Dave Smith and John Grant facing a rebellion over the direction of the NRL

[oikee]

Look as everybody knows I'm 100% Rugby League.
I happen to think that Dave Smith and John Grant are doing a terrific job for Rugby League. I hope they continue in their present positions for at least 5 another years.

Spot-on.
Grant and Smith have to be in charge for at least another 5 years to bed this baby down.

They have only been in the job 2 faking years and have done a bloody good job so far.
If they get rid of these two, the game can never claim to be independent. Never.

What will the clubs do with Susan, second in charge, sack her as well. ???

 

[pHyR3]

great to hear about this media guidelines.

does that include things like banning spastics (i.e. Buzz Slothfield) and improving the reception of RL in media throughout Australia, especially Ch. 9 and Fox given their stakes in the game.

 

[Perth Red]

Wouldn't say theyve done a fabulous job when you consider the advantages they have now got. They've done some good stuff, made some poor decisions, been inactive in a number of key areas they should have done more in and are failing to meet some of their strategic KPI's whilst achieving a couple of them.

With all the money and the free reign of an independent commission I was hoping for more. It has been a slowly cautious approach which may not be a bad thing but after the Gallop/News years I was hoping for a bit more than we have had so far. 2 years is decent amount of time to right the ship and get it back on course. Hopefully the next 2 will be a bit more productive and beneficial to the avg fan/ grass roots player. I still have concerns if one governing body can be all things to all people. Can it spend so much time and resource on the top tier and still have the focus needed on grass roots and junior programs? I dont think there are many codes that have achieved this?

 

[El Diablo]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/dis...man-peter-betros/story-e6frf3ou-1227142451732

Disaffected Sydney clubs dragging the game backwards, says QRL chairman Peter Betros

Paul Malone
The Courier-Mail
December 03, 2014 12:00AM

QUEENSLAND Rugby League chairman Peter Betros has accused disaffected Sydney clubs of trying to “drag the game backwards’’ in agitating against the sport’s leaders Dave Smith and John Grant.

Powerbrokers from some Sydney clubs, primarily Sydney Roosters, Canterbury and Penrith, are critical of the direction NRL chief executive Smith and ARL Commission chairman Grant have taken the game.

Grant’s position as chairman of the ARLC comes up for reappointment by peer commissioners for a second term at the annual general meeting in February.

Some Sydney clubs miss not having the direct influence of decision-making wielded before the indenpedent ARLC took charge in early 2012.

Sydney media reports have in recent weeks foreshadowed opposition to Grant’s reappointment and disaffection with Smith’s leadership style.

Complaint about what these clubs see as a lack of consultation by Smith is effectively frustration at being unable to influence change to their advantage as they used to do.

Betros and QRL managing director Rob Moore reaffirmed support for the Commission and Smith at a meeting in Sydney on Monday at which the QRL’s budget was presented.

“As far as we are concerned there is no need for change,’’ Betros said.

“We support where the commission is taking the game, where Dave Smith is taking the game and we fully support the chairmanship of John grant and support (the process of) reappointing him as chairman.

“We are not expecting any change. The only agitation for change, as I understand it, comes from some clubs in Sydney.

“They should get behind the Commission instead of trying to get back to the old days. They should stop trying to drag the game backwards, that’s all they are doing with this.’’

The QRL is one of 26 voting “members’’ of the ARLC, with others being the 16 NRL clubs, the NSWRL and the eight ARL commissioners.

The ARLC constitution says 10 members may, with the additional support of both the NSW and Queensland Leagues, vote to remove a director.

Fourteen members are required to remove a Commissioner without the support of both the state leagues, it says, and should either of these events occur, the remaining seven commissioners would appoint a replacement.

The right to appoint a chairman is solely at the discretion of the commissioners.

“If the clubs were very unhappy with one of the commissioners, they would have to get enough support before the annual meeting to raise the issue at the annual meeting to replace one of the commissioners,’’ Betros said.

The QRL received a good hearing from the ARLC on requesting funding increases at Monday’s meeting, Betros said.

“While we haven’t had an answer we are confident we will be able to push on with our plans for 2015 and the future,’’ he said.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Wouldn't say theyve done a fabulous job when you consider the advantages they have now got. They've done some good stuff, made some poor decisions, been inactive in a number of key areas they should have done more in and are failing to meet some of their strategic KPI's whilst achieving a couple of them.

