O'Neill to end Western Force Contracting Witch Hunt
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Dave Hughes
8th June 2007
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ontentID=30842
Enforcer O’Neill into fray
The Australian rugby players’ union is confident comeback supremo John O’Neill will terminate the contracting witch-hunt targeting the Western Force.
O’Neill was yesterday confirmed as managing director of the Australian Rugby Union from June 28, the second time he has held the position.
He successfully headed rugby from 1995 to 2003 before falling victim to internal politics and moving to soccer.
Rugby’s subsequent decline led to his reinstatement in the hope his nononsense, goal-oriented style of management would overcome the factional rifts holding back the sport.
Some on the east coast consider the Force’s success on and off the field has come at their own expense and a campaign to discredit the Super 14 newcomers manifested itself through a series of leaked documents purported to show contracting irregularities.
The ARU has been under pressure to squeeze the Force, whose players this week received letters demanding details of endorsement deals and work outside rugby, plus a declaration the Force had not illegally promoted third-party deals during contract negotiations. Letters were not sent to the players from the other Australian Super 14 clubs.
The Rugby Union Players’ Association attacked the issue of the letters as an “open-ended fishing expedition” and hoped O’Neill would terminate the bid to smear the Force.
The association’s WA representative, former Wallaby John Welborn, expects O’Neill to be intolerant towards those striving to drag down the Force to their levels of mediocrity. “We hope the new leadership will put a stop to these open-ended fishing expeditions which smack of special treatment towards the Force,” he said.
“We are confident the ARU will instead focus on a workable contracting process that meets the needs of players and clubs.”
The Force are seething they, as the employer, were not told letters had been posted to 33 players.
But the ARU says it requested information of player deals in January, without response. “The ARU is entitled to know this information under the contracting agreement,” said spokesman Roger White, who confirmed the latest probe was limited to Force players.
“If questions are raised about procedures or deals involving other unions, and we believe there is a case to answer, we’ll investigate in the same manner.”
It is believed the response to the letter from one Force player has brought to light a legal endorsement deal of which the ARU was not aware.
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