Rebuilding Newcastle

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Five years to fix the Knights

KNIGHTS coach Wayne Bennett said it would take ‘‘four or five years’’ to transform the club into an NRL super-power, but he was noncommittal about whether he would stay in Newcastle to lead that rebuilding process.

Speaking to the Newcastle Herald last night after a marathon meeting with former NSW and Australian Rugby League chief executive John Quayle, Knights chief executive Matt Gidley and two NRL representatives, Bennett was bullish about the club’s prospects but remained undecided about his own future.

Bennett initially signed a four-year contract with former owner Nathan Tinkler’s Hunter Sports Group to coach the Knights from 2012 until the end of 2015, saying at the time that he was struck by Tinkler’s passion and ‘‘private ownership appeals to me’’.

But he confirmed last night that the final year of that deal had been nullified since the NRL officially took the ownership reins from Tinkler two weeks ago.

Revised deals meant Bennett and his support staff were now contracted only until the end of October.

‘‘We had a four-hour meeting today – Matt and myself, John Quayle, and two ARL/NRL people, and it was very beneficial, but we didn’t really make any final decisions about myself. We’re going to do that another day,’’ Bennett said after the meeting in Newcastle.

‘‘We just talked about the new structure going forward, what it should look like, and they told us they’d be appointing a board through a process, and we’ve all got our jobs until the end of October, and after that, who knows? I’m comfortable about what went on today. They’ve got a plan, and they want to take this club to places it probably hasn’t been, but noone’s talking about a quick fix.

‘‘Noone’s talking about it’s going to happen in 12 or 18 months.

‘‘It’s going to take four or five years, I’ve got no doubt about that at all, to get it up to speed and where they want to take it, and they want to do it with a new board and a new direction – all those things that are important.’’

Bennett gave no indication whether he would commit to the Knights beyond October ‘‘but I was pleased to be part of that process today and the conversations we had, and it sounds good’’.

A seven-time premiership-winning coach with the Brisbane Broncos (six) and St George Illawarra Dragons (one), Bennett acknowledged he had to declare his hand as soon as possible ‘‘for the club’s sake and my sake and everybody’s.’’

As for committing to a time frame, he said: ‘‘I’m not going to say it’s going to be a week or two weeks or whatever. It’s just when I get certain things clear in my mind and when some of the discussions that we had there today kind of sink in a little bit’’.

Constantly linked to a return to one of his former clubs, Bennett said he understood the speculation about his future but would not contribute to it.

Bennett said he had told his players of his intention to meet with the NRL to try to clarify his future as soon as possible.

‘‘I did tell them two weeks ago that I had decisions to make, and this process would be happening, so they were aware from that,’’ he said.

Knights winger James McManus said he was unaffected by ongoing talks aimed at establishing the club’s new structure, ‘‘but I can’t speak for anyone else’’.

‘‘Obviously it would be great if Wayne stayed, but I don’t know what’s going to happen,’’ McManus said yesterday. ‘‘It’s the same with a lot of stuff this year, as players we can’t do anything about it and we’ve just got to get on with it.

‘‘We haven’t spoken about it so it’s something that Wayne and the NRL and whoever ends up taking over the club has got to sort out. It’s nothing really the players can do anything about so there’s no point thinking about it.’’

http://www.theherald.com.au/

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Quayle riding to Knights’ rescue

HE was once the most influential figure in Australian rugby league. Now John Quayle is lending his expertise to help reinvent the Knights after the demise of Nathan Tinkler.

Quayle, the general manager of the NSWRL and then chief executive of the ARL from 1983 to 1996, acted as an ‘‘adviser’’ yesterday at the first major planning and strategy meeting since the NRL assumed control of the Knights two weeks ago.

Knights chief executive Matt Gidley and coach Wayne Bennett and two unnamed NRL representatives, appointed by NRL chief executive Dave Smith, met for four hours to discuss such issues as business plans, candidates for the new seven-person board and the club’s future coaching philosophy.

Incumbent Newcastle chairman Paul Harragon was not present because he is on leave.

Gidley said Quayle, who owns a farm at Denman and is the chairman of Venues NSW, had ‘‘a real affiliation with Newcastle’’ and a thorough knowledge of the club’s history dating back to 1988.

‘‘He’s a long-time administrator. He knows Newcastle really well and was involved when the club was first set up,’’ Gidley said last night.

‘‘So he understands Newcastle and the community and the type of club we need to build, and he was able to give some valuable input into our discussions today. John was an integral part of everything back in 1988, so it was really helpful having him here today.’’

Gidley said it would be premature to assume that Quayle’s presence yesterday suggested he would be appointed to Newcastle’s new board.

‘‘I’m not sure what John’s commitments are,’’ Gidley said.

‘‘But what I can say is the calibre of people putting their hands up for the board has been amazing.

‘‘All our members and supporters need to take some comfort from the type of people that want to come and contribute to our board.’’

Gidley said no concrete decisions had been made at yesterday’s brainstorming session but a broad range of subjects were discussed.

‘‘We don’t want to make any decisions in the short term,’’ Gidley said. ‘‘Any business plans we come up with will be designed for the long term.

‘‘We need to take our time and put processes in place to build a club that is financially sustainable and represents the community in the best possible way.

‘‘We’ve got a unique opportunity to do that ... but we’ll need a number of these planning meetings to achieve that.’’

