Fans get their game back

[Ziggy the God]

Doesn't mean he shouldn't either.

At least Webcke has a clean slate. Advocating rehashing a used up fossil who was utter sh*te is nothing short of stupidity.

So tell me what Webcke has done to warrant sitting on the Board?

f**k all.

 

[Perth Red]

We need a good balance between hard nosed business people and people passionate about the game. What we really need is a visionary CEO and chair, but looks like it might be a few years till we get either!

 

[Canard]

People putting the boot into Quayle, but are happy to put up Webcke?

Yeah, he may be a good guy, but just because he is a prop forward that can string two sentences together, does not warrant a seat on the New Commission.

Its not an either/or situation, Im NOT advocating Webcke at all.

In fact from my view on Webcke would be that he would be a good person to take up the Players Association Rep role in years to come, being an ex-player that seems to have the respect of his peers.

But with Quayle I do know what he would be like as a boss of our game, and I think its time to step forward not backwards.

 

[Raider_69]

Quayle is an old dinosaur, who's lack of vision and commitment to grow this game played a significant role in SL. He's a massive jobs for the boys type of guy, between him and Colin Love this commission is dead before its even up and running
As for Webcke? Good guy, great player, but what qualifies him for this position?

To quote Brady - "f**k me dead"

 

[skeepe]

Queensland objections to delay establishment of commission by year
ROY MASTERS

December 9, 2009


An historic meeting of the ARL board in Brisbane today is likely to delay the establishment of an independent commission for 12 months, following pressure from Queensland delegates who will insist no incumbent director of any league or NRL club be appointed to the new body.

This would scuttle moves to install ARL and NSWRL chairman Colin Love as the leader of the new governing body, although NSW's will would prevail if it went to a vote.

While NSW and Queensland are equal partners under the ARL constitution, each supplying four directors, chairman Love and ARL chief executive Geoff Carr - who is also the chief executive of the NSWRL - are both entitled to a vote, meaning the Blues outnumber the Maroons 6-4 at the board table.

However, it is highly unlikely Love would use NSW's numbers to vote himself into office as the leader of the code's new power base, while presiding over the dissolution of a 100-year-old structure.

He has never sought the position of independent commission chair, having been drafted to it by Roosters chairman Nick Politis and Titans CEO Michael Searle, who have found an unlikely ally in News Ltd's chief operating officer, Peter Macourt.

The strategy of positioning Love as chairman of the independent commission in exchange for the relegation of the NSWRL and QRL to second-tier bodies is likely to fail if Queensland insists no current director of any of the code's leagues and clubs be a candidate for the body.
It would also rule out Politis's fellow Roosters director Mark Bouris, NRL board member Katie Page, former NSW sports minister and triple Olympian Michael Cleary and Storm chairman Professor Rob Moodie.

The mood of today's meeting is expected to reflect the growing feeling that the rugby league community wants an independent commission, but that it must not be rushed into accepting a model lacking safeguards for states, international football and junior development.

The proposed model, under which commissioners are elected by the clubs, is a construct of curiously contradictory interests. Some of the old ARL warlords from the Super League days want News Ltd out of the game at any price, while News is happy to exit if it can cause the ARL to implode. Club owners see News Ltd's departure as a signal for millions of dollars to flow to the code from Australian sponsors who had shied away as long as Rupert Murdoch was a part-owner.

This scenario offers comfort to private owners constantly concerned about the bottom line, but which companies would rush in? Fairfax? News Ltd's exit would certainly remove conflict-of-interest accusations undermining Murdoch's desire to increase his stake in Foxtel, should Telstra be forced to sell off its retail arm.

News Ltd, which holds the management rights to Foxtel with only a 25 per cent ownership, could take majority control of the subscription TV service, adding to its existing half-share in the production company Fox Sports.

One of the main motivations in pushing an independent commission through is to have a business-oriented board in place to negotiate the next broadcasting contract, which begins in 2013.

If News Ltd controlled Foxtel - a monopoly pay-TV service - and presented the NRL with a deal for less than it is getting now, wouldn't that be an emphatic response to all those critics who have complained News Ltd's current conflict - as an owner of the NRL and also its broadcaster - is the cause of the code's under-valued rights?

A further year of negotiations over the model for an independent commission is likely to smoke out a few unresolved situations: will Telstra sell Foxtel? Will the change to the anti-siphoning legislation benefit pay TV? Will free-to-air networks have more money to offer for rights? Will the Knights embrace part private ownership in 2011, lifting the number of privately-owned NRL clubs to nearly half? Will the shift of the Melbourne Storm to a new 31,000-seat rectangular stadium in April next year cut their existing annual $6 million losses and make the club more attractive to private buyers?

News Ltd now funds those losses - admittedly at a cost of only $3.2m given tax write-off provisions - but a further 12 months of deliberation over the right independent commission model would answer those questions.

Today's ARL meeting agenda includes the election of the ARL's three delegates to the powerful NRL partnership board.

Why call an election for the places currently filled by Love, Politis and QRL chairman John McDonald if the board is soon to be redundant … unless the Maroons are furious with someone?

Maybe the election is a constitutional necessity and that raises the role of the code's lawyers in the new structure. It takes time to wind up a century-old structure and dispose of its assets.

In the unlikely event Love, a Macquarie Street lawyer, was asked to dissolve the ARL, he certainly couldn't do it by Christmas.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ment-of-commission-by-year-20091207-kfes.html

Funny to see Roy Masters criticise the argument that News Ltd having a stake in the NRL and Fox Sports leads to lower revenues, and therefore a News Ltd exit from the NRL should bring in more revenue given that it's exactly the argument that he himself has been making all year.

