Fans get their game back

[Flapper]

Oh God, this is an excellent start to the morning. Of course we can quibble over Galoop and Junket Man still having power, but the move towards indepencence may see them act in the best interests of the NRL as opposed to News. I'm so excited!

 

[Goddo]

There are a lot of people here who are pesemistic about this.... just remember, its the first step and a huge step in the right direction. Yes, Ribbot will be involved with the Storm, Love will be comissioner for 2 years and Gallop will be running the NRL for 3.

But think; Ribbot won't be so dangerous if he is down in Melbourne, Love is only there for 2 years and will have a whole board to compete with, and Gallop won't have to worry about TV rights and so on anymore. I think he will be ok as an administrator, the problem has been he has had one nut in Loves hand and the other in Murdoch's.

 

[Dave Q]

Behind this deal is the fact that News were uncomfortable reporting ugly things about their game. It was a decided conflict of interest.

This will liberate the anti-league forces in News to keep on spoiling it and make even more money out of it. Thats the down side.

Like letting a wild boar go free so you hunt it down. Nice touch.

I am OK with Gallop. He doesnt get everything right but at the end of the day, he has the games best interest at heart.

Not that news is the devil incarnate, they do some good things too.

Important news, good post.

 

[Phil McGrawhan]

If this is happeneing now ,boggerball will be forgotton about in the media,so whats the bet to keep GWS CELTICS/CANBERRA/NSW/WHATEVERS in the news,they will have to start another story.
Who will be joining this time GI,JT...it will be someone big ,or will they pull out the big guns & let Shoody have a media conference,with Bartalooti beside him.

 

[gong_eagle]

finally Rugby league will move forward again

 

[LeagueXIII]

Good points here, though I can put up with Gallop and Love if it means the independent commission is delivered. Melbourne must be maintained. It's interesting to see the difference in language between the AFL and NRL when it comes to expansion. The $200 million AFL is prepared to spend on its loss making adventure in Western Sydney is regaded by that code as an "nvestment"in its future, it's never described as a loss. By contrast the relatively paltry $5 million it has cost to keep league going in Melbourne is always denigrated by us leaguies as some sort of terrible waste of money. At the very least the Storm's presence in Melbourne has helped deliver a fantastic new $200 million venue for rugby league in the southern capital -- and all paid for by the Victorian taxpayer!! In any event, if we don't have enough faith in oru game to believe inits future in one of Australia's richest sporting markets, we might as well all pack up now and revert to state-based competitions.

Also agree that at least one of the two new clubs must be in non-heartland area...preferrably Perth.

Great point.

 

[innsaneink]

Sure its a compromise deal but is the glass half full or half empty? Personally I think there more positives in this than negatives. Also since the independent commission will be in charge of international rights there is scope for that part of the game to get back the support and recognition it deserves again.

The future will be interesting, that much is sure.

Yes, I think so too...short term pain for long term gain.
I just think RL fans are very very skeptical, and rightly so.
Believe it when we see it.
Good news.

 

[In-goal]

I foresee the clubs buggering it all up again; something tells me that the Storm will be cut free as soon as the 3 year handover is complete.

This in turn will see a massive loss in television revenue, which will strangle the game down the track.

It's funny how the AFL can look into large expenditure and see benefits yet RL eats itself at the prospect of money going to anyone else.

The insular view shared by many in Rugby League circles will be what destroys the game, and not News Lmtd.

 

[Jono1987]

Fantastic way to wake up on Sunday! I agree there are some negatives but the positives outweigh them without a doubt. That the commission is likely to start-up before the 2010 season is what excites me most. The AFL surely must be dreading us getting our act together off the field after being so good on it. Sky's the limit!

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

We have to be realistic and say that during a time of important transition it is probably best that the old heads hang around. They know the game and are in the best position to keep things running smoothly over the next few years until things settle down and regularity comes to the new structure. Then it will be time for new blood to stand up.