With all the money and the free reign of an independent commission I was hoping for more. It has been a slowly cautious approach which may not be a bad thing but after the Gallop/News years I was hoping for a bit more than we have had so far. 2 years is decent amount of time to right the ship and get it back on course. Hopefully the next 2 will be a bit more productive and beneficial to the avg fan/ grass roots player. I still have concerns if one governing body can be all things to all people. Can it spend so much time and resource on the top tier and still have the focus needed on grass roots and junior programs? I dont think there are many codes that have achieved this?

Theres a nice saying that i think fits quite well here: "Its easier to be a poor man than a rich man. A poor man need simply not buy anything, a rich man muct decide where his money goes..."

I new this would happen when the TV deal was signed. Going from a game run on next to nothing to the great big billion dollar pay day, everyone that used to keep their mouth shut knowing that the game had no money at all is now coming out and demanding their pound of flesh.

Im not sure what youre expecting exactly, but you cant expect miracles. Everything you add to the wish list, you need to take something else off.
- Funding junior infrastructure could mean taking away from the National Insurance Scheme
- Funding Sydney stadiums could mean taking money away from the future fund.
(And for any one of these you may say he answer is obvious, but you are just one of a million voices all with different demands)

And as for not working fast enough, would you rather they shit out the contracts within the week and haemorrhaged money because of dumb oversights.
I dont know what history you personally have in legal contracts, but even an idiot would know these things take a long time.

Basically, if the only complaints you can find for this group are to do with the speed and breadth of their work (meaning everything that they DO put out is quality) then you are never going to be happy no matter who is in charge....

 

[pHyR3]

seems to me the last 2 years has been a lot of groundwork. Hiring the right people in certain positions, setting up a structure in the NRL, righitng clubs like the tigers and dragons, fundamental things like insurance for players, bringing touch under RL etc. etc.

the next 2-4 years will hopefully see a bit more active work through things like expansion, negotating a new tv deal, referee/rule overhauls to speed up the game and make better decions and much more.

 

[oikee]

The code has gone nowhere under the guise of NSWRL running the code.
The greed helped other codes thrive and as i pointed out in a earlier post, every code has expanded and thrived except for rugby league.
The clubs have been run terribly for 2 decades, living off the smell of a oily rag, rich clubs taking the cream off the top and in-fighting.
To fix this problem everyone realised only a independent commission could make real change.
Now the Sydney clubs are upset because change has arrived, and they are losing the power they once enjoyed.

The NRL has always backed the wrong horse.
Smith and Grant are slowly beavering away at government level to gain support for new stadium, and funding.
Where are the other codes? i mean 3 codes require rectangle sporting grounds.

To really understand what our code is up against, here is just one example of how hard it is to get any cash outta this government for our code.

Redcliffe, they want 12 million to build a nice little boutique stadium for a growing community and city.
They have a great league sports club, they have great local support, in a growing catchment area of 200 thousand.
They want a measley 12 million.
3 has been approved by the local council, 3 will be approved by the local government, the NRL might chip in 1 or two million, and what did the federal government say to a poultry 3 million. ?

NO,,,,,,,,,,,thats right,,,,,NO.

And that is what our code is up against, in the meantime the 1 billion being spent in Perth for a round ground is still being spent until 2018.

Time to open your eyes and take off your rose coloured glasses to what the new commission and Smith are really up against.
A code that was run into the ground, along with a media who lead the charge.

 

[hutch]

The code has gone nowhere under the guise of NSWRL running the code.
The greed helped other codes thrive and as i pointed out in a earlier post, every code has expanded and thrived except for rugby league.
The clubs have been run terribly for 2 decades, living off the smell of a oily rag, rich clubs taking the cream off the top and in-fighting.
To fix this problem everyone realised only a independent commission could make real change.
Now the Sydney clubs are upset because change has arrived, and they are losing the power they once enjoyed.

The NRL has always backed the wrong horse.
Smith and Grant are slowly beavering away at government level to gain support for new stadium, and funding.
Where are the other codes? i mean 3 codes require rectangle sporting grounds.

To really understand what our code is up against, here is just one example of how hard it is to get any cash outta this government for our code.

Redcliffe, they want 12 million to build a nice little boutique stadium for a growing community and city.
They have a great league sports club, they have great local support, in a growing catchment area of 200 thousand.
They want a measley 12 million.
3 has been approved by the local council, 3 will be approved by the local government, the NRL might chip in 1 or two million, and what did the federal government say to a poultry 3 million. ?

