What would you do about it Ram?
Well for starters, I would make sure that there is NO guaranteed salary cap money for any NRL club without meeting strict KPI's. One of those non negotiable KPI's would be junior development. Clubs like the Roosters would no longer get a free ride. Membership would also dictate salary cap grants. Schools engagement and participation, money and ALL player involvement would also be a major factor.
There would be many KPI's, but the growth of the game is paramount. Not just money waved around by a rich club and bugger the game.
If a club is failing in its KPI's then it gets docked a portion of the SCG and that portion plus 30% more of their grant is then spent for them in the area where they are failing. If for example a club like the Roosters is not meeting its OBLIGATION to the game in helping grow it, then the ARLC needs to do it for them. No ifs or buts. If that area is ultimately seen as unsalvageable, then relocation is then an option.
But I grew up in the eastern suburbs and know that it is very salvageable and just needs the ARLC and Politis to get involved in a serious way. They need to spend money in the schools, engage with the principles and sports departments and give them cash. That is what the AFL have been doing for years, without any competition and it has allowed them to take over that whole area. And now they are doing it in the west.
Another option could also be that the ARLC takes over all junior development as a whole and does it themselves. But that would also be reflected in the SCG that is then withheld by the league to the clubs.
But again it needs leadership that truly cares and is willing to crack heads and spend major amounts of money in the right areas. Manly is another area that is hugely under performing in junior development. They too need to spend millions in that area per annum. They haven't engaged with the public since the Bears died and have left AFL to slowly take over as well. As for Yawnion in these areas, I don't see them as a major threat at all anymore and if the ARLC knew what they were doing would quickly make most of those schools league schools. All they want is cash to jump. Schools are desperate for the folding stuff. If the ARLC was seen as a competent and powerful rich partner, many schools would come across.
I get that most of the nay sayers on this sight will criticize and attack these suggestions as stupid, simplistic or ridiculous and unworkable, but they would be wrong.
You just need the right person/people in the right jobs at the top. People like Arthurson and Quayle were the right people, who had the game going in the right direction with leadership that the game had never seen before or since. Business and strength that commanded respect and obedience from all the stake holders until one of those stakeholders realized it's monopoly was under threat and the game went backwards 50 years after the civil war.
Sure there will be many loud moans and groans from the clubs when they don't like certain decisions that the head body forces them to comply with, but that is why the ARLC need very astute and strong leaders.
Expansion is another area that needs urgent and immediate attention from the head body. WA, Bris 2, are the first to come in within 3 years from now. The Warriors are another urgent sick club that is not working for the game and needs addressing because their continued failure is holding back the game from expanding further in that area.
The media need to be brought/bought on and seduced by the game, not be its adversary at every turn. Do what the AFL do in regards to this. MAKE THEM LOVE YOU NOT HATE YOU. There are many intensives and contra that the AFL give to the media that the NRL don't, that we should copy. MAKE THEM LOVE YOU!
Also make all the players and coaches available to the media in a massive way. Look at American sports to model this on. We can do this sooooo much better and the media will grow a massive fat for this and help in making them LOVE US, NOT HATE US.
Melbourne should get special attention from the ARLC. No non islander or Maori juniors(3 of them all up) to come out of their junior nursery after 25 years and millions of dollars is to say the least is pathetic. Serious targeting and development plans need to go into this area . Also we need to get Mel journalists on our side and get them to do puff pieces on League, just like the AFL do here. Junior numbers and teams need to grow significantly. I don't know what those numbers currently are, does anyone? But they need to grow I would suggest at least 3 fold over the next 5-6 years. Then another 10 fold from that over the next generation or so.
Notice I haven't stated anything about the referees or the game itself. Yes it needs a good strong hand there too, but I don't want to get bogged down with that in this discussion. It's the big picture stuff that we are way behind in and why we are losing valuable ground to other sports. The game will not survive at its present neck and neck position with the AFL(not in game attendances, membership or club revenue, we are way behind) if these are left unaddressed for the next few years...like it probably is to late already anyway because non of this stuff is ever going to happen.
They, the powers that be, will not put the right team in place to run the game, and all this stuff needed to be addressed yesterday, not in 5 or 10 years time when they have lost around a third of the juniors and viewers from what we have now. They will be reactive as always, but it will be too late. The kids will have moved on and not really care, we the older ones will be dying and or be not relevant. League is/will be seen as a regressive uncool sport that had/has its moments but doesn't provide an all encompassing family, big day atmosphere experience like the AFL does. Especially when the big cities get to play against each other in 50000+ regular season games. League will be playing host to 5-6000 crowds with the occasional 10-11000 crowd for a semi.
You don't think this is possible? Keep living in your leaguie little bubbles. The die has been cast and the young are speaking. Times are a changing while the ARLC and the Clubs are still fighting over control of the pie till there is nothing left. I fear for our game more now then I have ever in my lifetime. The clubs and players are way to selfish and the ARLC to incompetent and selfish. A great mix for AFL to drive the nail in the coffin. All they are waiting for is for the NRL to lay down in that coffin willingly and the lid will go on quicker then everybody thinks.
