A disgruntled Parramatta Eels supporter - by Mary

It is becoming increasingly painful for me to open up the newspaper each day to read about my beloved Parramatta Eels. Lady Luck certainly has not been on our side - on or off the field and this is reflected in the difficulties we are having at a board level and in our performances on the field.  

The latest news to come out of Parramatta came on Saturday night when it was revealed that Parramatta Leagues Club CEO Bob Bentley had been sacked. He was summarily dismissed after a board meeting on Saturday with Peter McEvoy having since been installed as interim CEO. Bob is another man that I had met on multiple occasions and someone who I had tremendous respect for. I was saddened and shocked to hear that he was no longer working with the Club.

This is only the latest departure from the Club in recent weeks, which began with 12 players being told that their services were no longer required for next year. Football club CEO Ken Edwards parted ways with the Club. You can read more on that here. Bonnie Hindmarsh and Erin Cayless who were both heavily involved in events at the Club have since left as has Leagues Club operations manager Tony Cinque.

Bentley's departure sees him considering his legal options - another drama which the Parramatta Eels don't currently need.

What this latest sacking highlights is what I see as one of the biggest problems at the Parramatta Eels. If there is one word I can use to describe the Eels over the last couple of years, it has to be instablity.

Since 2009, Parramatta has seen the board change twice, the role of Parramatta Leagues Club CEO change multiple times (remember Paul Osbourne everyone) and we have also seen the coach change a number of times. As a Parramatta supporter I find all of this deeply troubling. Whenever a new person comes into office, whatever level they are at, there is always a period of reshuffling and rebuilding as the new person seeks to implement their ideas and their methods as well as separating them from the previous regime. This is one of the reasons I think Parramatta has been so unsuccessful off the field since 2012 - we have not had coaching stability. Each coach is punted when results do not begin going their way. This has set a dangerous precedent and also suggests that if we don't see improvement on the field shortly, Ricky might be living on borrowed time.

Back to Bentley however. What is clearly evident at Parramatta at the moment is that there is friction between the old board led by Roy Spagnolo and the current board led by Stephen Sharp.  
 
Following Bentley's departure, Sid Kelly has tendered his resignation to the football club which could potentially lead to an early election and may see the return of Roy Spagnolo.

This is more upheaval the Club does not need. As a fan, I am tired of all the bickering. It is embarrassing to see the Club I love so much, essentially become the laughing stock of the League. It is shattering to be part of a Club with such a tremendously strong fan base (we hit 17,000 members this week) with management that does not seem to be able to get it right.

This is not meant to be a political post, but I also find it troubling that  a petition has now been started protesting the new board and seeking to push for an early election. The new board has only been in place for 3 months and already their ability to make change is being hampered by people again, not giving them enough time. Whatever your view on who is right to lead the club, the new board was voted in legitimately by members - this should be enough of a mandate for them to at least have some time to attempt to make some changes at the Club.

Instead of Parramatta being a Club for someone to control or to exercise control over, we should all be looking to make our club better and stronger. It should not be about which 'ticket' of individuals is better. No one is the enemy. It should be which individuals have the expertise and the love for our club to make it great again. I know very closely members of the Spagnolo camp and also members of the Sharp camp. They are all fantastic leaders, individuals, have great passion for the Club and the ability to help our Club rise to greater heights. However, at the moment, none of this is shining through because it is clearly one faction against the other.

I want better from my Club and I think we deserve it. I no longer want Parramatta to be akin to a bad boyfriend who keeps breaking my heart, over and over.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

What Women Want - By Amanda

One of my favourite things in life is meeting new people. The author of this next blog is a very fabulous friend of mine who I was extremely lucky to meet. Amanda is Host of the Business Woman Radio, Host of theAmandaRoseTV, founder and techer of the 100 Day Plan and basically all round awesome. I am so delighted she has written this fabulous blog for us. Enjoy!
________________________________________________________________________

NRL is a truly Australian sport loved by generations of dedicated fans.

The NRL have long been supported by the funds secured via their associated Leagues Clubs (mainly through pokies). Possibly why they are so complacent when it comes to looking after their stakeholders. 

Brand NRL has been slowly dismantled over the years because they have forgotten their most important stakeholder - the woman.

The “woman” is the key to all future success for the NRL (and all other codes too).

She is the daughter, wife or sister of a currently avid NRL supporter.

The mother of potential NRL fans and players.

Even though the NRL put on “Women in League” breakfasts and have women’s related events, they have failed to understand what a woman really wants.

Respect.

It is tradition to have cheerleaders in the NRL, although is it strategic to have cheerleaders and promotion girls work the crowds and boxes for a “photo opportunity” whilst wives and partners stand idle?