NO,,,,,,,,,,,thats right,,,,,NO.

And that is what our code is up against, in the meantime the 1 billion being spent in Perth for a round ground is still being spent until 2018.

Time to open your eyes and take off your rose coloured glasses to what the new commission and Smith are really up against.
A code that was run into the ground, along with a media who lead the charge.

I can't believe im saying this but great post.

 

[oikee]

Lets not forget the way the media hyped up and over-stated rugby league incidences.
Remember Brett Seymour, think back to the Brett Seymour case.
This guy had deep deep depression. The media turned a simple drinking night out into front page news and hounded the guy outta Australia.

He come damm close to taking his own life in England before help really arrived.
The Australian media should have been charged, arrested and sent to prison over that issue.

They did the same to many other players in our code, always looking for the most dramatic story, never understanding the pressure or intense mental health issues our players were under which are now all well documented with players falling to the black dog left right and centre.

The media should be put on trail and charged.
They report about the NRL could be sued for head injury issues, well let's turn the tide and charge the media for mental issue injuries our players have suffered from media reporting. ?
They did not give a shite about our players.
Time they now became accountable.
The first to be hunted down and charged should be this lurker dude. Nothing but trouble and ruck making that one.

 

[Parra]

The code has gone nowhere under the guise of NSWRL running the code.
The greed helped other codes thrive and as i pointed out in a earlier post, every code has expanded and thrived except for rugby league.
The clubs have been run terribly for 2 decades, living off the smell of a oily rag, rich clubs taking the cream off the top and in-fighting.
To fix this problem everyone realised only a independent commission could make real change.
Now the Sydney clubs are upset because change has arrived, and they are losing the power they once enjoyed.

The NRL has always backed the wrong horse.
Smith and Grant are slowly beavering away at government level to gain support for new stadium, and funding.
Where are the other codes? i mean 3 codes require rectangle sporting grounds.

To really understand what our code is up against, here is just one example of how hard it is to get any cash outta this government for our code.

Redcliffe, they want 12 million to build a nice little boutique stadium for a growing community and city.
They have a great league sports club, they have great local support, in a growing catchment area of 200 thousand.
They want a measley 12 million.
3 has been approved by the local council, 3 will be approved by the local government, the NRL might chip in 1 or two million, and what did the federal government say to a poultry 3 million. ?

NO,,,,,,,,,,,thats right,,,,,NO.

And that is what our code is up against, in the meantime the 1 billion being spent in Perth for a round ground is still being spent until 2018.

Time to open your eyes and take off your rose coloured glasses to what the new commission and Smith are really up against.
A code that was run into the ground, along with a media who lead the charge.

It was doing fine until SL came along.

The new guys have a way to go to get back to where things were in the 90's.

 

[Canard]

It was doing fine until SL came along.

The new guys have a way to go to get back to where things were in the 90's.

It simplistic to say "it was doing fine".

 

[Through the Lens]

its Ok for the QRL to dismiss the rumblings.



It's not just the clubs agitating for a change, it's a grass roots movement from club members and fans who see Smith as a reactionary and an under achiever and Grant as a limp blancmange. Both are achieving less than the proverbial Drovers Dog, have not expressed any vision and their communication skills are breathtakingly lacking.
Smiths shellacking by a Federal Court Judge, by a Prominent SC, by the Chairman of the NSWRL and by the Head of the Law Society demonstrate how foolish, irresponsible and incompetent he is, that men of such calibre are lost to the game or ashamed of its leaders, is a disgrace and requires Smiths immediate resignation.



The code needs men of vision, strong communicators who know and love the game but have the necessary commercial acumen to lead us forward.


These blokes wouldn't get on my short list of candidates.

 

[RL The greatest game]

It was doing fine until SL came along.

The new guys have a way to go to get back to where things were in the 90's.

At least we are moving in the right direction.
I'm very confident of the games future with John Grant and Dave Smith at the helm

 

[Through the Lens]

The code has gone nowhere under the guise of NSWRL running the code.
The greed helped other codes thrive and as i pointed out in a earlier post, every code has expanded and thrived except for rugby league.
The clubs have been run terribly for 2 decades, living off the smell of a oily rag, rich clubs taking the cream off the top and in-fighting.
To fix this problem everyone realised only a independent commission could make real change.
Now the Sydney clubs are upset because change has arrived, and they are losing the power they once enjoyed.

