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Western Force scrapes barrel to boost stocks for next season
DALE GRANGER PERTHNOW JUNE 22, 2013 10:00PM
HARD YARDS: Western Force CEO Mark Sinderberry is looking for improvement. Source: The Australian
WESTERN Force chief executive Mark Sinderberry says finishing bottom of the Australian Conference will be unacceptable for the Perth club, but results this year are consistent with realistic expectations he had of Australia's "least talented" Super Rugby squad.
For the second season in succession the Force will finish bottom of the Australian Conference, unless they bank all five points at home to the high-riding Brumbies next month, without the Rebels taking a single point from their home game to the Highlanders.
Sinderberry, now just four months into the job after holding the reins in Canberra and at Saracens in the UK, said the Force were "about where we thought we would be" when he took the job.
"Part of what we did was look at it on paper," he said.
"Talent-wise we had to acknowledge we were the least talented of the five (Australian) teams. On top of that you add a new coach (Michael Foley) and all the problems of the past. We are about where I thought we would be."
Sinderberry said financial constraints linked to the possibility that the club's jersey sponsor, Emirates Airlines, might only renew its support in a diluted capacity had created challenges for a club hard hit by the departure of stars James O'Connor and David Pocock and the retirement of Wallaby centurion Nathan Sharpe.
This has forced the club to hunt for bargain buys, luring mostly second-string players from rivals to Perth with a point to prove, as reflected in the CVs of three South Africans signed this week.
Stormers tighthead prop Chris Heiberg, with one Super Rugby cap to his name, and outside centre Marcel Brache, are both effectively third-tier Vodacom Cup players in South Africa.
But Bulls lock Wilhelm Steenkamp, with 53 Super Rugby caps, is a pedigreed prospect.
"A lot of it is about earning respect as a sporting organisation in Australia. In order to do that it is important we set up an environment where people know they are going to come and be developed and be better people as a result," Sinderberry said.
Eight years on from start-up, Sinderberry said a club that once boasted global rugby headline stars Matt Giteau, Pocock, O'Connor and Sharpe, was virtually back to square one.
"Eight years on there is no legacy from that involvement and it's almost like starting again," he said. "But we've got to do it within the financial constraints we are operating under.
"There is no sugar daddy and we are not where we were eight years ago with all the initial excitement. What we do know is the supporters are out there. If we continue to build, that support will come back."
Sinderberry said it looked likely Wallaby Nick Cummins would leave as the Force could not meet the salary his agent said was offered in France.
While negotiations continue with Emirates, he added: "I am confident they will be involved at some level."
Despite losing players, Sinderberry said the re-signing of star young centre Kyle Godwin and the return of Brumbies wing Zach Holmes to Perth were bright lights. He was also encouraged by the 35,000 crowd for the Force's game against the British Lions, but stopped short of admitting the club should have played its strongest possible team for an historic occasion.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/rug...-1226668041012
Well ha isn't sugar coating things is he?
Honeybadger lost eh. ARU couldn't give him a extra top up like they do with the entire nsw squad?
Too right! This really pisses me off! All the leniancy and help given to the Tahs and Brumbies for retaining and paying up big name players - it's an absolutely cycnical attitude by the ARU!
... and we get weaker and weaker if we cannot even keep our fringe Wallabies
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.”
If supporters filled NIB win, lose or draw and backed the force in these tough times, we'd have the coin to keep honey badger.
We are going to need to see some major improvement next year. We will just have to hope "our fringe "players can sep up to the mark.
May the FORCE be with you!
All the more reason for a 3rd tier comp and a Force academy.
There are 3 types of people in this world, those that can count and those that can't