RL independence day arrives - NRL Independent Commission announced for November 1

[East Coast Tiger]

But that's it, they're not irrelevent. They run the sport in Qld. Someone has to. And these dickheads at the clubs in Sydney want to cut their operations off at the knees. Notice the clubs aren't saying they'll step in and take over the operation of the grassroots game in Qld. They don't care enough to do that. They just want the QRL to suffer for their own selfish purposes. And even if the QRL is uneccessary you still don't hurt a grassroots organisation, whatever the circumstances. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.

 

[taipan]

The QRL will still be responsible for the grassroots in Qld.The difference will be ,the admin will be under one roof,cutting uneccessary duplication(and yes that will mean a few have to go) and inseatd of the current bitchfest between the NSWRL and QRL,the final decision will be up to the commission.
Does it actually sink in to the QRL,that rugby league(NRL) has ATM 3 (maybe 4 with CQ)teams in that state,and they will be the last to want to hurt the grassroots of the game,because it affects their feeding system and support base.
The feeders come from the state league all the way down.
I had a fair bit of time for Ribot at one stage (as being a visionary),now he is IMO a bleeding impediment.

 

[$$Poor Boy Blues$$]

The clubs are a disgrace. How can any rugby league organisation talk about financially crippling a major grassroots body just to serve their own purposes? This just proves why the clubs cannot be handed control of the game. They only care about themselves. If they are willing to cut funding to grassroots football now, before a commission is even in place, by ordering delegates around within the ARL, what's to stop them doing it again for any other reason when the commission delegates are directly elected by them? To even consider it shows how little they care about anything outside their own club. Richardson has already been at the helm of a club that went arse up in England after just one season and this dickhead is throwing his substantial weight around on matters of financial importance? f**k the clubs. I hope the QRL go ahead anyway and call their bluff. And if the clubs do try to sabotage them it will show once and for all that the QRL is right to keep the grubby hands of the clubs off the game.

oh come on now, ECT.....the qrl would gladly waste that much money in trying to get their unneeded and selfish proposal over the line....right into lawyers pockets.

so the clubs dont care because they want one type of commision - and actual 'independent' commission over over one being proposed by an old-school, antiquated and failed organisation in which they conveniently have a larger than warranted say

You have been blinkered or you work for them. what about the broncos or cowboys....titans.....yeah, lets cut their grassroots off at the knees....sure....

But that's it, they're not irrelevent. They run the sport in Qld. Someone has to. And these dickheads at the clubs in Sydney want to cut their operations off at the knees. Notice the clubs aren't saying they'll step in and take over the operation of the grassroots game in Qld. They don't care enough to do that. They just want the QRL to suffer for their own selfish purposes. And even if the QRL is uneccessary you still don't hurt a grassroots organisation, whatever the circumstances. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.

hmmmm....except club ceo's do not decide where funding goes. commissioners do.....and, hmmmm, you are wrong if you think commissioners are going to take instructions from clubs. its the other way round.


East coast tiger. ->>

corruption is corruption no matter what form of governance. you can't escape it. but lets remember that any nominated commissioner needs to be voted in with at least 75% of the vote. thats a pretty safe level of acceptance....allowing a 25% gap....have not done the sums with 16 clubs how many votes is needed.

say a situation where souths say to someone..."we will vote you in if you do x; or at least get the x agenda moving forward"

well so what, it still needs majority support.

now, if every commissioner came and said "we need to cut grassroots funding by a mile." thats an unlikely situation.....given our current system which is producing a lot of players but is hampered somewhat in the way its set its comps up, and the afl machine. I think its more likely they will make the system better, and when they can get more money they will.

now, they will do so from an independent position....not one with vested interests...for instance, do you think the qrl or the nswrl is currently able to implement a well funded and IDEAL grasssroots system, one that could trump AFL????

the answer is a resounding no. AND a new commission can sit back, watch without being hampered by vested interests, battles from other groups (only debate amongst themselves) and decide what to do with (best case scenario, world is not black and white) 1...a clear conscience, 2. a clear mind, 3. the right attitude

so dont sell a new commisison short before its done anything....but lets not forget that the structure of a commission and the way it comes to the decisions is superior to anything on offer anywhere else.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