The NRL has always backed the wrong horse.
Smith and Grant are slowly beavering away at government level to gain support for new stadium, and funding.
Where are the other codes? i mean 3 codes require rectangle sporting grounds.

To really understand what our code is up against, here is just one example of how hard it is to get any cash outta this government for our code.

Redcliffe, they want 12 million to build a nice little boutique stadium for a growing community and city.
They have a great league sports club, they have great local support, in a growing catchment area of 200 thousand.
They want a measley 12 million.
3 has been approved by the local council, 3 will be approved by the local government, the NRL might chip in 1 or two million, and what did the federal government say to a poultry 3 million. ?

NO,,,,,,,,,,,thats right,,,,,NO.

And that is what our code is up against, in the meantime the 1 billion being spent in Perth for a round ground is still being spent until 2018.

Time to open your eyes and take off your rose coloured glasses to what the new commission and Smith are really up against.
A code that was run into the ground, along with a media who lead the charge.

Well some people can get fooled some of the time.

In case you forgot, we had a thing called a Super League War back over 15 years ago. Thats right when the Australian Rugby League was running the game and a decade after the NSWRL stopped running the comp.

So don't give me NSWRL twaddle. It was the Sydney clubs that implemented the expansion by bringing in Cronulla and Penrith in 1967, then later Newcaslte and Canberra, followed by Brisbane, after the Super League war, some rationalisation happened and Auckland, North Queensland, Gold Coast and Melbourne were established. So the present format has been in place for nearly twenty years.

There are a thousand Redcliffs. They can't all be given just because they bleat a bit.

No this is not about Sydney clubs, thats just a weak Qld excuse.

I didn't see a code run into the ground, David Gallop and John Quale before him did an OK job. It was Gallop who commenced the negotiations for the TV rights, not Smith.

I don't think the press (and I'm not a fan) have done anything but asked questions of Smith and ARLC and they haven't received adequate answers.

The problem is not glasses being rose coloured, but the lenses, north of the border, being covered in mud and some of that mud is being slung indiscriminately.

There is a huge grass roots uprising against Smith and Grant. They're just incompetent and missing in action when it counts. See my previous post.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

its Ok for the QRL to dismiss the rumblings.



It's not just the clubs agitating for a change, it's a grass roots movement from club members and fans who see Smith as a reactionary and an under achiever and Grant as a limp blancmange. Both are achieving less than the proverbial Drovers Dog, have not expressed any vision and their communication skills are breathtakingly lacking.
Smiths shellacking by a Federal Court Judge, by a Prominent SC, by the Chairman of the NSWRL and by the Head of the Law Society demonstrate how foolish, irresponsible and incompetent he is, that men of such calibre are lost to the game or ashamed of its leaders, is a disgrace and requires Smiths immediate resignation.



The code needs men of vision, strong communicators who know and love the game but have the necessary commercial acumen to lead us forward.


These blokes wouldn't get on my short list of candidates.

A big LU hello to Phool Slothfield - Alcoholic at Large.

 

[Phil McGrawhan]

its Ok for the QRL to dismiss the rumblings.



It's not just the clubs agitating for a change, it's a grass roots movement from club members and fans who see Smith as a reactionary and an under achiever and Grant as a limp blancmange. Both are achieving less than the proverbial Drovers Dog, have not expressed any vision and their communication skills are breathtakingly lacking.
Smiths shellacking by a Federal Court Judge, by a Prominent SC, by the Chairman of the NSWRL and by the Head of the Law Society demonstrate how foolish, irresponsible and incompetent he is, that men of such calibre are lost to the game or ashamed of its leaders, is a disgrace and requires Smiths immediate resignation.



The code needs men of vision, strong communicators who know and love the game but have the necessary commercial acumen to lead us forward.


These blokes wouldn't get on my short list of candidates.

hi Slothy .
shouldn't your username be .." Through The Bottom of a Bottle"?

 

[Through the Lens]

I am encouraged by our fan base when constructive comments are posted. However I see some are so far out of touch that Cobb & Co and the Overland Mail stage coach hasn't reached them yet. Kevin tells me it will be rolled out to Victoria by 2070 and Qld by 2080.
Meanwhile we'll keep things happening in the Big Smoke.

30,000 posts between you and a life time supply of ink and quill wasted.

