Dave Smith was the messiah now he's a complete failure!!!

[Swans4ever]

It’s all broom and gloom for the National Rugby League, writes Rebecca Wilson
REBECCA WILSON
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
APRIL 19, 2014 12:00AM
20 COMMENTS
NRL HOPEFUL OF BIG EASTER CROWDS 1:22

THE Australian Rugby League Commission was all about new brooms when it became the governing body of the sport two years ago.

Chairman John Grant acted swiftly against long time chief executive, David Gallop who had a successful ten years in the job during a tumultuous time for the sport.

Grant took credit for the big shiny new television deal that netted the league an unheard of billion dollars, put in place an outsider, a banker called Dave Smith, and claimed the sport was going to be the powerhouse of Australian football, soon to usurp the AFL as number one across the nation.

What we have seen since Smith came to the role is a bloke who looks you in the eye and tells you want you want to hear about expansion, business models and club governance.


ARLC Chairman John Grant with NRL CEO Dave Smith. Source: News Limited

He tells you he is hell bent on increasing memberships and making rugby league the benchmark on which all professional sport should be judged.

Smith farewelled old heads like Ian Schubert, Geoff Carr, John Brady and Shane Mattiske.

Between them, these four alone had nearly a century of experience in the rugby league world. Add Gallop’s two decades of experience and you can see why there is a vacuum.

Smith installed men and women from ‘the corporate world’, people with genuine experience in ‘normal’ business.

The idea was, he said, to instil the same values as non-sporting companies into the NRL.

He hired former shipping and corporate affairs adviser, Sandy Olsen, to the media role vacated by John Brady.

In came Todd Greenberg from club land, the bloke who oversaw the Ben Barba saga at Canterbury, and another bloke called Mark Wilson became the chief financial officer. (Wilson resigned this week in mysterious circumstances after just six months).

TODD GREENBERG: NRL CRACKING DOWN ON LIFTING TACKLES 1:50

The result of the grand plan is nigh on disastrous.

The experiment that is modern rugby league administration has come some terrible croppers in recent times, marred by reactionary calls, badly judged comments and an inability to make swift, sensible decisions.

The absence of anyone near the top of the pile within the NRL who has any serious league history or understands the DNA of the sport has been underlined by terrible scheduling stuff ups, poor handling of refereeing debacles and an almost farcical handling of the sport’s biggest tragedy in recent memory.

Whereas once we were at least sure of what time kick off would be on a Friday night, Saturday or Sunday, now we have no idea.

The draw itself is an abysmal dog’s breakfast, marred by badly judged games in the wrong locations. That is not just an opinion. The terrible crowd figures and television ratings are there for all to see.

Channel Nine bought the rights at a premium and promptly told the heartland that only one game would be shown live on free to air television each weekend. This is a scandal in itself at a time in history when even women’s netball, world cup rowing and cricket are screened live on pay television.
ARLC Chairman John Grant and NRL Chief Executive Dave Smith give a press conference. Source: News Limited
On the Easter long weekend, when the AFL have remained steadfast in their refusal to play games on Good Friday, there was no league game in Melbourne on Friday.

The draw and schedule are one thing, the handling of the events surrounding the Alex McKinnon tackle take administrative incompetence to a new height.

The tackler was stood down the day after the match when everyone at the league realised the severity of McKinnon’s injury. All standard operational procedures were discarded.

He was referred to a judiciary hearing ten days later (not the usual one or two days) and then reinstated to the team.

When Jordon McLean finally faced his punishment, in a climate of raw emotion and panic, the panel added four weeks to the punishment for McKinnon’s broken neck.

UNPUNISHED 2014 NRL LIFTING TACKLES 1:13

How on earth anyone could have come to that decision is still beyond anyone’s reckoning.

Would the NRL now rule on the six dangerous throws from the weekend after the McKinnon tragedy? No, they said, they were all legal.

Would the NRL consider a blanket ban on the lifting or throwing tackles?

Wait until next year for that, they said. No need for rushed, emotional reactions.

A week later, football boss, Todd Greenberg, solemnly announced a ban on all lifting tackles, Any player who dares to try it, he intoned, will be suspended.

He did all of this with a straight face.

The lack of experience is showing. A decision to spurn anybody with a history in the game has condemned the sport’s fans to years of indecision and inappropriate reactions.

New brooms are one thing. Old hands are another. The Geoff Carrs, the Ian Schuberts and the John Bradys might have been crusty but they sure as hell knew how to make a sensible decision.

So much for five years to be number one this bloke couldn't organise a chook raffle!!!!

[ParraEelsNRL]

Why would you listen to a complete drunken bias dribbling lying old mole like her?

Fuck off out of the game Wilson, you like AFL, go and fucking write about that you ugly old Khunt.

[ParraEelsNRL]

Stupid hag is despised in Sydney.

[Swans4ever]

And yet she gets a gig at Sydney's premier RL paper - go figure!!!

[AFLcrap1]

Jesus talk about clueless.
Read up on her swines .
See who see was rooting.
Fuck me dead Fumblers like to comment on things they have no fucking idea about.

[Xman]

No surprise she's hated when she upsets the apple cart

[Swans4ever]

Jesus talk about clueless.
Read up on her swines .
See who see was rooting.
Fuck me dead Fumblers like to comment on things they have no fucking idea about.

It seems ANYONE who doesn't write fluff pieces for NRL is usually decried as a heretic by you AFLCRAPPER - but you don't address what she said or the facts she uses - in the same article she slammed the culture at the Swans at the present moment - until last night given their in-Swans like playing I was inclined to agree with her . So either tell us what she got wrong or accept you believe every word out of NRL HQ (seems to me you accuse AFL people of that which makes you????) A hypocrite!

[AFLcrap1]

What are you on .Fair dinkum you talk rot.
News LTD have raped our game for 15 yrs.
Gallop was a news LTD stooge.
Wilson was shacked up with a news LTD BOSS.
SHe has hated the NEW ARLC since they got rid of Gallop.

The DT & other publications muckrake & write absolute crap about RL .

That's why most RL fans see an article from her or out of the DT ,& say that's all I read.

Can you show me where I have in your words,ever said this,
ANYONE who doesn't write fluff pieces for NRL is usually decried as a heretic by you AFLCRAPPER

I have plenty of issues with the way RL is run.
But I think they are on the right track.

Your stupidity makes my head hurt..

Why do you post utter shit (claims about what I post).
You are fucking delusional.

[cos789]

You may shoot the messenger but the message is still valid.

[AFLcrap1]

You may shoot the messenger but the message is still valid.

Not to RL fans .

If she didn't have an agenda then yeh.
But she has plenty of form .

[cos789]

Of course, we all know rl fans have no room for reality.

[AFLcrap1]

Of course, we all know rl fans have no room for reality.

Your reality is looking in windows of houses with ratings boxes to see if the Tv is on & anyone is watching RL(according to you they are not).

I think you commenting on REALITY is

[cos789]

So we're back to you talking anything but football.

[NRLCrap1]

He needs his meds even more now that his best friend in the whole world is gone!

[AFLcrap1]

He needs his meds even more now that his best friend in the whole world is gone!

Proof please.