Behind Closed Doors, Nine-man Panel Will Scrum Down To Choose Super 14 Side

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday December 9, 2004

Ben Kimber

The time has come to decide between Melbourne and Perth, writes Ben Kimber.

The direction of rugby in Australia will be in the hands of nine individuals at the game's Sydney headquarters tomorrow morning, when the board of the Australian Rugby Union meets to make a decision that boils down to dollars or sense.

With Melbourne and Perth the only contenders in the race to secure Australia's fourth Super 14 rugby franchise - a team slated to play its first Super 14 match in just over 14 months - the door of the boardroom in the union's North Sydney offices will close at 9am tomorrow with a decision expected when it re-opens.

Representatives of an evaluation committee that has been working for the past three months will start the meeting by delivering their report, and then making a recommendation on which bid should succeed.

The ARU has weighed up each bid to measure financial viability, player welfare issues, community rugby prospects and long-term sustainability.

Members of the evaluation committee met late yesterday for what was expected to be their final conference.

As a result of yesterday's meeting, the recommendation to be put to the board members was finalised. But it remains only a preliminary ratification because the board, chaired by Queensland's Bob Tuckey, has the power to ignore the findings and select either of the two bids. With both bids certain to have been presented in convincing fashion, and with sponsors and public support emerging for each during the past three months to indicate a team in each city is a viable prospect, the decision by the ARU board could boil down to a much simpler equation.

Melbourne has the advantage in dollars, due to the sheer size and potential of its market.

Perth, meanwhile, has been pushing for what it believes is a true expansion of the code, the sense of a national game that spans the continent.

Whether the ARU believes the strength of either case remains to be seen, although each bid spokesman can offer arguments to counter any negative views.

According to WA Rugby chairman Geoff Stooke, the amount of dollars and the number of people in Melbourne may exceed those of Perth, but that doesn't necessarily represent more money or stability for the team.

"Big is not necessarily beautiful," Stooke said. "I use the analogy of the Sydney Swans, who still require financial support from the AFL despite the huge population of Sydney, which is bigger than Melbourne's, whereas the Brisbane Lions are the most successful team in the AFL and Brisbane has a similar population base to Perth.

"[In Perth] we've only got the two AFL teams, the Wildcats [in basketball] and the Glory [in soccer] and that's basically it. This team would have a huge profile."

For Melbourne, the sense of a national game that Perth's representatives point to does not rely on geography, but rather on a much different map of Australia drawn on population.

"Strength in numbers, we have five million reasons [to win this bid]," said Ron Steiner, president of the Victorian Rugby Union.

"And we've secured significant sponsorship for the next three years, plus the strength of our rugby community has really been reinforced by significant government support."

Steiner said Melbourne's attractiveness was also enhanced by plans to build a new stadium and a rugby academy.

"It's a home for rugby," he said.

Decisive moment: the men who will weigh up the bids

The ARU board which will make the decision at tomorrow's meeting in North Sydney: Bob Tuckey (ARU chairman and Qld representative), Gary Flowers (ARU managing director), Dilip Kumar (NSWRU chairman), Ron Graham (NSWRU president), Jon Collins (NSWRU rep), Ben Keogh (QRU chairman), Bill Barrett (QRU rep), Travis Hall (players' rep), Dennis Bree (minor-states rep).

The Herald asked Melbourne and Perth to revise the top five reasons they should be selected:

MELBOURNE: Strength in numbers, with 5 million Victorians; demonstrated commercial and corporate support with sponsors signed; overwhelming support of local community, both grassroots and business; unique opportunity to establish a national footprint for rugby, and capture building momentum; a home for rugby in the heart of a market which appreciates premium sport.

PERTH: Financial viability based on secured sponsorship; passionate support base - 5000 membership applications; huge government support with promised funds for stadium and operations; great playing and training facilities close to player accommodation; strong community rugby base in a city in which rugby can be a major player.

© 2004 Sydney Morning Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home