attitude and grumpy demeanour doesn't cut it in 2026
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I actually think his comments re the club being a shambles are spot on....

Not a fan of Gould, but the dysfunction has been there for a while. ... Ask Wayne ;-)
 
Gippsy

Gippsy

First Grade
Messages
5,089
I'm pretty sure he said something similar to what he is now saying, or at least implied it. He said sacking Mary would not solve the problems and the main problems were much deeper than just the coach. He sort of implied, to me at least, that the Board was in the way of any real improvemnets at the club.
 
Illusion

Illusion

Bench
Messages
3,742
Gippsy said:
I'm pretty sure he said something similar to what he is now saying, or at least implied it. He said sacking Mary would not solve the problems and the main problems were much deeper than just the coach. He sort of implied, to me at least, that the Board was in the way of any real improvemnets at the club.
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Yes there lays the problem ....... Either they unite or split the merger go all out St George again or Illawarra Steelers ........ It's not working ........
 
since77

since77

Bench
Messages
2,907
getsmarty said:
I actually think his comments re the club being a shambles are spot on....

Not a fan of Gould, but the dysfunction has been there for a while. ... Ask Wayne ;-)
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He also said this at the same time Mary's head was on the chopping block - although to be fair it was obvious that Mary was part of the problem or at least a gigantic symptom of the problem. But his point was that the inmates were running the asylum and that as long as that continued we were going to go backwards. The thing that terrifies me now is he's saying it's going to take 5-10 years to fix this. The incompetence shown by the board since 2012 is unforgivable and it boggles my mind that the media have never bothered to put heat on the actual people responsible for the mess we're in.
 
T

twinkletoes

Juniors
Messages
1,339
Board members should be limited to a 10 year tenure to ensure fresh blood is introduced on a regular basis. The whole football department should be blown up from top to tail. To suggest Dean Young be caretaker/ permanent coach is an absolute joke as he has been a major contributor to the abysmal decline in performances over the past 2-3 seasons...how would he bring anything different to the table. Gould is referring to the nepotism and jobs for the boys/mates mentality that has pervaded the club for over 20 years.
 
JohnnoMcJohnno

JohnnoMcJohnno

Bench
Messages
2,744
since77 said:
He also said this at the same time Mary's head was on the chopping block - although to be fair it was obvious that Mary was part of the problem or at least a gigantic symptom of the problem. But his point was that the inmates were running the asylum and that as long as that continued we were going to go backwards. The thing that terrifies me now is he's saying it's going to take 5-10 years to fix this. The incompetence shown by the board since 2012 is unforgivable and it boggles my mind that the media have never bothered to put heat on the actual people responsible for the mess we're in.
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I'm a bit more optimistic. 3 to 5 years to fix things. The inference from Gould's "review" was that too much responsibility was being placed on the coach, and that the club could not afford to make the necessary changes needed. But they got Ryan Webb as CEO not long after that, who focussed on turning the finances around. Webby's statement in 2023 at the members meeting was that they now had the funds to invest in programs to improve the team performance. I assume the centre of excellence is part of that. Getting (in my opinion) a competent recruiter in Daniel Anderson is another step forward. Getting a competent coach has been the difficult part. Anyway, I think there has been some progress in the front office, it's just been painfully slow going.
 
JohnnoMcJohnno

JohnnoMcJohnno

Bench
Messages
2,744
G

Gold_Coast Dragon

Juniors
Messages
929
shiloh dc said:
Not sure if this has been raised prior (apologies if so) - but for Damian Cook to continue to start ahead of Liddle can only be because he would have had it written in his contract that if he moves to the Dragons he is contractually bound to start every game.

I really hope this is not the case but i cannot think of another reason why. I wish some journo would ask Flanno and put this theory to bed.
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Cook is to Flano as McCullough was to Hook.
 
RedVee

RedVee

First Grade
Messages
8,519
RedVDave said:
Not having a go at you BR but if he's not seen as a future coach why is he an assistant.

He shouldn't be anywhere near the coaching ranks IMO he's exactly like he's old man good heart and soul player abysmal coach.

People forget he got a run in 2020 and he has 2 wins and 6 losses from memory nothing to write home about.
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Some people are more suited to be Assistants than Head Coaches.
Should be a spot for them.
 
TheRev

TheRev

Coach
Messages
14,373
twinkletoes said:
Board members should be limited to a 10 year tenure to ensure fresh blood is introduced on a regular basis. The whole football department should be blown up from top to tail.
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Not sure what the answer is here.. I dont mind someone younger like a Creagh or Coyne staying on long long term if they are just guns in that position and they have the longterm vision of the club @ heart.. and then you dont have people coming and going and starting fresh every 2nd year.. without the background etc... not necessarily better..

But.. the key problem is there is no way for a dud/disruptive board member to get removed.. there is no voting or anything.. I dunno how we let ourselves get into this mess, but I dont think its realistic that anything will get changed.. as I imagine the board themselves would need to have the appetite to do that... there are probably legal issues too.

They arent the only problem though, genuinely kick out Haran and bring in Richo and I bet we are firing in no time, we should be able to work with the board if our football dept is on point.. I guess we will see how good Watsford is at bringing this all together.. does my head in how hard its going to be though to restore respect to the jersey.
 
Mojo

Mojo

Bench
Messages
4,873
It doesn’t need 5 years - should be 5 months - and there’s no time like the present.

Up front: I haven’t researched StGI’s structure in any detail so there’s every likelihood I have some errors in my understanding.



I have a corporate governance background. I’ve seen plenty of flawed structures, dysfunctional boards and nutcase directors. It’s highly unusual to find a corporate structure and boardroom that operates as effectively as it should. The vital factors, IMO, are ‘unity of purpose’ and the personality and professionalism of the chairperson (a ‘dominant’ chair is a recipe for disaster).



My understanding is that StGI is a 50/50 ownership structure which is unusual for a ‘joint venture’. I think the Bass Straight oil venture was the same. In that case I believe the JV agreement was an amazingly brief document because Esso and BHP Billiton had the same objective - profit. They established a Board of Management and an operating partnership.



The parties in the StGI ‘JV/ partnership’ apparently don’t share a common objective. In fact I think they pursue opposing objectives. Without a genuinely independent Chairperson this structure will inevitably be destructive rather than constructive.



In my experience all organisations ultimately take on the personality of the person at the top. It is amazing the way this happens with such predictability.



Neither party to StGI are ever going to yield a controlling percentage to the other participant. Nor will either participant divert from their objectives; they can’t because their appointed representatives are legally obligated to pursue the interests of party they represent.



So, IMO, for StGI to ever start ‘achieving’ the parties should resolve:



  1. To establish a Board of Management
  2. With a genuinely independent, highly professional, Chairperson
  3. With a majority of independent directors
  4. With the first order of business being the development and resolution to adopt a formal mission statement.


THEN we might have a good chance of quickly becoming the powerhouse organisation that we once were and should have always been.



StGI should be setting the benchmark in the world of rugby league.
 
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