He didn't have to play ball, NRL caved in, sacked Smith and got on its knees once again to accept a lesser deal from Fox. Smith did his job getting a massive increase on the fTA deal, maybe if they had shown some balls and let him complete the job he would have got Fox to stump up what they should have? We will never know as we are led by weaklings.
Grant was probably busy on the golf course or somewhere.
Of course no one made him, but in the end it cost when compared to the AFL deal.With SOO and tests we should have got more.
There was a way to go about it, not rogue.
Got on their knees ,as if you'd know that.Perhaps ask yourself why, because Smith went rogue.They wouldn't have had their knees scraped ,if they had worked on the basis of two parties plus the NRL ,not one.
Last line is a dumb comment. and I have little affection for Grant. Who BTW always showed up for photo ops.
TV deals are big publicity deals and every sporting code be it union, AFL ,soccer or the NRL have had the commission represented plus the TV execs from FTA and Pay.
The fact Smith played the Lone Ranger without Silver or Tonto, at the presso smells a rat to me.IMO if the Commission was fully supportive of the Smith FTA deal;,they would have been there with bells or balls on.They weren't simply.
The facts are obvious.the NRL needs Fox money and Fox needs the NRL.There has to be give and take on both sides.
This country is small bikkies compared to Europe and the States for TV sporting deals.Smith is not negotiating with ESPN or the BBC.
We should be used to a long line of stuff ups on TV deals, ever since the "wonderful best"Gallop $500m over 6 years deal, when the AFL got $780m over 5 years.
And you wonder why we are where we are.