Gidley said Newcastle’s coaching position was discussed in general terms but negotiations with Bennett had not kicked off.

The master coach and his staff are effectively free agents because the deals they signed under the Hunter Sports Group regime will expire at the end of this season.

‘‘What we did discuss in great detail is the club philosophy moving forward ... [but] there was no specific decision regarding Wayne,’’ Gidley said.

‘‘When the coaching decision is made, that will have to be in line with the club philosophy.’’

http://www.theherald.com.au/

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John Quayle *swoon*

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TONY BUTTERFIELD: Time to shore up foundation

“The broader the base, the higher the apex”, was one such maxim that resonated with me in relation to the team. Simply put, the harder you work and the more you invest at the base, the higher will be your potential. Smart bloke, Macca.

And that very Macca-ism sprang to mind last week when I heard the Newcastle Rugby League faces a funding shortfall due to the demise of the Tinkler-owned Knights.

I mean, how can the third-largest region by population in the NRL, with one of the largest (more than 8300 players) and most successful league nurseries be on the brink of losing more of their skeleton staff – much less provide any support other than administration to its constituent junior clubs?

Didn’t the national body recently do a television deal for $1.2billion – nearly double the previous deal?

Where is the long-awaited funding for the junior game? Surely, there’s enough to go around?

The $200million plus a year the NRL has secured in its last television deal is a result of the game’s unprecedented popularity. But none of it is finding its way back to support the kids and parents who drive that popularity.

Therefore, the current strategic model could hardly be said to be conducive to a sustainable system, where results at the top are recycled back through the bottom to ensure future success.

Some might question who is really responsible for that popularity?

Before you say ‘‘the slick marketing and packaging of the product nowadays’’ (which has its place), have a think about where all the money comes from, how the interest is maintained, and why sponsors and advertisers get involved?

The answer is simple – because of the fan base. The grassroots. The critical mass.

In a commercial sense, we are the cash cows that are being milked at every turn in rugby league.

But where is the return?

We pay for tickets to games, merchandise, sponsors products, hospitality and food. Significantly, we also fork out for pay-TV subscriptions to watch our game.

These are big costs to each punter. When millions do it, we are talking big money indeed.

Who will grow tomorrow’s players? Who is preparing tomorrow’s cash cow consumers? Who is keeping the sport popular? The junior system, that’s who!

The junior system has long been seen by those with influence as a miracle of modern economics.

This system not only prepares the budding future stars for the NRL, but also keeps the game relevant to millions at negligible cost to corporate rugby league.

The junior system pumps out thousands of players every season who will likely become consumers of league for life – not to mention the multiplier effect on brothers, sisters, aunties, nanas and so on, who will be, to some degree, similarly influenced.

If the game were an iceberg, the junior and country competitions represent the huge unseen component under water in terms of their contribution to production.

But do they have a say? Are they involved in decisions that affect them? Do they receive a piece of the funding pie – a pie that they have lovingly, diligently and selflessly helped prepare over many years?

The Real NRL used to provide small funding grants to junior clubs. For senior teams, the Real NRL received $20 for each registered player. For junior registrations, the Real NRL received $10. They would take half and the junior club would get half. For most, this might be about $1000 a year – not a lot, unless you are a struggling junior league club.

Unfortunately, that relative gravy train ran out of steam in the late 1990s and there hasn’t been a cracker since. A few tackling pads with corporate logos, but nothing meaningful.

As a parent, sausage sizzler and junior coach of 15 years, I’d like to ask the NRL why? Why would you ignore and not support the junior game? Why, in a time when it is hard to get good, qualified volunteers due to work or other obligations, do you impose further costs with qualifications, equipment or even fuel.

We raise our own money, pay for our own jerseys, provide free registration to nippers, engage the community and help young men develop physically and emotionally. Are we not providing a positive contribution to the game and to society?

Are we not the base atop which the game’s apex sits? If we are, then when is the NRL going to announce and deliver a funding initiative commensurate with that contribution?

Meanwhile, at the Real NRL level, the conduit through which funding has historically been sought is through the Country Rugby League. A proud institution it might be, but structurally now unable to make representations on behalf of its traditional constituents to the NRL.

As a result, the Real NRL has been on the bones of its financial backside for years – relying on handouts to maintain staff and control. The short-lived funding bonus from Nathan Tinkler had it better resourced than ever. Not so into the future.

Newly appointed chief executive Matty Harris is the right man for the job, but he has been handed the biggest challenge this representative body has faced in many years.

For what it’s worth, I believe he should break the mould. The old structures have been superseded.

This inequity should be confronted in a co-ordinated regional way. Places such as the Illawarra, Western Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and the Hunter should join forces to make their case for funding and support direct to the NRL.

When they do, can they please ensure they also represent the interests of those volunteers who work their backsides off, who have done and continue to do their share for the prosperity of the game and its players.

Junior league officials, parents, barbecue cooks and kids deserve recognition for the irreplaceable role they play in building the financial and resource base of our sport/business.

The future beckons, and league does not have the field to itself. Competition, changing demographics and community appeal dictate strategic leveraging of the game’s biggest and most fundamental asset.

The NRL competition is singularly dependent on the junior support base for its very existence, much less financial viability – whether it acknowledges it as such.

On that basis, my call-out to NRL CEO Dave Smith and any commissioners who might read this column is: support the base and the base will grow and support your ambitions.

It is your move – can you really afford to disappoint?

http://www.theherald.com.au/