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Some of the past comments from players and others around the rugby program and culture he has setup at the Force suggest that at an organisational, management level he was a good manager. Also believe he has completed his Masters in Sports Management or something like that while he was at the Force.
Good question chibster, and a lesson to all. Supposedly Foley came with the intention of forging a director position. He was convinced to take the head coach role, and in the next season there would be a new coach, and he would move upstairs. Somewhere along the line he failed to realise he was being duped, or the commercial realities made the position of director unfeasable. Either way, it was up to him as a professional to pull the pin, or accept the realities. Assuming he accepted the situation, he now lives with the outcome.
For ten years I've been going to the Force matches knowing, in the back of my mind, that the chances of finals are a fantasy! ( some fantasy's do come true but it's stupendous odds).
If the this story about Hodgo not being resigned and other out of contract players being replaced with eastern staters I'm gone! Not that my two season tickets will make any difference but I'd be surprised if I was the only one.
It's starting to sound to me as though that is what the ARU want and then they can remove the Force to Sydney or where ever they want on the east coast.
Looks like I'm back to supporting the Sharks!
May the FORCE be with you!
No, actually I think he fell in love with the place and what they were trying to do with no money. I think he didn't want to stick another knife in by leaving. I was concerned to hear sinderberry comment that the ARU wasn't behind the decision to do it now. It makes anything I said about lying in my previous pretty hard to believe. Therefore it appears that the only reason the force were retaining him was money, since once the money arrived he was gone. I wonder whether the review would have kept him till the end of his contract for the same reason. All the time spruiker about their support for him. It kinda makes me feel bad for the man. Apparently a good manager/organiser, apparently aware of his failings as a coach, apparently a really nice bloke, pushed into a job he didn't want and wasn't good at for 4 years and then sacked for poor performance. It might be the reality, but it doesn't sound good when you think about it that way.
Last edited by travelling_gerry; 18-06-16 at 08:30. Reason: quote marks
C'mon the
Sinderberry hasn't been that great either has he?
He is the one who should be providing the resources for foley to do his job.
So he ran to the Aru to bail himself out to keep a job and flicked foley
My faith in RugbyWA has taken a massive hit over the way Foley has been treated and, worse still, how Hodgo now appears to be being treated.
If anyone from RugbyWA is reading this (Hansie?) please be under no illusion as to exactly how much support you will lose if you kick Hodgo out in the same manner as you have kicked Foley out. The cynic in me wonders if this is all part of a bigger plan - clean out the coaching staff, senior players, office staff and long-in-the-tooth fans to create a whole new franchise ready for 2020.
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
Let's hope Hodgo's comments re looking elsewhere for rugby were strategic to get his contract negotiations sorted out sooner. It's just utterly inconceivable that the life blood of the Force would be shown the door. It'd be like the Tahs ditching Izzy, Crusaders ditching Richie (before he retired)
The one thing Michael Foley did that John Mitchell and Richard Graham were unable to do was create a Western Force culture.
The performance of the 2014 team that made the pain of the previous 8 years go a way.
For that I am thankful.
Exile
Sydney
"Pain heels. Chicks dig scars and Glory lasts forever." Shane Falco
A repeat of my post on another thread as it is relevant here as well:
I think every one needs to take a deep breathe and stop working themselves into a tizz.
Change is scary and sits uncomfortably with most of us.
Lets stop making presumptions about what is happening and going to happen and what actually transpires before we get worked up into a frenzy.
At the meeting on Tuesday night Mark was clear and I think we all want the same thing that the core element to make this work going forward is the team has to be at the very least competitive.
I love Foles and have a great deal of time for him and what he has achieved over the years for this team, especially the culture he created amongst the squad he had to work with. However, moving ahead something had to give way, and while I wish it would have been done differently so that we all could have said our goodbyes properly we have think in terms of the greater good of the franchise.
Lets not second guess the contracts that are being negotiated behind closed doors, while some agents are keen to drip feed the public to show their clients that they are working hard to get better deals the Force team has shown the ethical approach by not spilling any beans and good on them, that is what you would expect from a professional organisation.
I have no doubt Hodgo will continue to be the force behind the Force, it is clear sustainability is dependent on local players being the core of the team and eastern staters who are prepared to adopt WA as their home and he is a shining example of this.
I have faith and hope that the flickering flame will soon be burning brightly for rugby in Perth.
Simon Cron: “People talk about winning and losing all the time and they are critical, but there’s a process to get into and it’s the ability to stay present, do your job and execute skills under pressure.”
Agree with you Tazzmania, far too many conspiracy theories going around. Shops must be sold out of tin-foil hats. I am prepared to believe that any changes are for the good of the Force and the clubs future. I am prepared to believe that the ARU has a genuine desire to see the Force succeed. Changes need to be made so why complain when it happens? Our partnership with the ARU should be a positive thing, the ARU are now equally responsible to make the club succeed.
After following the Force for the last whatever years it has become evident how important a role the coach plays. I just hope they take whatever time is necessary to get the new appointment correct.