Western Force senate inquiry: Mick Murray slams ARU for Force axing
Nick Taylor
Wednesday, 11 October 2017 10:30AM
Mick Murray isn’t happy about the Western Force’s demise.
Mick Murray isn’t happy about the Western Force’s demise.Picture: The West Australian
WA Sports minister Mick Murray has slammed the Australian Rugby Union's process for axing the Western Force from Super Rugby.
Mr Murray told the senate inquiry into the future of rugby in Australia that the "bloody minded" ARU had not been open, transparent or objective.
"WA is not and has not been fairly represented or fairly treated. Decisions have been made on the east coast, for the east coast," he said when the inquiry re-opened today in Perth.
“The ARU has not been open, transparent or objective throughout the entire process on what criteria teams would be evaluated and how a decision to reduce the number of teams would be made.
"They made a decision (to cut the Force) and worked backwards to justify it. Whichever way we turned a decision had already been made.
“The ARU’s support, particularly financial, has always favoured east coast teams and franchises.
“The New South Wales, Queensland and ACT teams were never evaluated, considered or discussed despite claims the process was in the game’s national interest.
“It would appear that the internal deliberation by the ARU was about obtaining the best financial outcome for the ARU.
“Decisions were not made in the rugby union’s and the national competition’s best interest.
“Rugby union in WA will survive, but the ARU has done irreparable damage to rugby in WA and in this country.”
The senate hearing had previously been told that the ARU had heavily funded the Melbourne Rebels - who survived the axe ahead of the Force – for $33million, including a $13 million write-off between 2014 and 2016.
A multi-million dollar gulf opened between the Rebels and Force who received only $15 million that included $3.7 million from the transfer of its licence to the governing body in an alliance agreement.
Mr Murray said there had been undertakings from the ARU between 2005 to 2017 to WA state governments and the WA community that a WA team would remain in Super Rugby.
“WA Governments made major infrastructure decisions based on these undertakings, specifically $95 million for nib Stadium upgrades and $17 million for the Rugby WA home.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-u...-ng-b88625703z
A summary of Mick Murrays testimony thank to the West Australian.