The QRL will still be responsible for the grassroots in Qld.The difference will be ,the admin will be under one roof,cutting uneccessary duplication(and yes that will mean a few have to go) and inseatd of the current bitchfest between the NSWRL and QRL,the final decision will be up to the commission.
Does it actually sink in to the QRL,that rugby league(NRL) has ATM 3 (maybe 4 with CQ)teams in that state,and they will be the last to want to hurt the grassroots of the game,because it affects their feeding system and support base.
The feeders come from the state league all the way down.
I had a fair bit of time for Ribot at one stage (as being a visionary),now he is IMO a bleeding impediment.

There's two major problems with what you say.

Firstly that duplication is a problem. The QRL administers the game in Qld and will continue to do so whatever the structure. They will need just as many administrators and other staff as they do now, even if they change a few of their titles. The savings to be made by bringing all RLs under one umbrella are completely overstated. All you are really doing is scrapping the directors of the various bodies and replacing them with commissioners at a national centralised level. The rest of the administrative system will be relatively unchanged if the game is to remain proprely administered at all levels.

And secondly any theorising about NRL clubs not doing the wrong thing by the grassroots fails to take into account the fact that they already do the wrong thing by grassroots football now. The neglectful, incompetent and in some cases out and out harmful activities of NRL clubs won't improve under a commission, they will be magnified if the clubs set the agenda to suit themselves. At present the ARL, QRL, NSWRL and CRL development organisations do 95% of the development work at grassroots level and even though NRL clubs are the main beneficiaries of this work their input is minimal. Suggesting that clubs will do the right thing simply because it is the best thing for the whole game in the long run ignores the fact that most NRL clubs are run by incompetent idiots who have consistently failed to do this at every turn for years. The problem with handing power to the clubs is that we are assuming they will use it wisely, when every bit of evidence suggests they won't.

 

[Big-Steve]

John Rebot's involvement is beside the point and not a legitament arguement for locking out the ARL/NSWRL/QLDRL of the Commission.

The arguement should be about the structure not the personalities of the people currently in this and that position.

If 5 years down the track Someone like Micheal Searle say, replaced John Rebot on the QLD board would you then argue that the QLDRL should have a bigger say in the Commission?

My biggest gripe with this is the process of the Commission's development.

An NRL CEO in secret, is consulting with other NRL Clubs and News limited, is coercing the ARL/NSWRL/QLDRL into accepting a structure and has not consulted with any other level or organisation in the sport of Rugby League.

How can anybody truely believe that the best model for the Commission would come out of a process like this?

And can we please not be so naive as to say that the NRL clubs are taking more control of the sport 'out of the goodness of their hearts'. They have their own agenda which is favourable to them just as News has and the ARL - this normal.

That is why it is essencial that a commission has a broad representation not be dominated by the big end of town.

It's been more than a year now since this was first brought up - by now we could have had an independent group consult with ALL levels of the sport and come up with an REAL independent vision for the sport.

However I think niether News or the NRL Clubs could have relinquished their agendas enough to allow this to happen.

And thats the most disappionting thing of all, once again the very people who created this sport the Rugby League Community have no say.

It is a complete abuse of power IMHO.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Well said Steve

 

[Rockin Ronny]

If 5 years down the track Someone like Micheal Searle say, replaced John Rebot on the QLD board would you then argue that the QLDRL should have a bigger say in the Commission?

I don't we should have Searle involved until the full story of the development of the Centre of Excellence and the Titans' finances are confirmed.

Rugby league has a sordid history of individuals and clubs using the games to further their own ambitions and line their pockets. Why take this risk?

Searle has come ut of nowhere and is suddenly the future of rugby league!

Independence - my arse!

 

[Perth Red]

Still can't see why it is so hard?

