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Wow.
I think the Force have a good team of forwards who are playing well anyway. I feel for guys like Hardwick and Ross H-P, who may want to come back to Perth for family reasons. Our current loosies Stander, Ferris, Alcock, Stowers and young gun Tizzano will serve us.
Last edited by travelling_gerry; 18-06-19 at 18:27. Reason: Quote
Hardwick didn't do himself any favours going the biff against the Force in the exhibition match. I think he'd get a similar reception to that of Adam Coleman.
After 2 years at the Rebels, their spirit's probably irretrievably broken anyway. Japan time imho
C'mon the![]()
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There seems to be a sudden flood of Rebs players leaving, is this just because of their season end or is there something in the wind? All very coincidental considering the rumours around the past week. Also read somewhere that Quade had been chucking a tant or two last week-back to his old tricks I guess.
'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
Without yet another RA injection of filthy lucre, the corpse could well be pronounced dead before next season. No games, no sponsor, no locals coming through, declining membership becoming critical next year due to missing the finals after the RA leg up, all the star players leaving and general apathy for Rugby in the sporting capital of the world, combined with lots of outgoings and player wages plus back ended payouts (Genia?). Cash flow problems, it's flooding out with none coming in and no prospects of more.
They are farnarkled
The long sobs of autumn's violins wound my heart with a monotonous languor
--here's where all RA and Rebels money has gone ==or possibly not
from the "Oz" tonight
==
Entrepreneur targets ‘flashpackers’
Andrew Cox at Freedom Hostels Cairns. [smug photo failed to copy]
LISA ALLEN
SENIOR WRITER
12:00AM JUNE 22, 2019
Cashed-up New Zealand entrepreneur Andrew Cox is defying the rhetoric, declaring the backpacker market the most lucrative earner of all accommodation sectors and embarking on an acquisition spree in Queensland after selling his 10-strong TGI Fridays restaurant chain.
In launching the Freedom Hostels chain, the Christchurch-born Mr Cox said backpackers were the biggest-spending inbound tourists and he was targeting the “flashpacker” holiday-maker from Europe and North America who wanted to visit the same out-of-the-way destinations as a *backpacker but with a lot more comfort.
“These flashpackers have stayed in the Ritz Carlton in Paris and the Hong Kong InterContinental,” Mr Cox told The Weekend Australian. “Now they are craving experiences. At the end of the day they want a comfy bed, a nice private bathroom and a pinot.”
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Where once backpacker operators targeted the 18 to 30-year-old market, Mr Cox is stretching the age group further and is homing in on the 18 to 55-year-olds.
“The markets of backpackers and flashpackers are very complimentary; they are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “The Euro*pean market demands much higher-quality accommodation; the whole notion of staying in doss houses is not attractive.”
Mr Cox conceded that the number of backpacker arrivals to Australia fell by 4 per cent to 610,000 in the 12 months to March. “Nights were also weak for this visitor type, down 8 per cent to 40 million, while spend fell 6 per cent to $4.1 billion,” he said, quoting figures out this week from the federal government-funded Tourism Research Australia.
The bottom line is backpackers travel when times are good, “and they travel when times are bad. They will always be seasonal travellers, and long-term projections for this market are very strong.”
Freedom Hostels has opened a 280-bed flashpacker *resort in Rainbow Beach, north of Noosa, to serve the lucrative Fraser Island market. Mr Cox plans to *invest about $1.5 million upgrading the resort, which has two bars and two swimming pools, into more glamorous accommodation. Nights start from $28.
Mr Cox’s Imper*ium Group will next week open Freedom Cairns, a flashpacker *experience in the heart of that city. “We aim to use the new Freedom Hostels brand to expand our offering by providing high-quality accommodation at a competitive price to an expanded range of travellers,” he said. “The launch of Freedom Hostels follows several acquisitions by Imperium Tourism Holdings as it builds out its portfolio of adventure, travel, tourism and technology businesses. These include the recent acquisition of the *Discovery Group in Noosa and Byron Bay Tours.”
Mr Cox’s travel groups, which include Peter Pan’s Adventure Travel and Backpackers World Travel concentrating on inbound from Europe and North America, will feed into his network of backpacker hostels.
“In Australia, we are looking at strategic locations focused at youth markets and flashpackers because the market has good, strong growth fundamentals.
“We would like to add a number more to our portfolio — the amount is yet to be defined.”
Mr Cox said he would avoid Melbourne and Sydney for the flashpacker resorts in favour of strategic regional locations.
But in his home country, Mr Cox is targeting the luxe traveller market.
In New Zealand’s Queenstown, Mr Cox’s Imperium runs *Eichardt’s Private Hotel, which offers a penthouse for $NZ13,000 ($12,350) a night, and the Spire Hotel, which has 10 rooms charging $NZ1200 a night.
He also manages The Elms on New Zealand’s Lake Hayes, which includes villas and luxury houses.
Proudly brought to you by Rugby Australia
Not all too happy in Rebel land-an emergency meeting re financials (or lack thereof). Wondering where all the money from Vic Govt has go e.
'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