Have your say - tell RugbyWA what you think.

[Darren]

Tell them what you think, good and/or bad. Try and keep it constructive and to the point, and I will endevour to sumarise ...

Guests (people not registered, or not logged in to TWF) may also comment - inappropriate comments will be edited/deleted.

[shasta]

Did it in the Member Survey. IMO this is a supporters site. I accept the freedom of the internet and all, but if I'm gonna bag 'em I don't intend any passing trolls top get a squiz of it.

[Darren]

Don't bag 'em then. Not all of us had the opportunity to complete a membes survey.

My view - you can't really fault the players, they work their guts out and play where, when and how they're told. It's hard to tell what anyone else in the organisation is doing as we only hear spin and statements crafted to avoid accountability.

I'd like to hear more honest and blunt comment and appraisals from coaching and support staff on their own performance. Tell us where it's at, and what you're doing about apparent issues.

The board and management should do the same.

[shasta]

My view - I'd like to hear

Opinions are like arseholes and you are.......






.......entitled to your's.

Really I agree with what you want. I would be more likely to e mail them if I hadn't had the surveys, that's all.

One of the things I said and am OK with saying here is that I wan't too see more openness with player injuries, expected rehab time etc. I hate having to scratch my head wondering why someone is not named and there's no clue WTF the situation is.

[Alison]

Thanks for starting the thread Coach.

I think that if RugbyWA is worth its salt and is really interested in developing rugby union in this State, it really should start listening to its fans and stop giving us reasons to have threads like this one.

West Australians are really proud of their State and passionately support their teams, particularly when in competition against ES teams. We here on TWF are a "sure thing" so to speak, but imagine how much more support rugby in WA would have if we had a franchise that sparked passion, pride and excitement in the rest of the community?

And imagine the effect on the franchise's attractiveness to players and coaches from outside WA or even outside Australia too. I know I scoff at people like Genia et al playing for the love of the jersey, but deep down I think there really is something in that. It isn't always all about the money.

Please RugbyWA, give our kids, grandkids, nephews and nieces a reason to want to play rugby union, and the passion to want to one day pull on the blue and black jersey and represent their State in the premier comp in our hemisphere.

Although the 'common-or-garden' members like me are but a blip in terms of the financial viability of the franchise, we are vital to its future as it is through us that the love and passion for this code will endure. Big name sponsors are not interested in the game, just what the game can do for them. Is is us who are the real lifeblood and pulse of rugby union in WA.

I will be an EWF diehard until the day I fall off my perch. But please RugbyWA, give those who aren't a jolly good reason to become so. Rugby is, after all, the game they play in heaven!

[TrevorM]

What's the point?

Cheika's coming. No he's not. Well, maybe he is.
Foley's coming. No he's not. Well, maybe he is.
Pocock's staying. No he's not. Well, maybe he is.
[insert whatever name you think of]'s coming/staying. No he's not. Well, maybe he is.

It'll all get sorted by the end of the season, don't you worry about that. No it didn't.

About the only definite things are that journo's like Growden are getting plenty of copy at RWA's expense and the image of Union in WA as a well-organised and well-managed professional sport is getting dragged into the toilet.

[onions]

Read this morning that Vern Reid thinks that the main thing wrong with the force are the results on the field.He patted himself on the back for different things including a "modest profit of $400,000".We lost 1 of our major assets in our academy because of a $200,000 shortfall by the ARU.I am only described by the tax dept as a "sole trader" and don't claim to know "big business".Myself,I would have thought it more proactive to have raised the middle digit to the ARU,kept the academy and made a smaller profit.It seems to me he favours profit over the future of the franchise.I think he, and anyone on the board who support such a line of action should be replaced immediately.

[James]

I think what all Force fans want is the belief that we are moving in an upward direction. Going through years at the bottom of the table is made much easier when you have something to look forward to. I imagine that after John Mitchell took the Lions to the Currie Cup victory, life as a Lions fan would have improved out of sight.

