Arbitration hearing - Western Force v ARU - 31.07.2017

[Jules]

All the Force want to do is play rugby!! Come on this is such BS.. how many kids dreams have been crushed today!!

[eleypinkbit]

We've got to get the audio on Canno's phone interview on Fox. Faaark, he absolutely handed it to the ARU!! Bloody Champion!

It's on the foxsport website, just listened to it via a Facebook link, Canno didn't hold back

[Hansie]

What a terrible day.

I need to let you all know whilst we gave this our very best shot, we feel we've let you down. There is no way to sugar coat this, we have lost this round and it hurts, by geez it hurts a lot.

I was at HQ this morning and the mood was sombre as we planned for the unthinkable at that time. Huge admiration for Mark and his staff. They, like the players have stuck together through this past 9 months, operating under the direction and funding of the ARU. Just think for a moment of having your boss who wants to fire you, analysing and watching every move?

The players, young men and their partners in the prime of their lives, with mortgages and young families and dreams to play for the Wallabies, with an uncertain future hanging over their heads.

We will fight on, we now have to firm up the strategies we planned but had not hoped for. We shall continue down the legal path, we shall also look at engaging with "hopefully" a new executive on a more positive note. With Andrew committed to us we shall brain storm some ideas that may be out of left field for now, but we shall move forward.

In Rugby parlance we were on the wrong side of that 50/50 call and we've given away a try. We're down 7-0 but as far as we are concerned it's not yet quarter time.

[Alison]

Hansie, you have NOT let us down. Far from it. You had to play against a downright despicable and conniving opposition who had loaded the dice. They are con artists. Cowardly puppets of those who cannot bear to see the game thrive outside of NSW.
The time has come for us all to take off the gentlemanly gloves and start to fight fire with fire. We need to really come together as the strong and proud community that we are and tell Clyne and his cronies that they don't know how sorry they will be to have poked this bear. Hell hath no fury like a bunch of sandgropers scorned!!!!!

[valzc]

What a terrible day.

I need to let you all know whilst we gave this our very best shot, we feel we've let you down. There is no way to sugar coat this, we have lost this round and it hurts, by geez it hurts a lot.

I was at HQ this morning and the mood was sombre as we planned for the unthinkable at that time. Huge admiration for Mark and his staff. They, like the players have stuck together through this past 9 months, operating under the direction and funding of the ARU. Just think for a moment of having your boss who wants to fire you, analysing and watching every move?

The players, young men and their partners in the prime of their lives, with mortgages and young families and dreams to play for the Wallabies, with an uncertain future hanging over their heads.

We will fight on, we now have to firm up the strategies we planned but had not hoped for. We shall continue down the legal path, we shall also look at engaging with "hopefully" a new executive on a more positive note. With Andrew committed to us we shall brain storm some ideas that may be out of left field for now, but we shall move forward.

In Rugby parlance we were on the wrong side of that 50/50 call and we've given away a try. We're down 7-0 but as far as we are concerned it's not yet quarter time.

Hansie you know & would also wish you to relate to Mark, & ALL staff, players & legal, that we are all backing you, and let us know whatever we can do to help beat the a-holes (at least there's 1 less now?) Do you know if there are grounds for an inquiry to the ARU's actions, & everything they have show so far is beyond questionable!

[Darkness]

The biggest betrayal since Judas.

I hate Pulver and Clyne. I want them to get cancer and die the most horrifically painful death (not too quick so we can stick it up them whilst they are in the throes of death).

Then I hope they bury them (cremation would be such a waste) so we can piss on their graves every time we visit Sydney.

If I was within 100m of them today I definitely would have committed murder.

I will never give them another cent. Foxtel will be cancelled this weekend.

We need to do what we can to hurt the aru; no self respecting west australian should attend the 9 sept test. Make them lose a motsa.

Goodbye and good riddance aru. Rot in hell.

Those fuckers have the hide to think we will play ball and continue to participate in the nrc and school champs etc; piss off. We should secede and do our own thing.

[brokendown gunfighter]

Hansie,
I think the damage has already been done-after this,regardless of a supreme court decision one way or the other,things will never be the same for rugby-the horse has bolted

[terrycobner]

Hansie you gave it your best. All rugby loving people are gutted. But you've got to feel for all the players their families and the staff.

[chrisk]

I'm afraid I'm just an armchair spectator on these proceedings, but I'm also an inaugural member and love bringing the family to the games. I'd just like to say a huge thank you to Hansie, RWA, all the players (especially Dane Haylett-Petty who seems to have really taken a leadership role while this has been going on), Alison (for all your hard work getting those figures out), and TWF.
Here's hoping things come out better, but either way a huge thank you to everyone.

[DazloT]

Thankyou Hansie and everyone at RugbyWA for your efforts and continuing the fight.

To the players I and no one I know would begrudge you making a decision now and moving on. Thankyou for your service and support its been a privilege watching you.

But I'm still hopeful. If we win and can play again but have no players, we can still field 23 of the best WA club players and make a statement. We may get our bums handed to us but we will take a few down at the same time. And we will be putting a giant middle finger upto the gutless wonders from the east. I'll be there in blue no matter what.

[grasshopper]

As Paul Kelly said
They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn. And in the hour of greatest slaughter the great avenger is being born.

[travelling_gerry]

I am starting to smell dead rodent. Why would the Rebels announce Tet and Genia a day before the official announcement?

[grasshopper]

With a man like Andrew Forrest behind them, rugby in WA will survive and flourish.

[grasshopper]

BTW, I wonder in Julian Assange is a rugby fan?

[Macattack]

We have taken a very big blow, however, from the little I know of this I believe RugbyWA has acted with integrity and in the best interests of its stakeholders. Conversely the ARU acted duplicitously and in the interests of their traditional power base, rather than in the interests of the national code they were charged with protecting and growing. They have been conniving, manipulative, untruthful, untrustworthy and incompetent and we have borne the cost of that.

I hold no bad feelings for RugbyWA Hans, however, despite nearly 40 years of involvement in rugby in Australia I now despise its governing body. The ARU have managed to disenfranchise an enormous number of rugby followers in Australia and become a laughing stock for rugby bodies across the globe - they are a disgrace and have irrevocably damaged the code in Australia. They should never be forgiven.