I also don’t know of many women who would want their young girls being grabbed by men twice their age or have their young boys believe this type of behavior is ok.

Women care about their family. This family can be their team and also their immediate family.

Taking this into consideration, the NRL as a whole need to forget the pokies for a moment and pay attention to the largest driving force behind any real successful brand. The women.

 
Speak with them. Ask them questions. Understand that the quickest and most effective way to develop a community (family) spirit is focusing on the core values of a woman.

Hear hear!

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

The Melbourne Storm Salary Cap Saga - By Mary

Following an absolutely delightful weekend at Splendour in the Grass over the last 4 days, I have come back to see my NRL world in tatters. Parramatta had another huge loss on Friday night and there has been a significant upheaval with Bob Bentley being sacked on Saturday night. A blog on this is to come later on.

However, as I was reading the paper today, another very ugly issue popped its head up again - the Melbourne Storm salary cap saga, with it being revealed that a book set to be published about one of the darkest periods in Australian sporting history. Paul Kennedy's book, 'Storm Cloud' is all about the Melbourne Storm salary cap rort and I cannot wait to read it. Read more here.

As a Parramatta fan, this is an issue I am passionate about, particularly since the Storm beat the Eels in 2009 with essentially an illegal team.

The year after I wrote a piece on the Storm's salary cap breaches and turned it into a presentation. I thought you might all be interested to have a read.

The context of this post is summed up perfectly by former Rugby League Premiership Winning Coach, Warren Ryan when he said –

‘I think [the salary cap] has a place if it’s done fairly and everyone sticks to it. The problem, of course, is that people don’t - people cheat on the salary cap… It’s probably unenforceable’.

And with that in mind, I’ll take you back to Thursday 22nd April 2010, where our story gets interesting.

The 2010 NRL Telstra Premiership was about to enter Round 7. At this stage it was a fairly even comp. The St-George Illawarra Dragons were leading on 10 points, followed by the Melbourne Storm, the Gold Coast Titans, The Sydney Roosters and the Wests Tigers all on 8 points. Each team had won at least one game, with the Cronulla Sharks at the bottom of the table with 2 points.

It was the NRL betting markets which first showed signs of something amiss. There was Australia-wide curiosity as to why when the betting markets opened, punters plunged a significant amount of money onto the market at what, at that time, seemed an extraordinary bet, being that Melbourne would finish the 2010 season with the wooden spoon. The extraordinary nature of this bet was reflected in odds as high as $251 while concurrently, the Storm remained $4.20 favourites with TAB Sportsbet to defend the Premiership it had won in 2009 against the Eels.

At 2pm it was confirmed that NRL Chief Executive David Gallop would call a press conference at NRL Headquarters in Sydney. At 4pm, the Rugby League Community halted and this was the news that followed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1fjk3ADS7g

The news that the Storm had breached the salary cap had broken.

Before we discuss what the Storm did, I’ll explain how the Salary cap operates.

Its a hard cap and for 2012 was $4.4 million for the 25 highest paid players at each club. Each club can exercise its discretion in determining how much each player is paid as long as total payments are below $4.4 million. As well as this $4.4 million, each club can spend an additional $350 000 on players outside the top 25 who play in the NRL competition.

The salary cap aims to spread playing talent so the wealthier clubs cannot outbid the poorer ones to acquire all the best players and to prevent clubs needing to overspend dramatically to attract quality talent. It basically seeks to even the playing field. Whether the cap achieves these aims is debatable. This culture of overpaying players was something seen during the Super League war when there was no salary cap in place. Part of the war was about over paying players, especially in the case of Superleague, to make sure the product was highly marketable and had the best talent Rugby League could offer. Owned by News Limited, when it came to players, money was no object.

Now, back to the Storm and how they managed to bamboozle the NRL and Salary Cap Auditor, Ian Shubert.

Central to this story is Brian Waldron, who became Chief Executive of the Storm in 2005, the year the breaches started. When he became Chief Executive he wrote to Schubert and stated that the Storm, under his leadership, ‘was committed to acting with honesty and integrity in its salary cap dealings’. In what was revealed in a Report detailing the Breaches, nothing was further from the truth.

As an overview, the amount the Storm exceeded the Cap for its Top 25 is below:

2006: $302 891

2007: $459 206

2008: $957 206

2009: $1 020 597

2010: $1 039 696

This totals approximately $3.8 million over the 5 years. At the moment, this might sound like just numbers, so to put it in perspective and to illustrate how players are remunerated in Australia I’ll give an example.

