Members Update

[General]

Which is a concern, as strategically he would be the person the ARU would see as the potential weak link. He effectively holds the future of the Force in his hands - he is doing the negotiating, he is doing the recruiting, etc. If he has already bought into the issue and can see no alternative but cutting a team, that narrows the vision enormously and would make me wonder what else he is on board with. I am sure the ARU will be negotiating as much with him as the Force...he has a degree of sympathy, as it is his reputation and credibility on the table as well as the team.

To be clear, Mark has 2 Reporting lines. One to the ARU and one to the RWA Board. It's true he sits in a difficult seat but I can assure you that every moment he is living and breathing Saving the Force.

[andrewg]

I've had a chance to re-listen to a couple of points made by Mark Sinderberry is response to the question regarding voting out the current ARU Board at the forthcoming EGM.
Mark's reply was that he was not convinced that rolling the Board would achieve anything. That the Board in some respects had actually been through a difficult time but had made some critical decisions at key times - such as insisting that there was a period of consultation and to ensure that there was a process to follow.
Mark also commented later that the 5 Aussie team model was unsustainable.

I thought that these were strange things for our CEO to say - and the more I think about it the more concerns I have.

Bear with me.

On 9 April, while the lads were fighting for their win against the Kings, the Board had voted 8:1 to cut an Aussie team with only Geoff Stooke voting against the move. Clearly the team to be cut was the Force.

Clyne and Pulver had their press conference am 10 April and gave the whole story (more of that later).
They advised that the matter would be resolved in 48-72 hours.
So much for any period of consultation and Mark's perception that the Board had acted well!

Rob Clarke & Todd Day flew to Perth on Monday, 10 April and the Force was so unhappy with that outcome - the impression that it was a fait accompli and based upon incorrect data - that by the afternoon that same day the Force notified the ARU of their intention to take out the injunction while also rejecting the 2-3 day time frame. The ARU's response to all of this was silence.

Bill Pulver was only going to visit Melbourne/The Rebels on the Wednesday, 12 April. I suggest that this too confirms that the Force was the team to be culled as this didn't leave much of the 24-72 hour consultation period. The Force got the office staff while the Rebels got the CEO!

Well done the WF/Rugby WA Board for slamming on the injunction to stop the inevitable culling.

I am really struggling to understand how this can be construed by Mark as the ARU Board making critical decisions - which were in any way of benefit to the Western Force.

It was only the injunction which appears to have opened up the possibility of the Rebels coming under review.
From then came the rumours of prior verbal assurances by ARU officials that the Rebels were safe and they should consider who from the Force they wanted. Shortly after this Rob Clarke gave his notice of resignation. These matters may be unrelated.

IMO of all of the ARU Board Members ONLY Geoff Stooke has acted in a manner which deserves any respect from our side of the country.

I went back and re-watched the Clyne/Pulver press conference held on the morning of 10 April 2017.

In light of the Alliance Agreement between the ARU and Western Force signed less than 12 months before this press conference the disclosures during this Press Conference are quite damning.

• The decision to cut a team had been made by the ARU.
• There had been a consensus vote by SANZAAR to revert to the 15 team competition.
• An exhaustive analysis had cleared the Brumbies from further evaluation. This was so "exhaustive" that none of the teams were involved in the evaluation!
• Further consultation was required to choose between the Force and Rebels.
• This would not be a drawn out process. 48-72 hours expected.
• Pulver admitted that it had been a "mistake to move to 18 teams"
• Clyne advised that "almost immediately the expansion to 18 teams had occurred in 2011 it became apparent that 5 teams were unsustainable".
• SANZAAR continue to do a great job - SR offers an attractive product and TRC is highly successful.
• The strategic review with SANZAAR had commenced some time ago.
• Over a year ago it was apparent that trends were not encouraging.
• Clyne advised that the trend had been apparent for more than 6 years and that every Board Meeting had been pre-occupied with the financial drain of Super Rugby on $$s for Rugby in Australia.
• In Nov 2016, Rob Clarke had made a public comment that "it wasn't about the number of teams".
• Between 2013-2017 the ARU had put $28 Million in rescuing all but one of the Aus SR franchises. This was over and above the $13 Million written off in 2016 (related to the private purchase of the Rebels).