I think RugbyWA need to show that they have clear and distinct medium to long term goals- having a direction for the Force. Something that the fans can buy into. The Reds pulled that off by being the "entertainers" of Super Rugby. They developed a team of young players who were willing to have a crack; initially, even if that meant losing. I don't know if that is necessarily the path that is right for the Force but there has to be a lot of innovation. Due a range of factors we are competing with the Eastern States at a distinct disadvantage. So we need people with a track record of good ideas and outside the box thinking to find ways around that disadvantage. We need someone who is far better than what we have had for the last two years in talent identification and succession/roster planning. Signing David Pocock is not a direction. At the moment it feels like we are doing more harm to ourselves in trying to keep him than if we simply lost him. I think the plan for us needs to be being a young squad of developing players with a smattering of experienced journeymen who are carefully selected to value-add to the squad and the players we are currently developing. I don't know if it is necessarily the best signing, but I will be really interested to see what Sam Norton-Knight brings to the table after a couple of years in Europe and Japan. How much does Matt Hodgson, as a senior player in the Force team, bring to the table?

I'd really like to see more of our locally produced players back with the Force. Namely Zack Holmes and Dane Haylett-Petty. They left the Force set-up presumably through lack of opportunity, so why isn't Force management saying: "Look guys, we think you have oodles of potential, but unfortunately you just aren't developing as much as you could without game time. Go play over in (X) and send us some tapes and we can give you some feedback on how you are going. After a season or two you can come back to us. There will always be a place here for you". Ok so that is a little bit unrealistic. But we have Ben Seymour signed on a contract and not Zack Holmes? Who has performed better this year? Who is the local? How does RugbyWA not see that watching locally produced players lose is much more enjoyable than watching non-locally produced players lose. And it means that young players will feel like that the Force provide a realistic pathway. And what about Adam Wallace Harrison? Why have we never made much of an effort to bring him back? He has had a really positive influence at the Reds.

It just seems like the organisation at the moment is very reactionary. All of these media releases a few days after some kind of probably true media speculation. It doesn't fill people with confidence.

[Jambooi]

Well put James

I totally agree that more accent should be on using local talent, even if they go east for experience. Listening to the guys that sit near me at the matches the one common topic is why not play so-and-so. Why the import that does not perform and is only here for financial gain.

The other suggestion I totally support is a total review of all involved in Rugby WA. From the top down to the cleaner. It is not a good felling when you start hearing rumours(?) of staff turn over. Is this so or not? If so why? If they (the administrators want to be transparent tell us what is happening in the office. We support a stats rugby effort. Just look back when WA won the super 4th team berth. Look at the enormous support they had. Subi looked good. Smaller NIB looks sad now-a-days.

Yes we have lost good players. But we also gained very good young ones. We lost coaches and we tried a multi-control coaching system. The problem as I see it is that we are still stuck with the same game plan as John Mitchell used and no plan B. Interesting to watch the opposition. They wait for the Force player to run into them as that is the plan. More interesting is when someone decides to pass the ball the Force gain field. Why as the that was not pat of the normal plan. Why, if we have these super-duper wings does the team wait for them (the wings) to join the mauls because they may actually touch the ball.

I would like to see a bit more responsive and open communication from management and a bit more variety in the general game plan.

Cheika, well will we ever know what is going on?

[Rex Messup]

They need to find a world class 10

they need to find a world class coach

It aint that hard. Sort it out. Don't settle for crap.

The pack is quality even if Pocock goes. Hodgson rocks. Brown, McCalman are quality. Cottrel is a good-un

Backs need to be fast. If the back isn't fast, don't sign them. It's pretty basic sh1t

Pick some locals to build a better alliance with the local club competition. It is disgusting that Perth players are turning up in other franchises because the couldn't get a game at the Farce who have hardly won a game in 3 years

Stop dribbling.

Whoever is leaking sh1t to the media needs to be sacked today.

Show some leadership. Tell the players what the fark is going on in the joint.

Stop recruiting no-talent kiwis from their second division

Hire a defence coach with some mongrel. In fact, open the cheque book for the stormers defence coach.

