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Fulvio
I do respect and appreciate your comments. Constructive dialogue and questions on procedure and action by us must be forthcoming, we are human and will continue to make mistakes and being responsible for them and improving outcomes is really the end goal.
Let me try and answer your questions.
1. The Force was and never has been for Sale. We did not seek out any buyers. In fact during this time we were focussed on community ownership through Own The Force. This proposal came to us unsolicited. We never even met these people.
I go back to my earlier comments - Are you suggesting all unsolicited proposals should go to all stakeholders?
Please by all means counsel me and advise me how to communicate to all constituents.
If stakeholders do not subscribe to nor read the major print media as well the respective print media's online electronic news, how do we economically appraise them of ridiculous, unsolicited proposals. It was never put on RugbyWA's media as once again, we had a bunch of guys come and tell us they could save us, make our team rich on the proviso our govt come to the party and in return they want our team. I do believe it did go on TWF - I don't have time to research the threads, but if my failing memory serves me correctly it is here somewhere.
Pardon my ignorance but I don't understand the terms Straw Man or Unicorn.
Believe me, to this day every single one of us reflect on what transpired and "how the F&%K we got duped". How did 3 eminent Q.C.'s also get it so wrong? So, Fulvio, you all have the right to question our competency, we still do that to this day.
You are right and allow me to re-inforce the point above - criticism is welcome - my offer to you and to everyone within our community is that should the responses to the criticism be unsatisfactory, or the criticism has a common thread and you are personally and continually embarrassed and annoyed at us, then you should fix it.
I shall always answer questions and accept criticism on decisions and actions we undertake, I play the ball. If and when we or any person working at RugbyWA gets personally or as a group attacked ( ie playing the man) then you or anyone can expect an offer to come and fix it.
To save everyone having to click it was
The “big four” behind the campaign can today be revealed by the Daily Telegraph, and include former ARU chief executive Gary Flowers and the Force’s inaugural chief Peter O’Meara.
Alongside them are highly successful businessmen Jon Collins, himself a former ARU and Waratahs director, and ground signage guru Raymond Burke, who has pledged to pump $50 million into the Force over the next 10 years if he can strike a deal with the West Australian government.
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Here it is as I got behind Rupert's paywall
Quartet of powerbrokers trying to rescue Western Force from Super Rugby cull
JAMIE PANDARAM, The Daily Telegraph
April 17, 2017 7:40pm
A GROUP of heavyweight rugby identities and millionaire businessmen are plotting to save the Western Force from Super Rugby oblivion.
The “big four” behind the campaign can today be revealed by the Daily Telegraph, and include former ARU chief executive Gary Flowers and the Force’s inaugural chief Peter O’Meara.
Alongside them are highly successful businessmen Jon Collins, himself a former ARU and Waratahs director, and ground signage guru Raymond Burke, who has pledged to pump $50 million into the Force over the next 10 years if he can strike a deal with the West Australian government.
Flowers, O’Meara and Collins have all purchased shares in the Own The Force campaign, which insiders say has pledges of $8 million.
Former ARU boss Gary Flowers is one of quarter of rugby powerbrokers seeking to save the Western Force from being culled from Super Rugby.
“This idea of community ownership is worth exploring, and Perth is a unique market compared to Queensland and NSW because of the connection to the community,” O’Meara said.
SUPER RUGBY CULL: Rebels call for quick resolution
“We’ve all been involved in rugby for a long time and we are right behind this - are we all silly?”
Burke, who co-owns New Zealand’s Highlanders franchise, had a proposal to take over the ground signage and ticketing at Force’s home ground nib Stadium rejected by the previous WA government, but it has been resubmitted.
Defcon_MainEvent_fullonfooty2-k1eG-MajorEventPromotion650x366-650x366.jpg
“We are not asking for any money from the government, we’re just asking for assets that we will turn around and invest into the Western Force, and I guarantee that if they give us the support the Force will win a premiership in five years like the Highlanders did,” Burke said.
