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Fulvio, whilst I agree with your sentiments, may I just point out a couple of anomalies.
The admin guys I have had the pleasure of meeting at both RugbyWA and ARU are bloody hard workers and doing a fair bit over longer hours than your average HSU official from Dobell.
Once our beautiful code became professional - we started replacing the love of the game with win at all costs. Too much funding went myopically on prima donna players, clubs and new franchises. With a registered plaing base a poofteenth of South Africa and the U.K. 3 other footy codes to compete with in Winter and prematurely winning the world cup in 1991, we simply overstepped the mark - right down to club level including Pally.... I put it to you that many in your club saw a pathway for talented players to the Force and beyond... quite rightly so...the majority got on board, Firepower came along, Bledisloe cup winning coach came along, TV money came in and so on.... BUT we stopped winning!
No one told the players, including the expensive, Turqiri's and Sailors that you must still love the game, play your heart out with mud in your face and blood on your knees. Sadly now the past is catching up and to get our feet back on the ground and re-assess everything, we have to pay the bills.
Rest assured your union fought hard with the ARU over this team payment, but to cover the costs of even managing the game at our amateur level is expensive. We cannot get qualified refs for free, or touch judges. Adminstrators who create competition schedules, keep points, manage the judiciary, manage player registration, all cost money.
So what happens if the clubs just say no what could the ARU do they are not the tax man ?
Wests Scarborough 1st Grade juggernaut has played finals rugby each and every year since its inception and continues this remarkable feat yet again this season and unbelievably it's still rolling on and as an added little circle jerk for the masses Wests actually hold the record for the current longest unbroken finals record.
Yup, RugbyWA could tell ARU GGF.
Then how do we fund our Community Rugby? who pays for Hilly, Shakey, Coops, Tobes and all that they do?
Which club or who will now arrange games, keep comp tables, run SMART rugby clinics, select State squads and teams, allocate refs, co-ordinate insurance, man the judiciary all for nothing???
Was recently informed that 12 of the ARU admin/"non essential staff" were recently let go in a house cleaning exercise. At least they are trying to reduce costs...
Sure it's not just a re distribution of Executive Salaries?
80 Minutes, 15 Positions, No Protection, Wanna Ruck?
Ruck Me, Maul Me, Make Me Scrum!
Education is Important, but Rugby is Importanter!
Keep doing it for love then, just like every other mediocre player, official and volunteer has for a hundred years.
God forbid referees seek to be paid for their services; people might expect a standard from them a little higher than abysmal.