 

[oikee]

I am encouraged by our fan base when constructive comments are posted. However I see some are so far out of touch that Cobb & Co and the Overland Mail stage coach hasn't reached them yet. Kevin tells me it will be rolled out to Victoria by 2070 and Qld by 2080.
Meanwhile we'll keep things happening in the Big Smoke.

30,000 posts between you and a life time supply of ink and quill wasted.

Speaking about Cobb and Co, we have the museum here in Queensland, along with the rail museum down in Ipswich.
That is where they keep old retired things, and what rugby league needs to do now is build a museum for those dinosaurs you mentioned tryng to out Smith and Grant.

Is there something wrong with your learning. ? Mate we had those dinosaurs running the code for the last 30 years.
If superleague did not happen, the players would still be paid the ARL peanuts that mob was paying them, you know, a beer and a pie from the chook raffles they run on Sundays down at your local footy club.

And you want them back in , ? good luck with that.
They are whigning like shite because Grant and Smith wont spend every last penny on the baby birds with their mouths constantly open.

Just to let you know, the QRL (queensland rugby league) run the game here at grassroots in Queensland.
They dont get mega handouts or payments from the NRL commission.

You go back to the old dinosaurs that run this code, (and if they get rid of Grant and Smith, it will again be run by the old dinosaurs with puppets to replace Smith and Grant) and they will spend the faking lot trying to prop up a overpriced comp again, and Eddie Mcguire will be laughing his tits off for the next 50 years.

It was the faking ARL that let the grassroots of NSW wither and die, it was Gallop who was in change then, not Smith and Grant, and it was Gallop who sold the game for Peanuts on a 6 year deal that nearly killed the faking code.

Now, wake up to yourgelf.

 

[pHyR3]

its Ok for the QRL to dismiss the rumblings.



It's not just the clubs agitating for a change, it's a grass roots movement from club members and fans who see Smith as a reactionary and an under achiever and Grant as a limp blancmange. Both are achieving less than the proverbial Drovers Dog, have not expressed any vision and their communication skills are breathtakingly lacking.
Smiths shellacking by a Federal Court Judge, by a Prominent SC, by the Chairman of the NSWRL and by the Head of the Law Society demonstrate how foolish, irresponsible and incompetent he is, that men of such calibre are lost to the game or ashamed of its leaders, is a disgrace and requires Smiths immediate resignation.



The code needs men of vision, strong communicators who know and love the game but have the necessary commercial acumen to lead us forward.


These blokes wouldn't get on my short list of candidates.

haha you're such a dribbler.

seems like he's lacking in vision and communication skills here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2n1GoGkbg4

especially compared to gallop and our esteemed PM tone.

 

[johnny plath]

Well some people can get fooled some of the time.

In case you forgot, we had a thing called a Super League War back over 15 years ago. Thats right when the Australian Rugby League was running the game and a decade after the NSWRL stopped running the comp.

So don't give me NSWRL twaddle. It was the Sydney clubs that implemented the expansion by bringing in Cronulla and Penrith in 1967, then later Newcaslte and Canberra, followed by Brisbane, after the Super League war, some rationalisation happened and Auckland, North Queensland, Gold Coast and Melbourne were established. So the present format has been in place for nearly twenty years.

There are a thousand Redcliffs. They can't all be given just because they bleat a bit.

No this is not about Sydney clubs, thats just a weak Qld excuse.

I didn't see a code run into the ground, David Gallop and John Quale before him did an OK job. It was Gallop who commenced the negotiations for the TV rights, not Smith.

I don't think the press (and I'm not a fan) have done anything but asked questions of Smith and ARLC and they haven't received adequate answers.

The problem is not glasses being rose coloured, but the lenses, north of the border, being covered in mud and some of that mud is being slung indiscriminately.

There is a huge grass roots uprising against Smith and Grant. They're just incompetent and missing in action when it counts. See my previous post.

Not sure if you're recalling history too well. The last NSWRL grand final was in 1994. In 1995 ARL took over the game, the same year that the superleague war started. Canberra entered in 1982 with Illawarra. Brisbane, Newcastle, and Gold Coast joined the NSWRL in 1988. 1995, under the ARL saw NQ Cowboys, SQ Crushers, Perth Reds, and Auckland Warriors join the comp. Rationalisation didn't commence until after 1997, as a part of the peace deal to bring the ARL and Superleague comps back together. I don't know if that alters your argument, but its helpful to be factual to make your case stronger. Not sure about your thousand Redcliffe point either, I'd be interested to hear some of them if you're so sure thats the case.