NRL IC is responsible for the overall running of the game, SOO, test football, NRL and Toyota Cup. They fund each State rep body on a % of players basis from a central pool of money. Responsible for contract neogtiations, expansion, represented on RLIF etc

State bodies run the amateur and jnr games in their state; QRL, NSWRL. WARL, VRL SARL & NTRL. They receive funding from NRL and get support through the centralised body for development, publicity, nationwide programmes such as TagRL etc

The QRL and NSWRL have to give up this outdated notion that they are in charge of the game nationally/internationally and accept that they are much better off focussing their energies and resources on developing the game at the amateur and jnr level in their own States.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Because the RLs have to ensure there is a structure and processes in place that allows them have the resources to do their job. A plan that has at no time included the RLs is hardly giving them the assurances they need. Not to mention all the other issues relating to the takeover of the elite level of the game by clubs with their own ageands, of which there are many.

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

Because the RLs have to ensure there is a structure and processes in place that allows them have the resources to do their job. A plan that has at no time included the RLs is hardly giving them the assurances they need. Not to mention all the other issues relating to the takeover of the elite level of the game by clubs with their own ageands, of which there are many.

You're simply regurgitating the QRL line & obviously advocate theur stance. Thats fair enough. Its your perogative.

The point is that the IC does not need the current RL's if their is a consensus amongst the clubs. The Broncos, Titans and Cowboys would be generating the coin for the game that would be funnelled to grass roots in QLD. Whether its through an existing body or a new one is irrelevant.

The QRL's time has come. Either get on the train or get off the tracks.

 

[Parra]

The QRL are the only body being open and above board and the only body who have shown any concern for the community level of the game at all.

The clubs need artificial spending caps to save them from themselves - yet many still find a way to go broke. The Titans are begging sponsors and the NRL for cash to meet the payroll.

Yet some people believe these same organisations should be given more power and more control. The natural conclusion is sending the game itself broke.

The News Ltd conditions are also a major hurdle - and again the QRL is the only body that wants to protect the long term interests of the game. News Ltd should not be given :

*First and last TV rights
*Any rights to appoint anyone to a controlling body
*Any money to prop up the financially and morally bankrupt Storm

Yet the NSWRL and the clubs will give them all this and more for a small financial gain and some seats on the board of a company that is so far referred to as an 'Indpendent Commission'.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

You're simply regurgitating the QRL line & obviously advocate theur stance. Thats fair enough. Its your perogative.

The point is that the IC does not need the current RL's if their is a consensus amongst the clubs. The Broncos, Titans and Cowboys would be generating the coin for the game that would be funnelled to grass roots in QLD. Whether its through an existing body or a new one is irrelevant.

The QRL's time has come. Either get on the train or get off the tracks.

Hang on, isn't the big argument of the blind supporters of this proposal that the QRL et al will have veto power and therefore the clubs won't have all the power. Now you're suggesting the IC will remove them altogether because "the clubs will agree". Which is naive at best. The Broncos wouldn't even agree that the Titans should exist never mind agree with them on anything else.

 

[Noa]

Anyone who thinks that any form of new commission would forsake grass-roots football has rocks in there head.

 

[Perth Red]

Anyone who thinks that any form of new commission would forsake grass-roots football has rocks in there head.

exactly! The NRL could not exist without the work of the state bodies, even the clubs aren't that stupid! Having said that if A) you took the clubs out of voting for the commisioners and had a truly independent commision and B) ringfenced a % of overall RL income to be directed to the State bodies it would eliminate any nagging concerns about grassroots, impartiality etc.

Again not hard to do and would ease the transfer, wonder what's taking so long?

 

[gallagher]

See ya later reebs

 

[Doug2234]

Will this really take off by next year.... I dug this article up as i remembered it and it seems a Independent league has been in the works since 2005!! How can we be certain its going to take off this time???