Build a farking academy. Raise the money from the private sector

Stop blaming the ARU for all your problems and farking sort out your own sh1t. Nothing worse than whiners. Grow some balls and show some leadership.

Put more coin into school rugby. Stop whining about not having money and hire someone to raise it.

Stop all the farking p1ss poor excuses and start running the organisation like you want to win it.

Create the future, don't wait for someone to tell you what to do

Whoever let one of the players compete directly with your own brand by starting his own baseball cap company with Force logos, needs to be sacked. What the fark were you thinking? They signed up to play rugby. get them in the gym and get them thinking about their rugby performances. Too much time spent on logo design and not enough tackling practice, weights, conditioning. It's a circus down there

Let your coaches coach. back the coaches. Too much player power and internal bickering from no-name dribblers wanting "buy in"

I've never heard a group of grown men complain so much. We've had a gutfull. Stop whining and making excuses and start winning. All the last minute losses reflect a culture of "near enough is good enough". Make them do 400m sprints at the end of a session instead of going for a farking day spa. Harden them the fark up

Shave Wykes' head. Too much obsession with social media and hair styles.

The backs need breakdown work at the end of every training session. They are rubbish in contact

The backs need to learn how to kick. They are useless. They are professional rugby players with nothing else to do all day. make them practice kicking

basic skills are non existent.......like passing and catching. Note well, the ball needs o be passed in front of the player to make him run onto the ball.

Think big and kick ass

[SNOB]

Rex you have save me a lot of time.
The bit about the backs having speed and being able to kick is quite an important part in this game, but it appears that people at RWA have no efing idea.

[Macattack]

For what it's worth, here's what I think

- The first thing is to accept that we have failed (14th, 7th, 8th, 8th, 13th, 12th and 14th). We lost the momentum that started to build after the first, tentative year and have now slipped again to the bottom. Despite the pride our players and supporters obviously have, we have developed a losing culture.

- Secondly, unless we change we will get more of the same. I disagree with Vern's comments this week - the above results indicate radical change is required (unfortunately, this is easier said than done). I think a major change process needs to be run that delivers a club based on three pillars: on-field success, off-field integrity and planning for the future. Having the first without the second would be shameful and the second without the first is a slow death (this is where we are right now). The third is about maintaining success AND growing the code in WA.

I believe we need to break the back of the current losing culture immediately and virtually start again - I just can't see "tinkering around the edges" succeeding and I can’t help thinking Vern's comments this week are more about protecting a position than delivering what is required.

Task the new coach solely with delivering on-field success and bring in a very, very good change manager to run the overall rebuilding strategy – accept that the thing we have now is broken, salvage the good bits, but deliberately make a fresh start - build a new, highly disciplined machine we can be proud of.

I would also spend time and resources in communicating this approach with players and supporters – people recognise a rebuilding process won’t deliver success immediately and will accept patience is required, so long as we see movement in the right direction.

The EWF has an incredible support base, but one that is eroding – change now or risk letting it all drain away – that truly would be shameful.

[The EnForcer]

If Vern Reid displayed some anger and passion I would maybe have a little more respect. Any comments he is reported to have said reek of arse covering. He is in charge of a floundering and unsuccessful organisation. His implication that a new coach will alone be able to change the whole organisations culture is a joke. As the leader he should recognise that change is required. The young guys working for him, the team, would have a real injection of enthusiasm if they saw some good old fashioned hard leadership. I get the impression we may have a management team that is too buddy buddy rather than being completely focused on the success of the team and franchise.

Vern Reid's first step should be to issue a statement on how he is going to lead his organisation to success. We need visible performance targets to ensure we are getting our monies worth. We need regular reporting on progress to get better buy in from your clients, the supporters and sponsors. At least this way we will not be constantly left guessing leading to our frustration.

Vern, the franchises supporters are your bread and butter and we deserve better.

[travelling_gerry]

Mine is simple.

Stop the fucking leaks!!!

[blueandblack]

Mine is simple.

Stop the fucking leaks!!!

For me, that plus stop the "get the ball, kick it away, get the ball, kick it away, etc"