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ARU's top secret was too sensitive
EVERY now and then the Australian Rugby Union comes up with an idea that is so breathtakingly visionary, so utterly inspiring that all you can do is shake your head and say to yourself: "You've really gotta hand it to these guys".
One such idea surfaced at last week's annual general meeting. Actually, it had been percolating along for about a month or two beforehand, but it wasn't until the AGM that it actually came gushing forth like a frothy, overflowing cappuccino.
What was this wonderful idea, I hear you asking, your question tugging like a small child on a trouser leg. Well, if you behave, I'll tell you.
The idea was that it was not going to publicly reveal what it pays its chief executive John O'Neill and the other members of the board and not publish these amounts in its annual report like it always has. BUT, it would let the inner circle of AGM delegates in on the secret.
Now, be honest, you're sitting there shaking your head, aren't you? You're saying to yourself, "How breathtakingly visionary! How utterly inspiring!"
And how bloody sensible too. As the events of the past week in Pakistan have dramatically shown, some information is just too important, too sensitive to share. Who knows what damage could be done if it fell into the wrong hands. The ARU knows that. It knows that some operations, by their very nature, need to be clandestine. And, most important of all, it knows the Australian rugby public doesn't want to be bothered with detail. As long as the Wallabies get the All Blacks, dead or alive, that's all that matters.
Do the volunteers manning the sausage sizzle at junior sign-on days really need to be burdened with how much JON takes home each month? Of course not. They have enough on their plate. Well, strictly speaking, they don't have as much on their plate as they would like. Not so many kids queueing up for sausages this year, for some reason.
And speaking of the juniors, what about the selfish audacity of those NSW officials who are opposing the ARU plan to scrap the traditional system of sending three teams, Sydney Juniors, NSW Schools and Country to the national Under-16 carnival! Why have three teams ... well, apart from the fact that just about every NSW Wallaby ever has come through one of them ... when you can make do with two?
Think, too, of how dangerously distracting it could be to provide Waratahs fans with the details of ARU chairman Peter McGrath's remuneration. Their team is in trouble and they need to stay focused on what's important, like worrying about whether Phil Waugh will have to be let go because NSW can't fit him into their scaled-down salary cap.
And what reason is there for mums in Canberra and Perth and Melbourne to get uppity about what the ARU is paying its directors? Rugby mums have an important role to play in the game - in this case to demurely iron the training jersies and pack their sons off to Sydney or Brisbane after the ARU closes down the Brumbies, Force and Rebels academies and consolidates them all into two cost-cutting centres.
The ARU knows that there is such a thing as too much information and that letting people in on secrets way above their clearance level ultimately only distresses and confuses them. Some people need to be protected from themselves.
Truth be told, it didn't even want to divulge this vital information to the delegates and only did so because a few troublemakers threatened to go public if they didn't. Of course, the ARU warned them that once the genie was out of the bottle, there would be no way of getting it back in again. Inevitably, some bastard would surely leak.
And, you guessed it, there it was in the paper the very next day ... $1.2 million paid to JON. Hell, it even had the breakdown of how much was base salary, how much short-term incentives, how much long-term incentives. His effectiveness as an undercover agent was just shot. How could he carry out his behind-the-scenes role of telling people they've got to cut back and scale down important areas of the game when the first thing they come back at him with is: So why has your salary gone up by $500,000 over the past year?
Needless to say, Homeland Security has been brought in to investigate the leak and the ARU has provided it with the names of suspect troublemakers but, really, the damage has been done.
A sacred oath has been violated. Delegates were sworn to secrecy but someone, maybe several someones, chose to betray the organisation.
The ARU has been open and accountable and what good has it done? Never again!
Delegates aren't to be trusted. From now on, business must be conducted entirely on a need-to-know basis.
And you know what? You don't need to know anything!
So bugger off!
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1226051414705
Read this the other day. Think our man JON is from the loins of that other idjiot, Mr Blatter from FIFA..Blatter looks for a handout under the counter, while your man John doesn't know were the counter is.What ever happened to our man Flowers.?
the punters friend..... stick with me and you will be wearing
If true I think it would be a disgrace
Would be interested to see what his performance targets were
JON is a dick. He keeps going on about all this cost cutting thats necessary (salary caps to save the ARU money and amalgamating each franchises academies) yet that doesn't apply to his own salary and it ignores the fact that 2013 will see a massive windfall for the ARU. 3 sell-out Lions tests plus a handful of provincial games and maybe an Aussie A game or two.
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
this should be on WikiLeaks... I much rather he be given a bonus if we win the NZRWC especially by employing a local NZer...
Next time you think RUPA are full of it think of JON take home package...
That's some serious $$$$$$$ jON....
Not that much really when I think about the 5 mil Coach gave me at the begining of the year....
Our man Jon is a blight on Rugby, enforcing a salary cap and explaining that it is in line with league and AFL - great for two codes where you have no option to play - cut academies, cut salaries, increase ticket prices and start a bunch of reviews into the game that are unnecessary. Oh yes and take a massive wedge for spending other peoples money. It costs $200k for an academy here which looks as if it now defunct - Shame Jon Shame
Fark off with the left wing sh1te
Dry your eyes Princess
The bloke plays hard ball
.........got rid of cost-a-lote.......earned his salary right there. Now we have a young team of ball tearers rather than a stupid overweight winger who had lost his speed and the respect for the jersey
..........culled an abortion of a tournament that had less spectators and public interest than the local equine dressage at Redneck Mountain
...........got us Dingo Deans
............put faith in Dingo as he culled the dead wood and introduced youth at the personal cost of results. We now have a national team with depth in every position and more than a few of us think we might have a team that could win the RWC 2011
............negotiated a 5th Australian super rugby team............more than earned his salary there. That was a multimillion $$ bonanza for Australian rugby and will only strengthen the national game in this country..........a permanent legacy.
Heil Jon
Controversy corner
WOW!! Never figured you for an ARU bullshit junkie Rex.
Let's not forget, he's also undertaken the largest grab of money from the grassroots in the professional era and this was in a climate where income has increased due to a bigger tv deal, and ticketing, marketing etc from a fifth franchise.
He has singlehandedly dismantled any form of entry level rugby which can prepare players for international honors, or for super rugby, relying on a fantasyland 'sink or swim' development system, fucked up any chance of getting free to air exposure and taken a 1/2 million dollar pay rise when the code can't afford to pay it's players.
I used to like the guy, but now wonder whether he isn't preparing rugby to be split up and sold for assets!
C'mon the![]()
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Can't agree with you on this on, Rex.
Just when the teams have finally got together to play the academies against each other (and some PI teams) to give Australia a sort of 3rd level rugby (albeit one which is guaranteed to lose money through no spectators or TV coverage) O'Neill goes and dismantles the academy system.
Only 18 months ago Australia's player depth was so poor that during the international season Deans had to experiment with Pek as a hooker. How is reducing the number of academies from 5 to 2 going to help?
Lets say that each of the 5 Australian team loses 6 players a year through retirement or heading abroad (not entirely unreasonable). That's 30 new players needed each year. So the 2 academy first XVs will all be promoted each year.
It might be good for the budget for 1-2 years, but how is it good for the long-term development of Australian rugby?
Which man John o'neill or Rex?
C'mon the![]()
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I'll play the man, JON is a joke who believes his own press and has lost the plot.
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.