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Changes loom to loss-making ARC
By Adrian Warren
October 04, 2007
THE Australian Rugby Union is looking to retain the Australian Rugby Championship, but changes appear certain after incurring a seven-figure loss in its inaugural season.
Deputy chief executive officer Matt Carroll said today the ARU expected to complete a review of the new professional competition and the eight teams before the end of the month.
He said the tournament, which enters its finals phase this weekend, was always expected to run up a seven-figure deficit.
"You can't continue to sustain those sorts of losses," Carroll said. "Other competitions have clubs which lose money, rugby is not alone in that, but they have substantial incomes from broadcast and gate which ARC doesn't have and won't have for quite some time.
"No one is suggesting there won't be an ARC next year, what we're doing now is ensuring that all the best attributes that came through this year are retained, but on a sound financial base, that's affordable.
Carroll said the standard of rugby had been excellent and entertaining and it had rated well on television.
Brian Melrose, coach of ARC minor premier Western Sydney Rams, hailed the new competition as "one of the best innovations that the ARU have done." "There was a lot of scepticism, in reality that scepticism should have been blown away," Melrose said.
"With the introduction of the new rules, the players have been able to step up that were somewhat unknown, I think it's a great thing for the country's rugby.
"There's many players who have been able to step up, and it should have a few of the contracted players nervous and under pressure, because it's not only young guys, there's been some 'middle' aged players step up and have shown they really are deserving of a chance.
While Queensland ARC teams filled the bottom two places on the ladder, new Reds Super 14 coach Phil Mooney said the tournament had been fantastic in giving young players like halves Will Genia and Quade Cooper more professional football experience.
"They've basically come straight out of colts and school footy, so it's allowed them to play a good level of rugby, that they wouldn't have previously got," Mooney said.
AAP