 

[Doug2234]

Friggin QRL

Just thinking about the $$$$ as usual..

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

See how much better the game would be without the QRL and NSWRL

 

[jasonstevenswedgie]

but how do you promote competition in a pay yv market when there is only one company?

 

[m0nty]

Masters is having to tie himself in rhetorical knots just to push his agenda of white-ant-anything-News-wants.

 

[Jatz Crackers]

Masters is having to tie himself in rhetorical knots just to push his agenda of white-ant-anything-News-wants.

If "what News wants" isnt in the immediate AND longer term interests of the game, then why shouldnt anyone make the facts about their self interest a matter of debate.

 

[adamkungl]

Why do the QRL and NSWRL exist again? Maybe there should just be people employed within the NRL itself to organise state leagues, so we don't have competing organisations.

 

[Quidgybo]

Why do the QRL and NSWRL exist again? Maybe there should just be people employed within the NRL itself to organise state leagues, so we don't have competing organisations.

Not within the NRL but certainly within a reconstituted ARL. In the age of modern transportation and communications there is absolutely no reason to have organisations like the NSWRL, QRL and CRL to seperate the ARL from the grassroots. Let the group, district and regional leagues deal directly with a single nationally focussed and co-ordinated ARL (Commission?) for funding and eliminate all the wasteful duplication of administration and personal empires.

Leigh.

 

[adamkungl]

Not within the NRL but certainly within a reconstituted ARL. In the age of modern transportation and communications there is absolutely no reason to have organisations like the NSWRL, QRL and CRL to seperate the ARL from the grassroots. Let the group, district and regional leagues deal directly with a single nationally focussed and co-ordinated ARL (Commission?) for funding and eliminate all the wasteful duplication of administration and personal empires.

Leigh.

For sure. These organisations are a massive waste of money that should be going to the clubs

 

[Jatz Crackers]

Not within the NRL but certainly within a reconstituted ARL. In the age of modern transportation and communications there is absolutely no reason to have organisations like the NSWRL, QRL and CRL to seperate the ARL from the grassroots. Let the group, district and regional leagues deal directly with a single nationally focussed and co-ordinated ARL (Commission?) for funding and eliminate all the wasteful duplication of administration and personal empires.

Leigh.

Lets get rid of State Governments while we are at it. But thats another story for another time.

 

[Quidgybo]

There's been a lot of argument both on this forum and in the press about the wisdom of allowing the NRL clubs to appoint all eight Commissioners (with the support of 70% of clubs). Some argue this will lead to the death of meaningful representative football, others argue that the grassroots will be deprived. But what are the alternatives?

So, simple question - how would you appoint the Commission?

I'll toss out one suggestion (without a huge amount of thought). Abolish the QRL, NSWRL and CRL and have all group, district, regional and metropolitan leagues deal directly with the new Commission for funding.

Allow the leagues in Queensland to collectively appoint one Commissioner, the leagues (both country and city) in NSW to appoint one, and the leagues in the minor states to collectively appoint one. That's the grassroots represented.

Have one former captain of the Kangaroos (minimum 1 Test) elected by the collective of retired players to have represented Australia (again minimum 1 Test). That's the representative game represented. This also gives a senior past player's perspective to the Commission.

And then have the NRL clubs elect the remaining four Commissioners (again by at least 70% agreement). That's the professional clubs and the biggest profit generating arm of the game represented.

All Commissioners to hold no other position within the game at the time of their nomination or during their tenure on the Commission. Each Commissioner to serve a five year term without the option for re-election to enable them to take unpopular decisions without retribution and to prevent the development of personal power bases.

The power of the clubs is held in check by the grassroots and a past captain of Australia.

Leigh.

 

[Jatz Crackers]

Maybe a player representative body should account for one seat on the commission.

 

[adamkungl]

Lets get rid of State Governments while we are at it. But thats another story for another time.

Agree with this too....in general, state bodies are seeming increasingly irrelevant in an age of cheap transport and fast internet connections

 

[Parra]

Seems to be nothing at all 'independent' about the proposed commission.

The commission is appointed by the current power brokers.

It is exactly like claiming that David Gallop is an independent.

Bring back some democracy to the game. Members elect their boards and it all flows up from there.

 

[TiggaPlease]

Um, the clubs are going to vote for the member's of the commission are they not?

It is going to be a democratic process.

The members of the commission for a transition period won't be elected by the clubs, but one the transition period is over we will see the clubs nominating and electing members.

So, yeah, at first it won't be independant as such, but if all goes to plan then in theory in a few years the commission will be independant.

I understand the scepticism, but i have the feeling it will be okay.

 

[m0nty]

While I agree with the criticism by the QRL of how they have been shut out of the process with Colin Love not involving them enough in the negotiations, that is no excuse to devolve the commission into the same old factional sh*tfight. That is what the commission is supposed to replace, after all. Divvying up "representatives" of this or that faction on the board is antiquated thinking.

Reading between the lines of the flow of news stories, News has obviously taken the chance on negotiating with Love representing the whole of the ARL, hoping that Love can keep the QRL/NSWRL rivalries quiet for one last time. Fat chance. Love has extracted maximum possible concessions for him personally and has paid lip service to the concerns of his own constituents. Not a good sign for the direction of the new commission.

The correct way to do this is to build a consensus out of all stakeholders and negotiate a shortlist of people whom everyone is happy with. If club ties are a dealbreaker, then cross off those people (or ask them to relinquish their club duties). There are ways to build this process from the start to avoid these problems. The way it has evolved is not perfect, as evidenced by the media negativity. If the end result is a commission of "untouchables", then job done.