While that proposal is being reviewed by the government in Perth, the Force still has significant financial support flowing through.
Collins, who sold his Sykes Group business in 2010 for $55 million, has not ruled out a private ownership bid of the club depending on the outcome of the legal writ the franchise has taken out against the ARU.
The Western Force’s inaugural CEO Peter O’Meara.
“The Own The Force campaign is a great initiative, I will be investing in it, and then I will be talking further to Peter [O’Meara] about what we can do once the legal action put in place has been resolved,” Collins said.
“I was an ARU director from 2002-04 and we looked in detail at the two proposals from Perth and Victoria when we were introducing a new team, it was a resounding ‘yes’ for Perth to get the next Super Rugby side.
“While they haven’t had success in winning the competition, there has been great success in junior development and grassroots enthusiasm.
“Western Australian fans will feel as though they’ve been led down the garden path with what’s happened at the ARU over the past four months.”
The ARU announced last Monday that either the Force or Melbourne Rebels will axed from the tournament.
Flowers, who was running Australian rugby when the Force were introduced to Super Rugby in 2005, said it was imperative to see them remain in a rejigged 15-team tournament from next year.
“Rugby can legitimately become the No.2 code in Western Australia [behind AFL], in Melbourne AFL is clearly No.1, then there is massive support for football, and then you’ve got the Storm who are very entrenched in the city,” Flowers said.
“It is a tough job that the ARU have, one of the things I’m not sure has been done is an assessment of the impact of cutting a team.
“It’s very well to say there’s a risk in keeping the same format, but what about the damage of losing a team.”
Crowds across the SANZAAR board have been down since it was announced that three teams, including two from South Africa, would soon be axed.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon
On which universe. The one without the kiwis.
Jeremy Paul is on Bill and Boz if you want to Tweet or text him some questions about the RA or else.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Pfftt.. The Corruption and Crime Commission will just explain it away if my experience was anything to go by.
I had motorcycle cop become abusive two years ago. It was still annoying me a few days later so I made a formal complaint to the police asking if they'd look at his head cam footage and tell me if they thought his conduct was acceptable. The footage was lost evidently. No worries I have two witnesses to his behaviour in the car. Nope, case closed, take it too the CCC if you're not happy.
The CCC said loosing evidence was just an administrative problem within the police force..
Yeah right...
cheers auss...
fabricarti diem punc
Hansie don't send a crew to Melbourne for a Super Rugby game as it will cost the grassroots money to put you up. The Rebels can't afford it themselves.
As for playing the Rebels send them to Kalgoorlie or the Pilbara.
'I may be a Senator but I am not stupid'
https://omny.fm/shows/the-alan-jones-breakfast-show/cameron-clyne
Link to Senate Report http://www.aph.gov.au/senate_ca
https://www.change.org/p/rugby-australia-petition-for-cameron-clyne-to-resign-as-chairman-of-the-rugby-australia-board
Doubt it will happen.
However, it's not the Rebels we have a issue with. The playing and coaching group are our people, will always be our people. their heart is west, they are plying their trade and we should give them as much support as possible. Some in the management of the Rebels are suspected of colluding with RA and it would be those people we have an issue with.
With all due respect to Hansie, I think there are probably a lot of people on here that have issues with the Rebels as well as RA.
After all it takes two to tango and there was a noticeable lack of urgency by the Rebels to get on the front foot and make any public efforts to actively save their team during the Super Rugby team cull. This highlights what we all suspect, that the Rebels organisation knew it was safe and never on the chopping board. Regardless of how many former Force players are in the team, a dislike and distrust of the Rebels as an organisation has been established.
The Daily Telegraph article indicating a 'Rebels Force Alliance' and the possibility of the Rebels playing an exhibition match against a make shift Force team is just a slap in the face to us. Its just like opening up an old wound. Its also awkward that apparently Rugby WA officials and sponsors are/have been invited to be at the Rebels opening game on Friday.