I don't understand how the ARU have not been asked to disclose the recipients of this $28 Million. Allison's efforts to date have shown that the majority of these funds have been sunk into the Rebels. This was AFTER the $13 Million write-off!


IF this IS the background it's difficult to understand how the ARU/Western Force Alliance Agreement was signed giving assurances to the Force that they were to remain as an entity until the end of the 2020 SR season (the term of the current FoxSports arrangements).

Clyne mentioned the Board was well aware of its feduciary duties to ensure the ongoing viability of the ARU and the code in Australia.

He made no mention of the feduciary duties that are inherently and inextricably associated with a 50:50 Alliance Agreement.

There is no doubt in my mind that the re-opening up of player contract arrangements was forced by RUPA as the ARU, by its actions (or lack of), have shown that they have little concern for players who seem to be considered as just a movable commodity. I understand that, should the Force be wound up, players with an existing contract can determine where they go. BUT players signing any new contract will be allocated to the other 4 clubs with little say in the matter.
This does takes a large amount of the pressure off the situation - but the uncertainty still hangs heavy over the Force and the Rebels.

I reckon get the injunction heard in court and resist move to arbitration - which by its very name implies an arbitrary ruling - which Mark advised is binding on the parties.

In one respect I agree with Mark and the ARU - the 5 Aussie team model has been a financial disaster. The expansion to 18 teams was done in error.
But that was no fault of the Force or WA Rugby. The Force has been in SR for 12 years!! And has only looked for financial assistance in the last 2 years.
There is just so many good outcomes for Rugby in WA - but the game needs the Force to give the high profile focus to attract the local $$s.

Clearly the Rebels have been the cavernous hole in the middle of the rugby pitch in which the ARU had willingly poured $$ Millions.
I'm a Melbourne lad - there is no way that the Rebels can establish a viable foothold in the bastion of Australian Football.
The Melbourne crowds will still flock to watch a Bledisloe or other high profile Test match - they love their sport!

Hoping for a great showing against the Canes.
Wouldn't 3 from 3 at home be an enjoyable close to our SR fixture for 2017.

GO THE FORCE

[yungfen]

Nice little recap Andrew! I am also very intrigued as to the reason why M.Sinderberry is avoiding blaming the ARU board.
Perhaps he is keeping his cards close to his chest for when the time comes..... or is it because he is technically employed by them?

[valzc]

Keeping in mind that the meeting was 'open' to everyone , not just Force members- whereby Mark may have needed to be careful/diplomatic as to the content of what he says. No doubt Clyne & the board would monitor what was said, and he is still employed by the ARU. He wouldn't be about to reveal plans online & denigrate the ARU.

[PerthGirl]

Dissapointing to hear that only 2mill has been received for OTF. I know times are hard in WA but 6 mill had been promised. If people can afford it but are sitting on their hands waiting for an outcome they will be saying goodbye to the Force. Have they sent out messages to all diamond and corporate members, ex-players etc? For the first time I feel depressed about what is happening

[Wickerman]

Dissapointing to hear that only 2mill has been received for OTF. I know times are hard in WA but 6 mill had been promised. If people can afford it but are sitting on their hands waiting for an outcome they will be saying goodbye to the Force. Have they sent out messages to all diamond and corporate members, ex-players etc? For the first time I feel depressed about what is happening

At the moment OTF makes no difference, it is down to the court case, we win that we stay, we lose that we are gone - OTF only comes into play if we survive.

[Alison]

Yes, Mark made it abundantly clear that the ARU would not be swayed by anything other than a court ruling. There could be $45million in the OTF bank but it would make zero difference to the ARU's decision. Ditto for all our campaigning I guess, BUT what it does do is buoy up our guys during a horribly uncertain time for them, and I am proud that we have been able to do that so damn well despite the ARU!

