The Beginning of the Great Divide

[The Oracle]

There are already signs in clubland that there will be a permanent top five and a permanent bottom five emerging in the Rugby WA Premier Grade Competition.

With more and more money and a higher level of management resources required to run a club and be competitive each year it would appear that the wheels may fall off some clubs possibly permanently within the next 12-24 months.

No longer can a club rely on half a dozen dedicated worker bees and the bar takings to survive.

Pre-season rumours have been validated in the first two rounds results that some clubs are in trouble on and off the field.

In most rugby strongholds, certain clubs are always near the top whilst others are always near the bottom and I suggest we are already transitioning to that scenario. Whilst traditionally community rugby clubs have good and bad years, times are changing as the games moves towards a semi-professional arrangement. Clubs like Rockingham and Perth-Bayswater are on a slide that may not be reversable.

As I see it, the top five clubs (in order) for the foreseeable future in terms of financial sustainability, organisation strength and on-field performance are:

Nedlands
Associates
Cottesloe
Wanneroo
Palmyra

The bottom five clubs (in order) being:

Kalamunda
University
Wests
Perth-Bayswater
Rockingham

Just a theory. Will be interesting to see what transpires.

[MI5_Dog]

If, and for me it's a BIG if, this is true then it reflects very badly on RWA and they need to step in and ensure this doesn't happen. Again if the rumour that academy players can choose where they play is true then RWA needs to put the big boot on the kicking foot and make sure players are evenly spread around the clubs. A strong local comp makes for a strong Force.

[rick boyd]

Three of the clubs in your bottom five have had premierships in the last five years and there is no real reason why they can't again. And two of your top five clubs have been recent wooden spooners.

All the clubs suffer from a lack of volunteers and finance, but fluctuations affect these areas as much as playing strength. A possible exception is Nedlands who have always been well organised (from what I see) and financed (from what I hear) in the 25 years I have been involved with WA rugby. And don't be too quick to count out clubs like Perth-Bayswater. If rugby has a sustainable future in WA, it doesn't lie in importing players, but in developing local product. Perth's junior program has been the largest in the state for some years and that's where the future of the local game lies.

[fulvio sammut]

I would move Palmyra from bottom of the top five, move Kalamunda into fifth spot, and drop Pally just above Rockingham.

[Hansie]

Rugby WA does need to influence Clubs. So much has been spent on players that play for one season, maybe only half for a percieved short term gain. Imagine if those funds were put into longterm development? RugbyWa should be limiting clubs to two imports ( just like super 14), this must free up some of club's funds to develope youngsters??

[fulvio sammut]

Yes Hansie, but if we limited imports to two players per club per annum, and snuck in a father/son eligibility rule, with the number of short term imports Neddies have had over the years, half the population of New Zealand would still be eligible to play for them!

[Burgs]

OK, out of town Devil’s Advocate hat on here for a minute.
Try and put your own Club allegiances on hold for a bit as well...(ok, mission impossible but at least try...)
If things are so bad that any given ten Clubs aren't independently sustainable, with some back up from above, then perhaps the best thing that can happen is a restructure of Clubland?
If "A strong local comp makes for a strong Force" then the priority is on making the local comp strong. That doesn't have to mean "big".
Surely the Force would be better served having a six or eight team competitive competition rather than a 5/5 strong/poor situation that has been flagged here?
This may only be for a few years, as it is inevitable that Union will continue to grow over the medium term in Perth and WA.
And yes, being "demoted" will not sit well with the two or four clubs that face that possibility but there are plenty of other clubs that function at the second tier in Perth.
I fully respect that passions run deep when it comes to local Clubs but that may well be the actual problem when clarity is lost to emotion.
Perhaps the best thing for the future is to have an eight team/Club “Premier Grade” and then a two pool 16 team/Club “1st grade”.
There are potentially all sorts of dynamic ways of adapting the current Rugby landscape (feeder clubs, geographical pools, annual pool redistribution...) but the first step is to recognise the problems and accepting that the old ways may not be the best new ways.

[Eel]

Sorry Oracle, but I think your well off the mark on some Clubs. Wests are in the best financial position they have been in for some time, mainly because they are well run off the field and have some loyal sponsors. They have also appointed a full-time general manger - which to my knowledge is the only club in the state to do so.
On the field they are struggling in 1sts, but with a 5 year policy of focusing on juniors and a strong 18's and 20's, they will be back soon enough. Not many guys in the 1st team over 23 years old. Watch this space ...

[fulvio sammut]

I'm going to love this thread.

You're not making a virtue out of necessity by any chance, are you Eel?

[beige]

Is there any feeder club system (official or otherwise) at the moment? And no, I'm not interested in gags about clubs stealing other clubs' players...

[Eel]

Of course not Fulvio, I just thought I'd splash a few facts about. Some people seem to think a team's position on the premier ladder reflects the club as a whole from U6s-1st grade. Only a few years ago they won 4 premierships in a row ...

[GIGS20]

I really like the idea of feeder clubs. Align the premier clubs with two second tier clubs each to clarify the lines of development, then enforce it (at least loosely) so that you grow up in a club system and follow through the system to the top (or middle if you're not S14 material.

A simple example based upon geography might be

North South
North East North West South East South West
NE1 NE2 NW1 NW2 SE1 SE2 SW1 SW2

And so-on You could start at the 8 team NW1 NW2 etc level, have 2 feeder clubs for colts, or juniors or lower grades, whatever fits the number of players in Perth.

If you had a 4 team super league which is fed by the current premier clubs and then added the second tier clubs to the next level calling it third grade or whatever, surely club loyalty wouldn't stop a player from climbing through the ranks.

A Curtin player then wouldn't have to leave his "club" to play Premier league, he'd just follow the feeder system up to that level and combine with the sister team (possibly Pally) no need for club angst with payments etc, legislate that players play where they live, then the clubs will need to buy houses for their imports!

[beige]

surely club loyalty wouldn't stop a player from climbing through the ranks.

A Curtin player then wouldn't have to leave his "club" to play Premier league, he'd just follow the feeder system up to that level and combine with the sister team (possibly Pally)

That's exactly what I was getting at.

[GIGS20]

That's exactly what I was getting at.

You posted while I was typing my essay.

I'm not aware of any system....I think to do it properly, you'd need a significant restructure of clubland.......so I think it unlikely!

[The Oracle]

Mr Eel,
Whilst you're putting "facts" on the table you should mention that Wests so-called General Manager is also the club coach and has obtained work at schools etc as a rugby coach to supplement his income etc. So not really a "full time" club administrator as you suggest. Wests did win 4 premierships and Perth Bayswater was recently very competitive but the tide has changed recently. Wests recruited and spent heavily to win their premierships including being the first club in Perth to officially pay a first grade coach. Those players and coaches have gone and so have many of PB's academy players - recruited to Wests U18's and U20's this year!

Wests initiative is wise however in pushing for a club administrator as this is the next step for all clubs that intend surviving and thriving.

Have seen Wests first grade both of the last two weeks and they have a number of imports, not home grown (eg both props and hooker). As noble as it may seem if you rely on home grown players you will get thrashed. Wests also had a number of imports last year eg that awesome Welsh No.10 - no sign of him this year.

I also note that the Curtin coach and captain from last season is now playing at Wests.