Bennett, Politis & others concerned about future of NRL

[CowboyFuriousFury]

Only in rugby league, a billion dollar deal and still those predicting the code would be gone in a decade. No other code's demise has being predicted as much as rugby league throughout it's history. The constant negativity and small-mindness is setting the game back.

Clubs should be more financially responsible for starters and stop relying on the NRL for handouts. These clubs had decades to get it together and are still struggling to be run as a professional team. It's a downright embarrassment some of these clubs are in being turmoil despite being in 'heartland' and still failing to get a decent crowd.

These very same clubs are holding the game down from expanding year after year due to there own self-interest. It's all about the club and not the bigger picture of the code. A stronger code means everyone would benefit.

 

[Ice_Storm]

Bennett only has one agenda that isnt for the good of the game.
It's only to make QLD RL and the Broncos stronger and for himself to look good.

 

[some11]

>wants fast style of play
>wants clubs to be healthy

Damn that old bastard.

Damn him to hell!

 

[BunniesMan]

Clubs and players should get more. Absolutely farcical that Dave Smith is sitting on it. I think he wants to break clubs so they get desperate. His dream is to have "independent" (read: NRL HQ aligned) board members at every club. To do that the clubs have to be borderline broke. They have to be desperate enough to lose their independence.

It has already happened at several clubs and he plans on getting into more of them. Anyone with a brain knows allowing one person or a small group of people to have dictatorial control with no separation of powers is dangerous and unhealthy.

If the game keeps on going down this path and NRL HQ control a majority of the clubs then absolutely nothing will be able to stop Dave Smith and John Grant playing god. Relocating clubs, merging clubs, sacking officials. That's the end game.

 

[some11]

It has already happened at several clubs and he plans on getting into more of them.

That wouldn't happen to have anything to do with these clubs running themselves into the ground at a rate of knots would it?

 

[Edwahu]

Good old Wayne and Uncle Nick, always putting the health of other clubs and the game at the top of their list of priorities.

 

[DiegoNT]

Ah mr Bennett
When he had a big forward pack at the dragons and it suited him to play a slower style of football he said nothing. When the dragons were criticized for playing boring football and taking so many penalty shots during the 2010 finals he basically said he is here to win, not look pretty.

Now that he has a side containing guys like hunt and milford and he relies on an up tempo game plan, suddenly making the rules to suit attractive football is his catch cry. He now suddenly criticizes a team like storm for not playing in the right spirit.

He now preaches that everybody should take a long term approach to the nrl, yet while he was at the dragons and Knights he had a short term approach when it came to player recruitment so he could win premierships in a small window. At Knights he brought in a bunch of older players like Scott, mason, buderus etc so he could have an all or nothing approach at winning a premiership. Both these clubs are still suffering from Bennetts short term approach (although at least dragons got a premiership out of it ).

Now he criticizes others for having that short term approach because he is back at a well run club. Bennett is no doubt one of the smarter men in the game, but to say he always has the games best interest at heart or that he doesn't have his own agendas is looking at things with deeply maroon tinted glasses.

 

[GongPanther]

Ah mr Bennett
When he had a big forward pack at the dragons and it suited him to play a slower style of football he said nothing. When the dragons were criticized for playing boring football and taking so many penalty shots during the 2010 finals he basically said he is here to win, not look pretty.

Now that he has a side containing guys like hunt and milford and he relies on an up tempo game plan, suddenly making the rules to suit attractive football is his catch cry. He now suddenly criticizes a team like storm for not playing in the right spirit.

He now preaches that everybody should take a long term approach to the nrl, yet while he was at the dragons and Knights he had a short term approach when it came to player recruitment so he could win premierships in a small window. At Knights he brought in a bunch of older players like Scott, mason, buderus etc so he could have an all or nothing approach at winning a premiership. Both these clubs are still suffering from Bennetts short term approach (although at least dragons got a premiership out of it).

Now he criticizes others for having that short term approach because he is back at a well run club. Bennett is no doubt one of the smarter men in the game, but to say he always has the games best interest at heart or that he doesn't have his own agendas is looking at things with deeply maroon tinted glasses.

Good and valid points although with Newcastle,I think he was in a experimental stage.

And although he wasn't a sucess,he was hoping to at least get some credit for trying something that was more or less doomed to failure without anyone criticizing him because of his past.

But what you have provided is a damming track record.

But Bennett wouldn't give give a flying f**k anyway.:lol:

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

Haha this forum reminds me of the Tea Party in the U.S. Even if something that is said is for the benefit of them as well and is something they've been demanding, they will all of a sudden rail against it as soon as the wrong person (Obama) starts championing for it because they have private agendas that they would rather not publicize.

Bennett is fighting for what so many of you want and you bite the hand that feeds by suggesting he's only doing it for his own benefit :lol: Morons.

 

[DiegoNT]

Deep concerns for the nrl's future, nrl will be dead in 10 years unless smith changes his tune. These are soundbites you'd expect from Bennetts bosses. There is no doubt the funding model for nrl clubs have to change. Clubs deserve their slice of the pie but at the same time the nrl can't keep throwing money at unproductive clubs. They also haven't finalized the tv deal so they don't know how much money they have to spend. These fear mongering headlines are only out to destabilize Smith.
Wayne Bennett is a always held up as a guy with rugby league's best interests at in heart. His role in the super league war shows that's not always true. He is very similar to Phil gould. Both are intelligent men who would do good at running the game. But in their current roles you have to be careful. If you take both at face value they both seem to have leagues interest at heart but if you scratch beneath the surface both have agendas and self interest at heart.