Clubs call for revamp of league

By Steve Mascord
July 20, 2005


NRL club chief executives will today hear revolutionary proposals to shut down the NSW and Queensland rugby leagues, introduce an external draft and ban club officials from sitting on the competition's boards.
What shaped as a routine meeting in Sydney of the 15 CEOs has suddenly taken on great significance, with Parramatta's Denis Fitzgerald and South Sydney's Shane Richardson set to raise some of the game's hottest issues.
It is understood Fitzgerald has prepared a seven-point discussion paper, although he declined to comment last night on its contents.
However, it is widely expected he will pursue his publicly stated position that the likes of Sydney Roosters' Nick Politis and Cronulla's Barry Pierce should be barred from sitting on NRL committees.
The Herald yesterday surveyed the Eels' rival clubs on the issue, finding four who said there was nothing wrong with the current arrangements, three who saw merit in changing the rules and four who reserved judgement.
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Richardson will support the motion and added: "There's not one fan out there, whether he is in Mt Druitt, Kilcoy or Queanbeyan who disagrees that there should be one governing body for the game.
"So why isn't anyone willing to do anything about it? Other sports have one governing body, we've got 43. I think it's important to get a united statement from the clubs on how they feel."
One proposal has the Australian, country and state leagues being shut down and the entire game in this country being run from NRL headquarters.
"It could be called the National Rugby League, the Australian Rugby League - how about the Australian National Rugby League?" Richardson said.
An external draft, which basketballer Andrew Bogut was recently the beneficiary of in the United States' NBA, would mean the bottom club getting first choice of players coming into the league.
"Junior carnivals at the moment are nothing but a meat market and it is a disgrace," Richardson said.
"You've got managers chasing players through dressing rooms and toilets and 14-year-olds employing agents.
"Parents go from drinking Great Western to Dom Perignon overnight. An external draft would stop all that."
Fitzgerald was quoted in December 2003 as saying: "I don't believe any active club officials who hold positions with NRL clubs should be on either the partnership committee or the board of the NRL."
Politis is part of the partnership committee while Pierce and St George Illawarra director Bob Millward are on the NRL board.
The Herald last night asked CEOs: "Should club officials be allowed to sit on the NRL board and partnership committee?"
The Bulldogs' Malcolm Noad, Canberra's Simon Hawkins, Melbourne's Brian Waldron and Penrith's Mick Leary said they would like to hear debate on the issue before commenting.
Wests Tigers' Steve Noyce, North Queensland's Denis Keeffe, Cronulla's Steve Rogers and Sydney Roosters' Brian Canavan defended the rights of NRL directors with club ties.
Brisbane's Bruno Cullen said the Broncos were told they could not employ former captain Gorden Tallis this year because he was an NRL director. "I agree with Fitzy," he said.
Manly executive director Paul Cummings commented: "When people from clubs get involved it gives other clubs the view that they don't really have a voice."
Other items on the agenda at the chief executives' meeting include: next year's pre-season, development fees, the new television agreement, government funding and the end-of-season Tonga-Samoa game featuring NRL players.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/clubs-call-for-revamp-of-league/2005/07/19/1121538973600.html

 

[Matt23]

See ya later reebs

...and hopefully he stays gone

 

[Brutus]

The QRL are the only body being open and above board and the only body who have shown any concern for the community level of the game at all.

The clubs need artificial spending caps to save them from themselves - yet many still find a way to go broke. The Titans are begging sponsors and the NRL for cash to meet the payroll.

Yet some people believe these same organisations should be given more power and more control. The natural conclusion is sending the game itself broke.

The News Ltd conditions are also a major hurdle - and again the QRL is the only body that wants to protect the long term interests of the game. News Ltd should not be given :

*First and last TV rights
*Any rights to appoint anyone to a controlling body
*Any money to prop up the financially and morally bankrupt Storm

Yet the NSWRL and the clubs will give them all this and more for a small financial gain and some seats on the board of a company that is so far referred to as an 'Indpendent Commission'.

That is precisely the situation and good enough reasons why the QRL should continue to dig their heels in. God help us if the clubs run the game. We have to get this right and giving News LTD what they want is not a good outcome for RL.

The more I read and hear about this, the more the currently proposed structure of this IC has to be compromised.

Does anyone here really think News LTD should be granted their demands in full?

 

[Noa]

I dont trust NEWS and its underling Gallop at all, but I have to trust the ARL and the clubs will ensure NEWS dont play them for fools.

 

[Parra]

I dont trust NEWS and its underling Gallop at all, but I have to trust the ARL and the clubs will ensure NEWS dont play them for fools.

We've been down that path before.