Firepower Explained on ABC's Four Corners Tonight?

[fulvio sammut]

FP, I've been careful in my choice of words in this thread, and probably with good reason.I don't know the veracity of, or necessarily believe the many rumours and speculations that have been circulating. I only know what I have seen, deduced, or must accept from logical analysis.

I don't think it will come as any surprise to RugbyWA that I have disagreed with many of their decisions over the years, and in particular their handling of affairs since the inception of the Force.

I have known many of the Board "old guard" for many years and have great respect for most. I believe whatever decisions they have made in the furtherance of the success of the Force have been made from the purest of motives, and conflicts of interest, if they have occurred, have been insignificant, inconsequential and unintended.

My main gripe with RugbyWA has been, and remains, their emasculation of club rugby and their subjugation of it to the over-riding interests of the Force, and, in my opinion, its relegation to the status of a minor irritation, to be endured until it disappears under the unrelenting attrition of neglect.

But be that as it may, I believe that in their zeal to be as successful as they possibly can with the Force, they have made a grave error of judgment in getting into bed with a snake oil salesman, and then playing the ostrich when the truth became known, or should have become known, to them.

Even a cursory examination of the public information available should have rung warning bells, but sadly didn't, and any admissions have been dragged out of the board grudgingly, and only in the face of irrefutable evidence and public scrutiny.

I'm a great believer in 'fessing up, acknowledging responsibility when it is owned, and moving on. It is invariably the easiest route. I agree we have seen very little of that, and what little there has been has fallen on the shoulders of Mr. Stooke, a man of rectitude and honour, who has had to wear it for the faceless professionals
who lead the charge to the precipice by failing to heed the warnings, and advise of the potential consequences.

I hope the lesson has been learnt, and that the days of believing that the loudest, most strident voices are the only ones to be listened to, are over.