https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/ni...e-game-needed-to-hear-it-20200410-p54iyc.html
Nine attack was right on the money, and the game needed to hear it
Phil Gould
League Columnist
The statement made by Nine regarding the NRL this week, clearly approved by chief executive Hugh Marks, was timely and appropriate. I believe it will prove to be hugely significant.
On behalf of Nine, he needed to say it. The NRL needed to hear it. The rest of the media world needed to hear it. Rugby league fans needed to hear it, too.
It was blunt, honest and accurate.
Now, before you go saying that I’m employed by Nine and Marks is my boss so naturally I’m going to support his actions, you can stop right there. Anyone who has read my columns over the past 20 years will know I’ve consistently raised the issue of NRL administration squandering hundreds of millions of dollars on flawed philosophies and programs over a long period of time.
My opinions were well documented long before the events of this week. It is a view that I have been victimised for expressing by those trying to protect themselves. Yet, this has not deterred me from saying what needed to be said.
The world wasn’t ready for coronavirus. It goes without saying, the NRL cannot be held to blame for this lockdown of our game and our economy. I take absolutely no joy in the pain everyone is feeling at this time as a result of the game’s suspension. Indeed, there are many members of our community who are suffering far worse than us. However, that does not excuse the fact the NRL should have been in a much stronger financial position to help the game, the clubs, the players and the fans, through this difficult period.
Instead, our game finds itself precariously placed from a financial perspective, offering little or no confidence to its stakeholders that we will all come out the other side. We are all hoping we do, but there are no guarantees.
The coronavirus pandemic and the resultant economic turndown have finally brought the fragile nature of NRL financial management into the spotlight. Going forward, that’s not a bad thing.
Right from the outset, during this difficult period, I have used the phrase that it’s no good "crying over spilt milk". There has been no "I told you so". It is what it is. We need to deal with it. Panicking and pointing the finger of blame at past regimes or individuals wasn’t going to help the game. The time for review can come later.
Unfortunately, this did not stop the usual suspects from within the NRL leaking stories to the media to deflect blame from themselves and onto others. It’s called a pre-emptive strike: getting in first and muddying the waters to absolve themselves of blame and to shut down anyone who may be looking to speak against them.
For instance, blaming the greed of the 16 NRL clubs and the players for our game’s current financial plight, or trying to portray broadcast partner Nine as the bad guy in this situation because it refused to give the NRL more money when no football was being played (note that Foxtel has withheld its quarterly payments as well), are just some of the more childish and inaccurate responses. Sadly, this is very typical behaviour from an organisation that conducts its affairs more like a political party than a professional sport governing body.
I’d imagine there were several things that irritated Marks and led to the comments he delivered to the NRL this week.
Firstly, I refer to what I’ve just written above. The NRL and sections of the media trying to represent Nine, the NRL clubs and the players as the bad guys in this predicament. Not on.
Secondly, and most importantly, I would imagine he found it strange, if not disrespectful, that Nine had not been invited to any of the discussions regarding a revised competition structure for this year, starting dates and potential venues. He was made aware the NRL was about to announce a recommencement date on Thursday. As of late Wednesday night, no one from the NRL had contacted Nine to advise them of this decision, nor the reasons behind it.
Thirdly, it appeared the NRL was marching forward in the belief that any rugby league content they could provide between now and Christmas would satisfy the terms of the broadcast deal. I’m sure this had media broadcasters, corporate partners and sponsors scratching their heads. It’s not how the business world works, particularly when all businesses are suffering greatly at the hands of this enforced economic lockdown.
It's like having a friend who consistently asked you to loan them money and every time they asked you for a loan it was more than the time before. And if this friend continually failed to repay these loans, and if you then observed this friend’s lifestyle, showing they enjoyed a carefree existence of extravagance and waste with little regard for the money you loaned them, or the obligation to pay it back, then what would you think?
It gets to a point where you’d actually be doing them a favour by saying "no more". And if he is a true friend, you’d take some positive action to help them realise the error of their ways and help them to manage their money better in the future. If your friend failed to take this advice, there is not much else you can do for them.
If you knew the real truth behind the NRL’s financial management over a long period of time you would be shocked. If you knew the number of times the NRL has had to lean on broadcasters for advances, loans and renegotiations of their existing contracts to make up for financial shortfalls, you would be staggered. You have no idea how often television broadcasters have bailed out this game from financial embarrassment, only to see the game knocking on the door again looking for more assistance.
If you knew the number of times the NRL has had to lean on broadcasters for advances, loans and contract renegotiations, you'd be staggered.
It doesn’t stop there: calling on corporate partners and sponsors to prepay future financial agreements to assist in the NRL’s failing cash flow; applying for loans from financial institutions to cover short-term deficiencies, only to be knocked back; short-changing NRL clubs and players, misrepresenting the game’s financial position to them to talk down their demands or needs.
There is more.
Yet these people have the hide to induce criticism of others to protect themselves.
Now, while everyone went into immediate meltdown at the comments from Nine, Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys handled the broadcaster’s statement with the utmost dignity and professionalism
apologised to Nine for the miscommunication that led to their frustration. He agreed with their criticism of the NRL’s cost structures. He agreed these were unsustainable and there needs to be significant change in the way the NRL manages its finances.
V’landys is a true leader. So too is Marks. It’s my belief in both these men that assures me rugby league will come out the other side of this disaster a better game, with a brighter future.
The two men are scheduled to meet on Tuesday. I imagine scant discussion of the events of this week. What needed to be said has been said. They will move on quickly.
More importantly, they’ll be discussing how our game can best survive this challenge, what rugby league looks like in the future and how the broadcast partners can assist in the creation of a new world for rugby league.
This is vitally important.
Do you really expect any broadcasters, corporate partners or sponsors will be investing one more cent into the NRL without assurances on how this money will be spent for the betterment of the game?
The mindset and philosophies of our governing body need to change significantly. I could talk on this stuff for hours.
The comments by Nine this week and the acknowledgement of Marks' concerns by V’landys will go down as a defining moment in the history of rugby league. I see it as that significant.
I have great confidence in these men leading the game into a new world. It is a world that will extend way beyond my lifetime. For the first time in a long time, though, I believe the game is in very good hands.
We will bounce back.
