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Thread: Billionaire Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest dismissed reports his interest in Western Force i

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by shasta View Post
    Really people? The past is the past. All those wolves in sheep's clothing are now really nice little puppies who are giving the Force lots of free money - no strings attached. You all need to move on.
    the smartest thing you have posted in months.

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  2. #17
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    damn - sorry

    forgot something...........


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    Quote Originally Posted by .X. View Post
    the smartest thing you have posted in months.
    X we would move on if the same turds that were involved in shafting the Force weren't still heavily involved in RA

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    Quote Originally Posted by Perth Girl View Post
    X we would move on if the same turds that were involved in shafting the Force weren't still heavily involved in RA
    I think you'll find that most of the board has changed, Pip Marlow is still there, not sure whether Bret Godfrey was in when the genocide occurred, but guys like Hamish McLennan, Phil Waugh, Tim Gavin are fairly new appointments.

    I mean, yeah Rob Clarke was deeply involved in the underhanded dealings that enabled the ARU to ignore the clusterfizzle that is the Rebels and kill the Force (Including handing the Alliance Agreement to Tim North, creating the "great big spreadsheet" etc) so we have a right not to trust him until he does enough to redress those imbalances, but you can't completely tar this board with the failings of the previous one.

    Give them the opportunity to try and lure WA back into Aussie rugby, God knows that's going to be difficult enough with the deep-seated distrust that multiple boards have worked hard to generate and I don't think they're capable of reigning in the powerbrokers until the entire house of cards tumbles down, but I think Twiggy has all that well in hand and will make sure that the new administration are held to account. At the moment, the Force hold all the cards, because they're the only Aussie team with an income stream until the participation agreement is signed I'm sure that's the tactic Twiggy used to force RA into sharing the broadcast payments fairly. RA have everything to lose here and Force have nothing, if the Force decide to pull out of Super Rugby AU the entire broadcast agreement is at risk and it won't cost the Force a cent (I'm sure they were counting on not getting anything from RA)

    BTW has anybody noticed the massive advertising campaign for Force memberships, is it me or is that interesting timing coming shortly after the funding announcement, like they suddenly have all this money they weren't expecting.

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    C'mon the

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    The faces on the board may have changed, may even have changed for the better at the moment, but as fast as that has happened it could unhappen again. The key realisation from it all was that, push come to shove, 'Australian rugby' will sit still for WA (and presumably the other minor states) being thrown to one side if it provides them advantage. That is what needs to be borne in mind at all times in future dealings, rather than focusing on individuals.

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    Immortal Contributor shasta's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndyS View Post
    but as fast as that has happened it could unhappen again. The key realisation from it all was that, push come to shove, 'Australian rugby' will sit still for WA (and presumably the other minor states) being thrown to one side if it provides them advantage
    That's the crucial part and it's what stops me from wearing rose colored glasses just yet. But still, I'm optimistic and looking forward to SR next year. AF's oft stated proviso that genuine governance reform needs to be made for him to remain engaged is what gives me some confidence. So far Hamish Mc seems to be on the same page.

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    Agree with the cautious approach,but the fact that they need to field 5 teams to get their money gives me confidence that twiggy and hodgeo will get what they need.

    I can't see either of them making a long term deal without significant guarantees.

    In short, I don't trust rugby Australia, but I do trust twiggy and hodgeo, so unless the voluntarily relinquish the control that has developed all will be ok in the short term.

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    C'mon the

  8. #23
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    The end of bit in The Australian above says:
    "Forrest has said he would be prepared to look at investment in RA if changes are made to governance that would unlock the stranglehold of the NSW and Queensland unions.
    RA said it has also had informal discussions with Forrest on private equity investment."

    The carrot is there, if they are really broke.

    In the meanwhile let the Sea of Blue enjoy the ride while Twiggy fulfils this :

    “My ambition is to now make the Western Force the strongest club in world rugby, with far more locally grown players.
    “We have only just begun on this journey and I am committed to seeing it through for many years to come."

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  9. #24
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    The personnel at RA and on the RA board can change as many times as they like, but the fundamental problem is that NSW and QLD hold more power than any of the other jurisdictions. That is reflected both in the RA Constitution and in the fact that other jurisdictions can only ‘draft’ players who have come up through the NSW and QLD pathways if NSW/QLD agree. In other words, NSW and QLD have first dibs on any player they have ‘grown’.

    Until that stranglehold is stopped, the playing field will never be even no matter how much money someone like Andrew Forrest has to throw at the game in Australia.