 

[Bronco Rob]

Only in rugby league, a billion dollar deal and still those predicting the code would be gone in a decade. No other code's demise has being predicted as much as rugby league throughout it's history. The constant negativity and small-mindness is setting the game back.

Clubs should be more financially responsible for starters and stop relying on the NRL for handouts. These clubs had decades to get it together and are still struggling to be run as a professional team. It's a downright embarrassment some of these clubs are in being turmoil despite being in 'heartland' and still failing to get a decent crowd.

These very same clubs are holding the game down from expanding year after year due to there own self-interest. It's all about the club and not the bigger picture of the code. A stronger code means everyone would benefit.

Absolutely spot on CFF. All protectionism does is breed apathy and while we keep subsidising clubs for poor performance they will be reluctant to help themselves by working harder and smarter.

Having worked in an NRL club I know there's so much more the clubs can do and their integration into the community can be improved on immensely.

You are spot on as well about clubs' self interest, it's alarming how little they do to further the game holistically and many do not see the forest for the trees when it comes to seeing that if the game grows so does the potential that comes from that growth. Grow the pie not the slice.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

>wants fast style of play
>wants clubs to be healthy

Damn that old bastard.

Damn him to hell!

>wants someone else to do it all why he exploits the loopholes for his own benefit.

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

>wants someone else to do it all why he exploits the loopholes for his own benefit.

What else is he supposed to do? Go with the tide then just proudly fly off the edge of the waterfall with the rest of the riff raff?

 

[some11]

>wants someone else to do it all why he exploits the loopholes for his own benefit.

>is a rugby league coach who's job is to win
>if all can be achieved at the same time everybody wins

We can do this all day, or would you prefer a negative story come out about how clubs with poor administration continue to shoot themselves in the foot?

 

[Perth Red]

If there is any increase they should set the grant and require clear accounting of expenditure eg:

Club grant goes up to $12million (not an unreasonable amount in a $1.7-2bill TV deal)
Club has to spend that on:
Players salaries $9million
Marketing and fan engagement $1million
Taking two games on the road a year to strategic places $500k
Schools liaison work $250k
Game day experience enhancement $500k
Ticket subsidies $750k

or similar. If you just throw money at them they will just spend it on sports scientists, supplement programs, wrestling coaches, ceo salaries etc etc.

They should also be set individualised reasonable expectations in terms of crowds and overall revenue growth as part of each clubs KPi's. The days of just being in the NRL as an entitlement should be gone when they are receiving so much cash.

 

[kbw]

One of the big problems is that we have world class athletes playing a sport that can't afford to pay them the money that many other elite athletes get.
Based on the size of the market that the NRL have they are paying the players too much. Either increase the market or stop pretending that the NRL is something its not.

If we give the clubs more funding what does that do? . It takes money away from other areas and not likely from the high salaries of the NRL employees. It will come from development and junior rugby league.

Increasing the salary cap will just increase the debt mentioned in the article.

Sometimes I think people forget that Rugby League is not just the NRL

 

[Perth Red]

there are world class athletes in other sports earning a shed load less money than NRL players!

I do agree though, one of the failings of the ARLC so far is to ring fence and communicate the funding that goes outside the NRL and where and what that is being spent on. Its possible the NRL's revenue by 2017 could be around $500mill+ a year. There should be enough money there to fund NRl clubs, fund expansion (at NRL and grass roots), ensure the Jnr and grass roots of the sport is extremely well looked after and still have enough money to pay fat cat wages to the nrl management.

 

[TheRam]

Clubs and players should get more. Absolutely farcical that Dave Smith is sitting on it. I think he wants to break clubs so they get desperate. His dream is to have "independent" (read: NRL HQ aligned) board members at every club. To do that the clubs have to be borderline broke. They have to be desperate enough to lose their independence.

It has already happened at several clubs and he plans on getting into more of them. Anyone with a brain knows allowing one person or a small group of people to have dictatorial control with no separation of powers is dangerous and unhealthy.

If the game keeps on going down this path and NRL HQ control a majority of the clubs then absolutely nothing will be able to stop Dave Smith and John Grant playing god. Relocating clubs, merging clubs, sacking officials. That's the end game.

From your lips to Gods ears. We can only dream of such a scenario transpiring, but sadly I'm afraid the lot running our game don't have the nous or the stomach for such an enlightened and brilliant plan.

We need to remove at least 2-3 clubs out of Sydney if we ever truly want the game to grow. Perth should be the first new franchise and possibly a 2nd Brisbane team.

 

[DiegoNT]

From your lips to Gods ears. We can only dream of such a scenario transpiring, but sadly I'm afraid the lot running our game don't have the nous or the stomach for such an enlightened and brilliant plan.

We need to remove at least 2-3 clubs out of Sydney if we ever truly want the game to grow. Perth should be the first new franchise and possibly a 2nd Brisbane team.

Ok your in charge of the nrl. Which 3 sydney clubs do you get rid off?

 

[TheRam]

Ok your in charge of the nrl. Which 3 sydney clubs do you get rid off?

Easy, Cronulla, Wests and Easts. A no brainer really.

Of course it won't happen though, especially a politically and financially strong club like the Roosters, but that is what should happen if the NRL got serious and wanted to get rid of the pissy weak clubs(not only talking about financial strength) and replace them with new and potentially huge markets that aren't saturated.