[Wickerman]

Yes, Mark made it abundantly clear that the ARU would not be swayed by anything other than a court ruling. There could be $45million in the OTF bank but it would make zero difference to the ARU's decision. Ditto for all our campaigning I guess, BUT what it does do is buoy up our guys during a horribly uncertain time for them, and I am proud that we have been able to do that so damn well despite the ARU!

Alison, I totally agree with you regarding the support this has generated for the team, please don’t think my comments were made in any way to detract from what you and others have done campaigning to keep the Force in Perth. Hopefully when this is all over and we have secured our future, via the courts, we can go forward together and build something special here in the West.

[MI5_Dog]

Keeping in mind that the meeting was 'open' to everyone , not just Force members- whereby Mark may have needed to be careful/diplomatic as to the content of what he says. No doubt Clyne & the board would monitor what was said, and he is still employed by the ARU. He wouldn't be about to reveal plans online & denigrate the ARU.

Ladies and Gentlemen may I present the next ARU CEO Mr Mark Sinderberry

[blueandblack]

Dissapointing to hear that only 2mill has been received for OTF. I know times are hard in WA but 6 mill had been promised. If people can afford it but are sitting on their hands waiting for an outcome they will be saying goodbye to the Force. Have they sent out messages to all diamond and corporate members, ex-players etc? For the first time I feel depressed about what is happening

I am a Diamond member and have sent off money for 2 shares (did it on the first day).

[Alison]

Alison, I totally agree with you regarding the support this has generated for the team, please don’t think my comments were made in any way to detract from what you and others have done campaigning to keep the Force in Perth. Hopefully when this is all over and we have secured our future, via the courts, we can go forward together and build something special here in the West.

All good Wickerman - I didn't take your comments that way at all.

And I absolutely agree with you about going forward together and building something special. We always knew that the rugby community in WA was strong, but this whole debacle has brought us even closer together and has shown just how strong our community actually is!

[GIGS20]

Yes, Mark made it abundantly clear that the ARU would not be swayed by anything other than a court ruling. There could be $45million in the OTF bank but it would make zero difference to the ARU's decision. Ditto for all our campaigning I guess, BUT what it does do is buoy up our guys during a horribly uncertain time for them, and I am proud that we have been able to do that so damn well despite the ARU!

Don't be disheartened by the FUBARU's intractability in the face of overwhelming logic. Remember we don't support this cause publicly because we want to change the FUBARU's mind, we do it because we want to convince the court that the "process" is arbitrary, capricious and irresponsible. We do this in hope of it engendering a positive outcome.

[FingerTips]

The one thing that Mark seemed very sure of was that there will be a team cut! From what he was saying the 5 teams are unsustainable. It's now going to be a fight to see which one.

For me, this is the most negative and depressing comment to have come from Rugby WA the Western Force thus far in this shemozzle.

If the CEO of Rugby WA the Force believes that one Australian SR team must be culled before the start of the 2018 season, then I think that he has to accept that a second Australian SR team will probably need to be culled prior to the 2021 season (after the new broadcasting deal, when the revenues may go down, and not up). So if the Western Force or the Rebels don't get the chop at the end of this season, then the remaining team is likely to get the chop at the end of the 2020 season.

The next observation is highly pessimistic - sorry.
If and when the Force is chopped, then I hope that the ARU and its mouthpieces have the decency and the moral courage to be honest to the rugby community in WA and to refrain from issuing mealy mouthed platitudes about how WA remains important to them.

Instead, I hope that the ARU has the bottle to say what it really means when it culls the Force: i.e.
"In culling the Western Force, the ARU's message to the rugby community in WA, to the sporting public in WA and to the Government of Western Australia is simple and unambiguous - f*ck off!".

If the Rebels are chopped, then please substitute VIC for WA and Victoria for Western Australia in the above.

[Darren]

Maybe its time for the irb to take over running the ARU? They've done it before with other national unions

[Kalahard]

Im curious as to why the ARU who was espousing the 48-72 timeframe now want to avoid a court hearing and go to arbitration. Arbitration would drag out i would have thought longer than going to court. Are they trying to avoid an embarrassing court defeat? What happens when weeks of arbitration gets nowhere? Is the arbitration even binding, this could still be challenged by appeal i would have thought?