Originally Posted by
AndyS
But my point is that is not an accident, the establishment has steadfastly refused to do anything that might change that situation. Just dropping a professional team in a location without making any provision at all for development of an associated nursery is completely arse-about, yet they did it twice. So claiming it as "just the way it is" is grossly understating why Australian rugby is in its current position.
They don't even stop there though; they claim the current situation as the specific reason why all resources and planning should be directed to just those two locations going forward. It is a self-fulfilling condition, and it simply isn't going to get any better until they change the underlying problem. And if GRR were able to just step up and suddenly it all started to change, it would only serve to highlight the sheer blindness and ineptitude of the rugby establishment.
The mechanism for widening the footprint and support for rugby should be the NRC, but RA just doesn't seem interested. Probably for exactly the reasons as above - done properly, it could only dilute the influence of the "heartlands". But personally I'm not sure GRR should go anywhere near Melbourne any time soon. They've been a seagull around the neck of RA, and I think would be the same for GRR for much the same reasons. Newcastle might be a better option, provided they can keep NSWRU at a long arms length. If not, their best growth project within Australia might well be South Australia. Or just keep the focus overseas for a while.