John O'neil

[linny]

We all know that the organisation & promotion of the 2008 World Cup is going to be crucial for its success. We've seen that if its executed poorly, then its going to detract from International Rugby league. But we know that Rugby League has the potential to take itself to the next level on the international stage.

Now as far as i've heard, John Oneil hasn't commited himself to Soccer Australia past his next contract. There really isn't a better qualified person to be at the helm of the ARL/NRL leading up to and during the World Cup. His aggressive and tactical approach to running the Union world cup and Soccer australia needs no introduction.

So what about trying to get him at the helms of the Rugby League World Cup ? Our game has lacked true visionary organisation from its administrators and with such an exciting product that an international game could deliver, the boundaries are endless.

There might be some problems in that he mightn't be willing to work for League because of his union background but im not completely sure about this. Does anyone know?

How about an email campaign to get the current administrators talking about it?

I really think that this would guarentee a successful World Cup and a roll effect to the international game in general.

What do you guys think ?

 

[International RL]

We all know that the organisation & promotion of the 2008 World Cup is going to be crucial for its success. We've seen that if its executed poorly, then its going to detract from International Rugby league. But we know that Rugby League has the potential to take itself to the next level on the international stage.

Now as far as i've heard, John Oneil hasn't commited himself to Soccer Australia past his next contract. There really isn't a better qualified person to be at the helm of the ARL/NRL leading up to and during the World Cup. His aggressive and tactical approach to running the Union world cup and Soccer australia needs no introduction.

So what about trying to get him at the helms of the Rugby League World Cup ? Our game has lacked true visionary organisation from its administrators and with such an exciting product that an international game could deliver, the boundaries are endless.

There might be some problems in that he mightn't be willing to work for League because of his union background but im not completely sure about this. Does anyone know?

How about an email campaign to get the current administrators talking about it?

I really think that this would guarentee a successful World Cup and a roll effect to the international game in general.

What do you guys think ?

Mate, I couldn't agree more. I hate the bloke with a passion, but if you can't beat em join them. Whilst I think that he built union up into something it wasn't and make it largely unsustainable (as is showing now in their decline) Rugby league has a far better and more stable structure to grow the game in Australia via the international product and make the world cup a resounding success.

A successful world cup will really announce us at the world stage. O'niell has a real way of manipulating the media (football and rugby anyone??) and putting positive spin on his product. Lets get him and allow him to do the same for us. Remember soccer was a joke until 2 years ago in this country and now it is a 'contender (though it remains to be seen in my opinion if it is yet another elite competition built on a loose foundation). Rugby league is in a far better position than soccer has been at any point.

Lets get O'niell and lets have a big hyped up 'global' event.

 

[griff]

Yeah I think it is definitely worth a try. Having a visible leader who has a track record of being an excellent sports administrator is the main thing, although I think John Quayle would be just as good.

As long as we learn from what soccer and rugby union have done, then we don't actually need John O'Neill himself.

 

[ali]

I think he'd do a good job, but his price tag may be beyond us.

 

[International RL]

What sort of money does he command?

 

[International RL]

Yeah I think it is definitely worth a try. Having a visible leader who has a track record of being an excellent sports administrator is the main thing, although I think John Quayle would be just as good.

As long as we learn from what soccer and rugby union have done, then we don't actually need John O'Neill himself.

Will any of the current management actually take it upon themselves to learn from the success and hype of those other codes?

 

[griff]

Will any of the current management actually take it upon themselves to learn from the success and hype of those other codes?

Probably not, but they should.

We probably aren't going to get John O'Neill either. I'm sure the extra sponsorship he could bring in would make it worth whatever they would have to pay him though.

 

[International RL]

Probably not, but they should.

We probably aren't going to get John O'Neill either. I'm sure the extra sponsorship he could bring in would make it worth whatever they would have to pay him though.

Damn right, I wish there was some way we could do get the wheels in motion on this.

 

[linny]

I heard O'neil is on over a million at soccer australia on a news report. Its alot of money but its definitely right that the money would come back in sponsorship

Well should we make a list of contacts that we should write to atleast get the idea out there?