    I’m hanging out to see the new constitution that North and the other guy (can’t remember his name, sorry) are supposedly drafting.

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    The stranglehold that Qld & NSW rugby have over RA is the crux of the problem, a case of the tail wagging the dog. Clarke & North back being involved (in rewriting the constitution no less!) is a worry. You would think the integrity of North thus far is on a par with Clyne, so doubtless Twiggy & Hodgo are wide awake to any BS games. Ultimately, RA are still broke and despite some better new management, I doubt whether they give a shit about the Force. If push came to shove again, guaranteed the same thing would happen.

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    I rummaged around and found what I thought i had seen. There is a bit of information about the constitution in this story.

    Western Force owner Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest has gone from villain to potential hero for Rugby Australia
    Nick Taylor
    The West Australian

    Western Force owner, billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, is the most powerful player in Australian rugby right now, holding the strongest hand in the game and certainly sitting on the biggest pile of chips.
    It seems almost inconceivable that three years after Rugby Australia became Public Enemy No.1, controversially axing the Force and refusing Forrest’s $70 million offer to keep the club alive, they are now courting the mining magnate.
    Angered by RA’s knockback, Forrest went alone. He bankrolled the Force and built Global Rapid Rugby. Now RA want him and the club back inside their tent.
    New RA chairman Hamish McLennan makes no secret of it, fulsome in his praise of Forrest and the Force.
    In return Forrest has described McLennan as the “light at the end of the tunnel” — somewhat different to his colourful description of the “puerile, pathetic, short-sighted and unfair” previous RA administration.
    Inviting the Force into this year’s Super competition was a predictably smart move by McLennan and went a long way to thawing the icy relationship.
    But Forrest made it clear he would only accept, and be prepared to look at future investment, if RA made changes to their governance and unlock the stranglehold of the NSW and Queensland unions.
    It is understood a review recommends a board of six elected and two co-opted directors with two new committees reporting to the board.
    One would be a Super Rugby committee of two board members and a representative of every Super club, the other a State and Territory committee with two board members and a representative from unions that do not have a Super side.

    Claims Forrest would replace the Qantas logo with FMG on the Wallabies jumper when the airline ditched its long-standing sponsorship have been dismissed.
    But he is interested in helping the grassroots game nationally, having already committed $5 million to a WA grassroots- to-elite program.
    However, in return for any investment Forrest would want an option on a private equity stake in the game.
    Meanwhile, Australia’s four other Super sides — Rebels, Brumbies, Waratahs and Reds — struggle financially and are currently bound by a $5.5 million salary cap, overseas player restrictions and third party payment regulations.
    There are no such problems for Forrest’s Force, who are not yet tied to a Super agreement.
    And that is likely to add to the fears of some in the Eastern States that the Force are building a “superteam” with a host of international signings.
    There has been talk of the Force playing in a New Zealand competition in 2022 but that would be a final fall-back position and only if the Australian competition did not restart.
    The club has dismissed as speculation a report that an agreement in principle has been reached with NZ Rugby. Forrest has also previously insisted that he would pursue GRR in some form.
    One insider said: “Andrew is in the middle of it all. He has all the cards he needs.
    “He can sign off on all the superstars he wants until a Super Rugby agreement is struck across all sides.
    “He has a long-term view on investment and private equity investment in rugby, but he wants change constitutionally, something in return before investing.”
    McLennan told The West Australian there had been informal discussions with Forrest on private equity investment, but added: “I love working with Andrew.
    “I’m sure he can do more in our game. We just need to frame it out in the next six months.
    “The most obvious place is to look at the Super Rugby competition and I would welcome that with Twiggy.
    “But I must say we’ve also had expressions of interest from overseas as well. We need to run a process around that.”
    RA has reportedly been in talks with the Australian arm of American private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.
    RA interim chief executive Rob Clarke, one of those responsible for the Force axing, is now talking with them about their Super future.
    “Yes, they currently sit outside some of the structures we have in place with the other clubs,” Clarke said.
    “That said, we are in constant dialogue on all matters surrounding player contracting, salary caps, player movement between clubs.
    “It will all be worked through in detail, around specific elements that each club has to deal with.
    “As long as the overall philosophy is agreed by all teams, then a one-size fits-all approach may not be the most elegant way of solving some of those unique challenges.
    “We need to be practical and pragmatic.
    “We need all teams to be competitive.”

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    Legend Contributor Alison's Avatar
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    Fantastic!!

    Love it when he says, “it’s not about winning. It’s about having a team, a community and something to rally around...” Spot on, mate!

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