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"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spor...a1dc8e11cc3cf6Rugby WA back on firm footing after deal with Rugby Australia
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New Rugby WA chairman John Edwards, left, with former Force captain Matt Hodgson in Perth yesterday. Picture: Getty Images
WAYNE SMITH
The Australian12:00AM December 9, 2017
9 Comments
For the first time this year, Rugby WA has emerged from a legal squabble with Rugby Australia with a smile on its face.
The state union lost its arbitration battle with the then Australian Rugby Union to keep the Western Force alive as a Super Rugby team and then lost a second time when it appealed the decision to the NSW Supreme Court. Not only was it left to face the culling of the Force but it also was left with a crippling legal bill.
But finally, thanks to some adept negotiations between the new RugbyWA chairman John Edwards and Rugby Australia chief executive Bill Pulver — with a little persuasive effort in the background by billionaire supporter Andrew Forrest thrown in — the national body has wiped all of the Rugby WA’s outstanding legal fees. “With Andrew’s help, we have convinced RA and other creditors to wipe the balance sheet clean, giving us a fresh start,” *Edwards said.
The deal was part of a settlement package, which allowed RugbyWA to come out of voluntary administration. Edwards has replaced the long-serving Tony Howarth as RugbyWA chairman, although Howarth’s service did not end completely. It is understood that he and other board members and supporters made a significant commitment of personal funds to ensure RugbyWA could begin with a clean slate.
Forrest, meanwhile, also backed up his support in a real sense, committing $2 million to help specifically with the general administration of RugbyWA, the Future Force Academy, as well as women’s rugby and junior development. “It has been a very difficult year for our rugby family in WA but through adversity, we have emerged stronger and more determined than ever to show the rest of the country what a successful, united grassroots community looks like,” Forrest said.
RA has also returned to the west its intellectual property, meaning that the “Western Force” name can now be revived, be it in Forrest’s planned Indo Pacific Rugby Championship or by *renaming the WA side in the *National Rugby Championship. Currently the Perth Spirit represent the state but the RugbyWA board raised the possibility in an open letter to the WA rugby *community of letting the people decide if the Force take their place, wearing the familiar blue.
“This is a significant sign after a long battle that Rugby Australia acknowledges the importance of our code and our solidarity in the West,” the letter read. “More *support is promised and we will certainly be seeking it.”
Support, indeed, is coming from all sides, with the West Australian government giving RugbyWA a 24-month reprieve from paying off its $1.14m debt.
Although the Australian Securities & Investment Commission continues to consider the recommendation of the Senate inquiry into rugby in Australia and whether to pursue any individuals, the war between Rugby Australia and the west appears to have *finally come to an end.
Meanwhile, Forrest, his IPRC team and RA are due to have critical talks next week to determine whether the national body will give the necessary approval to his Indo-Pacific tournament
Mate I'm yet to introduce myself to any of the ladies and gentlemen that frequent this site personally in the flesh. I've been a foundation member from day dot and from day one of the Force being in business have known about the inner workings of the Force and some of their employees. Yeah the ones involved in setting up the whole shebang. I also don't have to justify my opinion to any tom, dick or harry. Especially an angry bloke like yourself. In the short time you've reemerged yourself here on this website you've managed to abuse and name call some pretty well known and respected people within local rugby scene and denigrate this pretty cool website into a name calling and negative place to be. Well done big man.
I think I see Travelling Gerry but Where's Ali?
https://thewest.com.au/sport/western...-ng-b88685575z
another great post by Nick Taylor
The truth may set you free, but only evidence convicts
Haha! I was lurking up the front feeling highly stressed about having to make a speech at that rally! Lol
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby
The Roar is a click bait site that sells advertising based on the click traffic built up. In their description it makes note that the are a part of a larger network of click bait sites. Journalists post there for the kickback and paid writers keep the comment sections alive for the traffic needed to sell ads.
http://www.theroar.com.au/about/
Like Darren said a couple of weeks ago, GAGR is owned by Fairfax or one of those big media mobs and is the same as the Roar. Go to their contact us page and the first thing it offers you is the chance to advertise on their site.
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/contact-us
So with 5 seconds of research, i hope I've shed some light on the nature of both "forums" or more like click bait advertising sites. They are apart of the very media a lot of us are frustrated with. No traffic = no money.
Time to let the new RugbyWA team get on with business and us mere mortals focus on ASIC and the ATO.
It’s great Twiggy’s team have moved into the one building with RugbyWA. More cohesive.
I had Spartan pegged as a knob jockey a while back and it would appear that a few people have finally arrived at the same conclusion.
Wests Scarborough 1st Grade juggernaut has played finals rugby each and every year since its inception and continues this remarkable feat yet again this season and unbelievably it's still rolling on and as an added little circle jerk for the masses Wests actually hold the record for the current longest unbroken finals record.
I've got a question regarding the future of WA rugby. With Minderoo most generously going into more or less a joint venture with RugbyWA to rebuild our professional teams, has there been any consideration towards establishing a mechanism that sees a reduction in junior fees? For example, for every 100 kids who register to play at a club can Minderoo look to provide a kickback of sorts, 100 registrations = $1000 of tackle bags/hit shields/footballs/tackle suits? Or does Harvey Beef want to kindly donate 100 snags a week per club for the clubs to sell to help raise money for juniors? Some kind of mechanism that incentivises the junior clubs to go hard at recruiting juniors while helping out with the costs involved in running the junior clubs is what im getting at. We could very well see some more satelite clubs like the Ellenbrook and Nedlands setups pop up. Just a thought.
Proudly Western Australian; Proudly supporting Western Australian rugby