At the Eels, Jarryd Hayne is one of our best and most highly paid players. He is allegedly on $500 000 a season and represents Parramatta at a Club level, NSW in State of Origin and Australia as a Kangaroo.

This is the sort of magic Jarryd is capable of producing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVol-ruR-cI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHYsO8vw58s

With the over payments the Storm were making in 2007, they could essentially afford the advantage of one extra Jarryd. By 2009 and 2010, they could afford 2 extra Jarryd’s. This resulted in a markedly strengthened playing roster reflected in the fact that from 2006-2009 the Storm appeared in four successive Grand Finals, winning in 2007 against Manly and in 2009 against Parramatta. They also won the Minor Premiership in the 2006-2008 seasons.

So how did the Storm administration manage these sustained breaches?

The breaches occurred in three phases:

The first took place between 2005 and 2007 and involved a dual contracting method. An unsigned letter of offer would be prepared which recorded the full terms of the contract for the player while the contract registered with the NRL would omit significant remuneration and benefits. These arrangements applied to 8 players and in 2006 allowed the Storm to retain at least one elite player it would not have been able to if it complied with its obligations under the Cap.

The second phase occurred from 2008 and involved 2 elements –

First, a fraudulent scheme where the Storm, without informing players, lodged sham player contract variations with the NRL that falsely represented that players had agreed to contract variations where their 2008 payments were put off to later years and then the players were paid their original contracts through a third party, McManus Presents.

And second, through the payment of undisclosed remuneration to players through McManus Presents, which were directly funded by the Storm. McManus presents would issue the Storm sham invoices with false narratives. The Storm would then pay the invoices and the payments were passed onto the players. Payments were made to 10 players under this scheme.

The third and final scheme consisted of three elements.

First, the players the subject of the sham 2008 contract variations had their contracts terminated by agreement or re negotiated, thereby avoiding bringing to account the varied payments.

Four players received image rights payments from a sponsor in exchange for accepting contracts with lower 2009 payments than those to which they were commercially entitled.

The Storm entered into secret side letters with three of its elite players where it agreed to pay substantial remuneration to the players in excess of that contained in their Contracts. This amounted to 500 000 a season, each.

We can see that especially in this third scheme, over payments were restricted to a small group. This shows that due to the extent of the over payments being made, risk of detection increased as more people knew. A decision was made to restrict the payments to players whose agents were willing to negotiate arrangements that were in essence, a fraud.

Brian Waldron, Matt Hanson who was responsible for covering up the second phase of the conduct and the financial officers at the Storm have engaged in fraud by swearing false statutory declarations and verifying declarations of remuneration that were false. They also modified written records. Matt Hanson had in a file at home all the second contracts as he was instructed not to keep them on site by Waldron. The conduct has been described as contractual treachery.

In regard to the players, there is no conclusive evidence that any of the players were aware of the breaches.

However, from the Report it can be said that ‘Player G’ was aware that some of his remuneration came from McManus presents, but that he did no work for them.

Another player signed a contract on the understanding that an additional payment would be made to him outside that stated in the official contract. It appears that he had direct knowledge that this remuneration would not be disclosed.

Two other players admitted that they knew that their original deal had a side letter and that there were discrepancies between the side letter and the NRL playing contracts for 2009. They both thought the club would ‘sort it out’.

Many other players said that they did not read the contracts they signed indicating complete reliance on their managers and accountants. However, for the purposes of the NRL Player Contract Remuneration Rules, the conduct of a player agent is also deemed the conduct of the player for whom the agent acts.

The NRL Player Contract Remuneration Rules show that direct knowledge of breaching the rules is not required. A player is liable if they assist a club to avoid compliance with the rules ‘in any way’.

It can be established that many players showed reckless indifference or were negligent in their conduct but action was not taken against the players because the burden already imposed on them by the penalties against the Club were deemed to be enough.

This debacle also raises questions about the relationship between player agents and players, a fiduciary relationship. While it is easy to suggest that the players should have taken greater care, in an environment when players are often signed at a young age, are uneducated when it comes to contracts, bargaining and negotiation and are commercially inexperienced, it raises the question as to whether the burden placed on players, that is, that they have an individual obligation to ensure that their NRL playing contract discloses all of their agreed remuneration and third party agreements, is too great.

Billy Slater’ player manager George Mimis has said that it would be ‘naive to think that any individual players would be informed enough to understand the club's compliance or otherwise with the salary cap rules.’ I think this is an unsatisfactory response and that players do have responsibility, though to what extent is the question.

Now to the penalties. They were harsh, but in my opinion they were warranted. In a way, I don’t think they were harsh enough.

