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"PLAYER power" has long been used as a derogatory term in Australian rugby but not as far as the Western Force's new chief executive Mark Sinderberry is concerned. Then again, he did effectively invent the concept.
Sinderberry was the foundation chief executive of the Brumbies back in 1995, and realised from the start that, confronted by the established might of NSW and Queensland, let alone the NZ and South African components of what was then the Super 12, the new Canberra team had to do things differently and more democratically.
Instead of imposing the traditional power structures on the new club, Sinderberry, in partnership with coach Rod Macqueen, set about giving the players a sense of responsibility by involving them in the decision making.
"The great Brumbies teams were much criticised for player power but they were all about people having real ownership of the program," Sinderberry told The Australian yesterday.
..."For me it's just logical management technique. Player power was something that someone wanted to give a name to that was derogatory of player involvement. I was all about the people within the organisation having ownership and a real passion for what happened to that organisation."
That's very much the management style he will bring to the Force when he starts in early March. "It's a lot being able to draw on those experiences of the past about what success looks like," he said. "I like organisations where players have a big input and much prefer to deal with the issues that come out of that (in exchange for) the commitment you get from players that way."
In one sense, things will be very different for Sinderberry this time around.
But, in another, the Brumbies of 1996 and the Force of 2013 both boast player squads comprised mainly of rejects. Given how he was treated in Sydney, coach Michael Foley must feel much the same. That's a powerful motivator at Sinderberry's disposal.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spor...-1226565402771
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Originally Posted by Alison
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