Radio stations, newspapers ? To get the ball rolling with some kind of rumour.

Then what about the ARL, NRL? Any other ideas ?

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Can you imagine the ARL hiring him though? Whoever is the main man behind the WC, assuming there will be one, I expect it will be someone from within the game, probably Quayle or someone of that ilk, or at least someone who has experience in the game. I'm not sure whether O'Neill would be good for us but one thing is for sure if we can do a similar job as he did with the RUWC we'll be well on the way to a successful tournament.

 

[Dogaholic]

John O'Neil isn't at Soccer Australia.

He is at Football Federation Australia.

 

[International RL]

I heard O'neil is on over a million at soccer australia on a news report. Its alot of money but its definitely right that the money would come back in sponsorship

Well should we make a list of contacts that we should write to atleast get the idea out there?

Radio stations, newspapers ? To get the ball rolling with some kind of rumour.

Then what about the ARL, NRL? Any other ideas ?

Yeah might not be a bad idea to start rumours. Rumours get people talking about it.

Whilst it may be a bit questionable given his union background, i think his ego would make him eager to take up the challenge.

In my opinion a switched on administrator could make a massive success of the WC with minimal effort given that all they have to do is tap into and engage the inbuilt rugby league audience and just get some of the bandwagoners to jump across via hype (which they will) and bang you have a hugely successful world cup. But to have all t hose things you need aggressive administrators will to sell the product to sponsors and the public. Which is where O'niell comes in

 

[taipan]

Whilst O'Neill is good at hype and selling,I dont think his heart would be in it.He bagged the RLWC2000 whenever he got the opportunity calling it " a mickey mouse tournament".He is hardly likely to want to take on RLWC2008,he is union first, soccer 2nd and rugby league down the line.

Quayle's organisation is supposed to be doing the organisation behind the scenes.He knows and has played the game at the top level.He did a top class job organising the venues for the Olympics.
They just need a public intnlly known face to flog it IMO.

The problem is there has been so little broadcast on what is happening with the cup,and it craps the life out of me.

 

[Green Machine]

I would take John Quayle any day of the week over John O’Neill. I don’t want that ex Rah Rah within a 100 miles of Rugby League. O’Neill is a low life. Why would we need to talk about the 2008 Rugby League World Cup in 2006? It is not as if we don’t have a National Rugby League or a Super League to talk about at the moment. We still have this season to go. We still have this year’s Tri Nations in October. I’m sure with all the orginising that goes into the Tri Nations this year, those games will be used as test events for the 2008 World Cup. Things aren't that bad,

 

[Woods99]

I would take John Quayle any day of the week over John O’Neill. I don’t want that ex Rah Rah within a 100 miles of Rugby League. O’Neill is a low life. Why would we need to talk about the 2008 Rugby League World Cup in 2006? It is not as if we don’t have a National Rugby League or a Super League to talk about at the moment. We still have this season to go. We still have this year’s Tri Nations in October. I’m sure with all the orginising that goes into the Tri Nations this year, those games will be used as test events for the 2008 World Cup. Things aren't that bad,

Well said, GM. Mind you, O'Neill did go to a league primary school (Marist Brothers Darlinghurst), so maybe he is not totally evil.

"Always look on the bright side of life, dee dum, dee dum, dee dum, dee dum."

 

[International RL]

Whilst O'Neill is good at hype and selling,I dont think his heart would be in it.He bagged the RLWC2000 whenever he got the opportunity calling it " a mickey mouse tournament".He is hardly likely to want to take on RLWC2008,he is union first, soccer 2nd and rugby league down the line.

Quayle's organisation is supposed to be doing the organisation behind the scenes.He knows and has played the game at the top level.He did a top class job organising the venues for the Olympics.
They just need a public intnlly known face to flog it IMO.

The problem is there has been so little broadcast on what is happening with the cup,and it craps the life out of me.

Quale is a great administrator, don't get me wrong, but we really need a 'face' to address the problem you identified at the end.

