How do you Rate Dave Smith?

[Phil McGrawhan]

Very interested in how RL fans see Smiths leadership,So please vote in the poll.
With his First yr running the game nearly over ,how do you think he has handled things?
The latest articles(From NEWS LTD surprisingly)seem to have shifted away from attacking him to showing some respect.

He has plans for the future ,has put the game in a very very sound financial position.Keen on growing memberships,& getting clubs self sufficient & run businesslike
Has handled the ASADA drug scandal very professionally(compared to VLAD & the AFL ,Smith is smelling like a rose).

Then there are the negative things .
The Shoulder charge ban really upset fans.
The delaying of Expansion announcement has upset some.

Rising costs of tickets is a big concern.
Overall my personal opinion is he is what we needed.
A professional businessman,with a good team around him.

For his first 10 months in the job I would give him a 8 1/2 out of 10.

Maybe that seems high but look at what he replaced.

 

[hineyrulz]

Agree Phil i would give him at least an 8, after what we had the last 10 years this bloke looks like a genius.

 

[magpie4ever]

Wouldn't have been hard to provide a surplus given the $ increase in TV contract. He had zero to do with this, it was the ARLC; therefore, I will wait at least another year before judging.

 

[Flapper]

He's a business man running a business. And he employs people under him to work the nuts and bolts shit out. What more could you ask for?

 

[Nugget10]

Anything is better than the News LTD stooge that was ''running'' things before

 

[El Diablo]

shits on the Muppet from a great height

 

[magpie4ever]

Anything is better than the News LTD stooge that was ''running'' things before

Yeah, that's true.

But, as they say in horseracing; you never go the early crow.

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

I think Smithy can thank his lucky stars he never had a hard act to follow. To his credit, he has proven himself to be a masterful reformer. I voted undecided. Another year of management, when the time to start talking about expansion comes around will be the time to judge him on his merits.

 

[hardbaby]

I rate him. Came in with limited knowledge of the game but lots of knowledge about business. Took a softly, softly approach to get his head around the market. Doesn't rush things or go off half cocked. Respects other peoples' opinions. Admits his own limitations. Seems to be working it out and will be very decisive in the years to come. A wise old head coming in at a crucial time.

 

[Perth Red]

Compared to the last gimp he's million times better. However he does have funds the game has never had before and hasn't really made any tough decisions yet so let's see how far they get in meeting their strategic plan over next few years before judging.

 

[Big LIMA]

I think he's done an incredible job so far.

DSOMG

 

[Diesel]

I've been impressed with him so far. Much better than Gallop at the helm with News as the puppet master

 

[mxlegend99]

Meh. Too early to tell, but having lost the shoulder charge under his leadership he deserves to go for that alone. The rule chane itself was shit, the incorrect policing of it is even worse. Some of the penalties given were beyond a joke.

 

[ek999]

Didn't the shoulder charge go before he came in?

 

[maccattack]

The bring back gallop option is stupid. Anyone who clicks that is being sarcastic so what's the point in adding it?

 

[Brutus]

Gallop was a disgrace to RL.

Smith only needed to fart into a microphone to be 100 times better than Gallop.

 

[El Diablo]

The bring back gallop option is stupid. Anyone who clicks that is being sarcastic so what's the point in adding it?

Moffo would vote for the Muppet

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Its a time of change for the game. There will be some pain locally, but with power now removed from the likes of Nick Politis and News Ltd, the game is set to grow for the first time ever.

The alignment with touch football, the PNG team in the QLD Cup and, I believe, an aggressive push into the Pacific Islands where Rugby has basically shat for 100 years, will see the game have a stranglehold on the Pacific.

7 million people in PNG, where the game is religion. Over a million touch players. Kids can now play touch if Mum is worried and learn the skills of RL and progress when they are ready, which means no more soccer until the kids are old enough. Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands - RL World Cup - these are all pointing to something big for me - a groundswell of support and exposure.

The key for me is the USA - mainly becuae there are so many athletes over there who don't play beyond High School or College. The big thing is the similarity to American Football. Its essentially the same game, with different rules. Recruit 1 or 2 to start to come out and learn the game, test their aptitude. What kid who isn't quite cut out for NFL would knock back the chance to live in Sydney, Brisbane - anywhere in Oz really - and get paid 100k a year to learn Rugby League? Manage the media exposure, send them back home to promote the game within their community...............

Who knows? All I'm saying is that we could get American athletes playing in the NRL, not that game will take over the USA - NEVER! But, its a huge market, its a great game the Yanks can relate to (particularly the Rebellion aspect against the Oppressive English Aristocracy) and you only need a tiny piece of it.

The NRL is now regarded as one of the great comps in world sport and it should proudly and fearlessly progress to new markets - f**k the Old World - the New World beckons.

Smith gets this. So does the ARLC Commision.

Exciting times.

 

[Loudstrat]

Had a good debut season for the Roosters in 91 playing between Slippery Morris and Tony Melrose. Pity he had to mark Meninga in the prelim final or the Roosters might have won the comp.

He was shit by the time he joined Newcastle though.