Many years ago, before they put the internet on computers, rugby league lived on the back pages of the vast array of morning and afternoon newspapers that circulated in the hundreds of thousands.
The powerbrokers at the NSW Rugby League knew the value of publicity, good or bad. Their sport had to be on the back page, no matter what. If there was no story kicking around, they would manufacture one.
John Quayle, the first general manager of the NSWRL, often reflects on those times with a cheeky grin; about how he’d phone The Daily Mirror’s legendary rugby league reporter, Peter Frilingos, and come up with a story accompanied by a 250-point headline.
That was the 1980s but, even then, Quayle’s sole purpose was to keep rugby league in the news cycle. It was never about himself.
You sense the constant stream of quotes and half-baked proposals from ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys are more about himself and less about rugby league.
The same applies to Rugby Australia counterpart Hamish McLennan, who’s surpassed David Campese as his code’s most predictable rent-a-quote.
Peter V’landys and Hamish McLennan.Credit: Fairfax Media
For weeks, these two grown-up sporting administrators have ripped into one another in this increasingly tedious war of words about pinching each other’s best players.
The latest development is the NRL’s genius scheme of giving clubs $1 million in salary-cap relief to secure rugby union talent, whether it’s in Australia, South Africa or Argentina.
The proposal goes deeper than that: the money can be used to procure talent from the US. I’m sure US colleges, where American football is played in front of crowds of 100,000, are terrified.
Why V’landys continues to jump at rugby’s shadow like it’s a great white shark in the shallows is a matter for him, but is surprising given, as V’landys should be aware, the NRL went through all this 20 years ago.
Google it. It’s on the internet, which can be found on computers these days.
When the Australian Rugby Union, as it was known then, secured the likes of Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers and Lote Tuqiri — and almost landed Andrew Johns – it had money to burn, especially after making a $45 million profit after hosting the World Cup in 2003.
NRL chief executive David Gallop gave salary-cap concessions to clubs at that time. “We introduced a concession because we had a few ‘henny pennys’ who fell for the noise,” he told me. “But it never got used because most clubs themselves knew it was a potential culture-killer to not nurture your own.”
None of the clubs I spoke to on Monday showed any interest in using it. They talked about other issues such as the collective bargaining agreement not being finalised; the NRLW draw not being released; the death of bush football; the death of grassroots football; and the far bigger threat of AFL, which has deeper pockets and a long-term strategy about infiltrating rugby league strong-holds.
Club recruitment managers tell me there is little to fear about rugby union because rugby league can offer players things the rival code cannot: better pathways to senior football; better coaching; a better domestic competition played in front of people; State of Origin; Wayne Bennett press conferences.
They also report that this so-called war helps nobody except player managers, who can use the other code as a stalking horse.
There’s also the inescapable fact that McLennan is playing poker with a pretty bad hand.
He’s given rugby relevance by securing Eddie Jones as Wallabies coach and wrenching Joseph Suaalii out of the Roosters by giving him the farm.
Nathan Cleary to rugby union? Hamish McLennan needs to get a grip.Credit: Getty
Much like V’landys, though, he seems addicted to seeing his name in the paper.
He lost credibility when he started talking about “hit-lists” and going after Nathan Cleary, who is signed to Penrith until the end of 2027 where his father is the coach.
McLennan is banking on private equity to fund rugby’s new dawn and good luck to him. It has the potential to save the code. As reported in the Australian Financial Review last week, RA is trying to raise as much as $250m in outside capital.
But not all athletes can be bought and surely some of that money should be used to prop up grassroots rugby, which has been haemorrhaging talent to rugby league for years.
You can bet rugby’s narrative will change once the Wallabies start their season in coming months. If the national side gets trampled by All Blacks and Springboks in a World Cup year, it will require more than leaked NRL hit-lists and zingers aimed at V’landys to shift the focus.
Until then, expect the phoney war to continue.
As I dust off this column, our good friends at News Corp have broken a story about the NRL investigating the idea of a season-opening double-header next year in Las Vegas.
The NRL keeps telling us rugby league’s “combative nature” will appeal to American hearts and minds. Apparently, their starved for sport in the US at the moment.
In reality, the NRL league wants a share of the exploding sports wagering market. I’d suggest that’s a reality it prefers not to shout from the rooftops.
At last count, this was the 432nd proposal to open the season in the US, so wake me up when something actually happens.
But, if it does, book me the penthouse suite at the Bellagio and put the Integrity Unit on standby. Sounds like a lot fun.