 

[Thomas]

Why would we need to talk about the 2008 Rugby League World Cup in 2006? It is not as if we don’t have a National Rugby League or a Super League to talk about at the moment. We still have this season to go. We still have this year’s Tri Nations in October. I’m sure with all the orginising that goes into the Tri Nations this year, those games will be used as test events for the 2008 World Cup. Things aren't that bad,

Its called marketting, GM.

Even though I know you detest RU...you have to admit the RWC was marketted brilliantly in Australia.

The ARL need someone like O'Neill to start generating interest or else we'll be seeing games attended by 200 people. Ads for the 2003 RWC started getting out there in late 2001 and early 2002.

You can't just expect people to turn up.....

 

[International RL]

Its called marketting, GM.

Even though I know you detest RU...you have to admit the RWC was marketted brilliantly in Australia.

The ARL need someone like O'Neill to start generating interest or else we'll be seeing games attended by 200 people. Ads for the 2003 RWC started getting out there in late 2001 and early 2002.

You can't just expect people to turn up.....

you're right

 

[Woods99]

Whilst O'Neill is good at hype and selling,I dont think his heart would be in it.He bagged the RLWC2000 whenever he got the opportunity calling it " a mickey mouse tournament".He is hardly likely to want to take on RLWC2008,he is union first, soccer 2nd and rugby league down the line.

Quayle's organisation is supposed to be doing the organisation behind the scenes.He knows and has played the game at the top level.He did a top class job organising the venues for the Olympics.
They just need a public intnlly known face to flog it IMO.

The problem is there has been so little broadcast on what is happening with the cup,and it craps the life out of me.

O'Neill didn't bag the 2004 RLWC though, did he?

 

[Green Machine]

Its called marketting, GM.

Thomas,

I thought the RUWC was the best marketing job ever pulled off in this country. It was right up there will selling sand to Egypt. O’Neill, the master art of creating a facarde, of having the biggest house in the street, was marketing at its best. The trouble was when you opened the door to the Rugby Union house, it was like of of those in the back-lot at Universal Studios; nothing inside. Is that Georgia V Namibia? As far as O’Neill goes, he has done too many nasty things to this sport, to ever be considered for a Rugby League position. The period where “Moffo from Hornsby” was CEO will not go down as one of the best administrative times in the game. No more Rah Rah’s please.

Even though I know you detest RU...you have to admit the RWC was marketted brilliantly in Australia.

The ARL need someone like O'Neill to start generating interest or else we'll be seeing games attended by 200 people. Ads for the 2003 RWC started getting out there in late 2001 and early 2002.

You can't just expect people to turn up.....

I don’t know why you would say that only 200 people would turn to watch World Cup games. If you go on the marketing of this year’s Bundaberg Test and State of Origin Series, I would give the NRL and ARL pass marks on both occasions. What about the ridicule from the Union trolls on this web site, prior to the Bundaberg Test, on what the predicted crowd figure would be at Suncorp? The capacity crowd at Telstra Dome for SOO III? The national TV audience for both events? Ticket sales for the Tri Nations are going along quiet well. All the work they have put in this season, will be used again in 2008. The reason the ARU started selling the RUWC so early was because they had very little else to sell. They had more tricks than Lassie. What about some of the sh*t they came out with. Garbage like former Super League Clubs defecting to a National Rugby Union competition. That little beauty turned out to be the Ricoh Challenge. Right up there with their current proposal for a NPC. They are still talking about it. O’Neill did that good of a job in pissing off everyone in Rugby Union, he lost his job.

Lets judge the ARL and NRL on this season’s representative games before we put the boot into them for a tournament that will happen in 2 years time and I am one of their harshest critics, I think they have done a good job in the last three seasons. Next season there will be no Tri Nations and the NRL and ARL will have plenty to market the 2008 season. Why would Rugby League need ads now for people to turn up in 2008? Rugby League sells papers in NSW and QLD on a daily basis. Rugby League sells it self. Rugby League is the backpage. People are talking about the NRL competition at the moment. When the Grand Final is over, people will talk about the Tri Nations. It will become the topic of conversation. As for the Tri Nations, they are currently selling tickets and getting people ready for the series. 2008 is two years away,