The NSWRL and QRL aspect is what I am most disappointed about. It would have been great to see all bodies merged into one however if they are only running state comps and not getting seats then I guess most of their ability to cause trouble is gone.

Sad to see the other Clubs being so short-sighted about Melbourne. Keeping them healthy and alive is the key to a bigger television deal and so Clubs should understand they'll probably end up getting more in the end if they continue to pay for Melbourne in the short term.

Perth should definitely get the first look for expansion followed by Brisbane2, in my opinion. We need a 4th Qld Club more than we need an 11th NSW Club.

 

[Raider_69]

that is a massive sticking point for me
loved everything else, hell i dont even mind Gallop, i think we can better but we could and have done alot worse too... but Colin Love needs to not be involved at all. He's a twit

 

[8Ball]

FMD This is the news we've been waiting for for years and years, and it finally happens, and some people can only find negatives. I for one will be giving Gallop the benefit of the doubt.

 

[BuffaloRules]

I want Perth to come in, but if the other clubs are whinging about Melb this seems unlikely. Perth will need to be supported for years.

 

[jasonstevenswedgie]

Hopefully it is a south east queensland team not brisbane 2 but where will they play out of. Is Miss Bligh going to build us another nice new stadium?
If there is to be teams in the central coast and queensland, i guess that leaves only 2 more expansion spots left Perth and another kiwi team.
Good to see we are heading in the right direction but the clubs still sem to be out for themselves rather than worried about the competition as a whole

 

[Big-Steve]

David Gallop will remain as CEO for three to five years;

ARL supremo Colin Love will be the inaugural chairman for two years;

This is going to sound like I'm trying to spoil the party but my question is (and always has been) how are people going to be elected to this commission? Who are these people going to be answerable to?

To me this is the major question and it has not been addressed in the story.

My fear is in 10 years time we will be having the same issues as we have now with 20 year stints for our officials and no way of removing them (no matter how democratic the process is ment to be).

They need to be answerable to fans not fellow officials.

IMHO.

 

[Angry_eel]

I think the best thing is that we have businessmen on the board. Finally no ex-footballers who don't know the b of business.

 

[Brutus]

I foresee the clubs buggering it all up again; something tells me that the Storm will be cut free as soon as the 3 year handover is complete.

If that ever happens we might as well pack it all in.

If these clowns can't see the benefit the Storm bring to our comp in a national sense, then let the other sports take over.

The Storm do have a recognizable brand down in Victoria despite what some Sydney-centrics would like people to believe. Finally getting some decent FTA coverage in Melbourne can only help.

Also, they would be kidding themselves if Perth isn't one of the two new clubs admitted.

 

[Perth Red]

we're doomed!

 

[fred92]

I foresee the clubs buggering it all up again; something tells me that the Storm will be cut free as soon as the 3 year handover is complete.

This in turn will see a massive loss in television revenue, which will strangle the game down the track.

It's funny how the AFL can look into large expenditure and see benefits yet RL eats itself at the prospect of money going to anyone else.

The insular view shared by many in Rugby League circles will be what destroys the game, and not News Lmtd.

Brighten up a little man, respected league identities have spent a year, pro bono to put together a commission fair to all clubs and their supporters and you (and others) I'v'e read on this forum can find nothing but suspicion and criticism. Gallop will be employed by the commission and answer to them.

 

[magpie_man]

Who will own the game?

The 16 clubs will hold an equal share. Currently, all profits from the NRL are divided between the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. News Ltd spends its share on bank-rolling the Storm - the Australian Rugby League uses its money to run the game and develop it at the grass-roots level.

The new independent commission will be set up as a non-profit trust with each of the 16 clubs getting an equal share after grants to the NSWRL, QRL and CRL.

this is the only part that worries me. profits should be going toward acquiring assets, pitching-in for stadium upgrades or just being put in the bank for a rainy day. one of the major problems i see with the game atm is it has no money in the bank and owns no assets meaning it has very little equity or leverage.
the self-serving clubs already get their generous grants; they are more than capable of raising revenue themselves.