ARU chief O'Neill to call time in 2013

[Happy]

as a productive member of staff yes, not the failure his second term has been

Two things that piss me off about J'ON are the failure and lack of trying of the APC after 1 season and the hongkong test matches .. 2008 they drew a crowd of 39000 and they've been declining ever since and have now been canned .. you would have had a crowd of 39000 every year had it been hosted at Subi FFS

[brokendown gunfighter]

as a productive member of staff yes, not the failure his second term has been

Two things that piss me off about J'ON are the failure and lack of trying of the APC after 1 season and the hongkong test matches .. 2008 they drew a crowd of 39000 and they've been declining ever since and have now been canned .. you would have had a crowd of 39000 every year had it been hosted at Subi FFS

There was an attempt to hold a Bledesloe cup game at Subi a couple of years ago;it fell through, mainly because events corp(read WA government) would not offer any funding

[Ecky]

I personally think he has done pretty good job (with the except of of a second tier competition), we could have been in worse hands that's for sure, let's see how it finishes with The Lions in 2013

I don't know enough detail about what JON has done to comment whether he's been OK or a dud, really. I'd just say that keeping the books in the black can't be all that bad. Desirable as it would have been, the NPC was not financially viable at that time and in that format.

For what it's worth:

A 2nd tier competition is the perfect pathway for up-and-coming players to get noticed for the Super teams and then on to honours. It gives non-Super Rugby players something to strive for. Sure, they might have to move interstate to play, but they'd likely have to do that to play Super Rugby anyway.

It was always going to make a loss in the first rear or so - Australian Rugby even budgeted for it (unnamed sauces). NSW Rugby identities put a stop to the competition to prevent the NSWRU comp from becoming worse that it already was by preventing the budgeted drain of money they would otherwise have received. These same identities were behind putting their puppet JO'N in to succeed Gary Flowers, essentially to ensure NSW Rugby would not become worse off.

The removal of the ARC has put Australia Rugby way behind our southern hemisphere rivals, who have the Currie Cup and whtever the NPC is called these days (ITM Cup?). The depth of talent that would emanate from the second-tier competiton is not there in Australian rugby stocks. Front row, and especially props, in particular springs to mind.

If the same NSW Rugby identites have an influence in the successor to JO'N then there will be little change in the problem of depth of rugby talent in Straya.

Anyway, that's my take on it.

There are, of course, other issues, like RD's infatuation with certain players, regardless (it would seem) of form or alternate player availability, but then we knew that about him when we got him from the 'saders.

My mate Rick needs to take over at Australian Rugby, or at the very least RugbyWA, but he says he's too busy. Shame.