From the years 2006-2009, the Storm were a well oiled machine.

The punishment the Storm received undoubtedly has a significant impact on the Club, the players and the fans who had no involvement in the drama. However, statements from some Storm supporters indicate a lack of basic understanding of the implications of the breaches.

Some fans have made comments like ‘this seems like a big middle finger to the players and the fans’ and argued that the penalties have been too severe, saying that by taking away the Premierships, it wipes away all of the Storm’s hard work.

I should emphasise that I am not disputing the talent of the Melbourne players or how hard they worked. But, Rugby League is a game all about the spine. The most important players are the fullback, halfback, five eighth and hooker. When a team gets this combination correct, they are nearly unstoppable. A strong spine is what Melbourne created illegally. Had Melbourne been adhering to the cap, it is unlikely that they would have kept their spine together, being Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, especially when Smith was offered a deal from Brisbane in 2008 but ended up staying with the Storm.

I would argue that the Storm continued to operate under an unfair advantage despite being under the salary cap in the years following their breaches. In the year following the breaches, Slater, Smith and Cronk had never been exposed to the open market. There is no doubt that if the Storm had been abiding by the cap, they would not have kept the spine together as they would not have known what fantastic players they would grow into. Recruitment makes mistakes and is all about making a judgement call, the Storm probably would have sacrificed one player along the way in order to keep another. By cheating, the Storm prevented these players being exposed to the open market and prevented the other clubs from acquiring their services.

It is not a coincidence that the two teams which have been caught breaching the salary cap, namely the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Melbourne Storm have had extremely successful seasons straight after being caught. The Dogs won the competition in 2004 with a still superior roster and the Storm looked like they would win in 2011 because they had the best spine in the competition. They continued to reap the benefits of their rorting of the cap by having a world class spine developed during a period of cheating.

It begs the question what do we do?

One thing the cap does is make it really hard to keep momentum going season after season. Players decide to move on, players are selected for representative football and their value is pushed up and players demand higher salaries. To keep momentum, you essentially need to make sure that your squad remains unchanged and this is essentially what the Storm were able to do. very difficult to maintain the momentum of a strong squad for multiple seasons.

It appears to me that their punishment has been only in name. The Storm have largely been allowed to maintain the squad. Simply cancelling the contracts of all the players at the club would be futile – it punishes players who had nothing to do with the breaches and forces the Club to pay out the amount it still owes on existing contracts. Forcing players to move to other clubs also fails to recognise the freedom inherent in player movements.

The Storm also continue to see themselves as the rightful Premiers, evident in Storm Coach, Craig Bellamy’s speech at the Dally M Awards in 2011 when he said that ‘the people at our club, whether right or wrong, believe that we won those premierships and we will always think that way. We know how hard we worked throughout those years.’ The team has also kept their Premiership rings. What is at issue is not the talent of the players at the Storm, but the unfair advantage which they created for themselves.

This whole debacle raises a couple of interesting questions about salary cap reform, nicely illustrated by this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz5TEw9-jrI

Gus Gould raises a couple of interesting points about the way the salary cap limits the ability of clubs to keep home grown heroes. In my opinion, Gus has a valid point, but it does not excuse the conduct of the Storm – it merely suggests an area where the cap needs reforming.

Gus’s comments fail to recognise that other clubs have had to sacrifice home grown players to remain under the cap. Other clubs have abided by the rules and had to make decisions in regard to player retention. To use the Eels as an example, in the Grand Final played in 2011 between Manly and New Zealand, the players on show that came from the Parramatta Junior Nursery included Feleti Mateo, Krisnan Inu, James Maloney, Jamie Buhrer, Tony Williams, Jamie Lyon, Tim Robinson and David Williams had he of played. These are only a sprinkle of the players that Parramatta has had to let go over the years to abide by the cap.

The cap needs to be reformed to recognise the work and the money that goes into junior development, not use it as an excuse to justify a period of sustained cheating which will go down as the blackest day in RL history.

And so ends the tale of ‘Underbellamy, a tale of two books.’

Sources
http://www.rugbyleague.com.au/nrl/2011_storm_report.pdf

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/shocking-end-to-the-melb...

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/fans-are-feeling-the-pain-of-melb...

I realise this is an emotive post, but let me know your thoughts.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

Jarryd Hayne - Blue & Gold or Green & Gold? - By Hayley

I just want to start off by disclosing that I am a massive Jarryd Hayne fan. I always find myself defending him until I'm blue in the face. It's something I know I'm doing but I just keep doing it.

Last night Ricky stated that he was going to check with Tim Sheens on whether he wants Jarryd rested so he's fit for the World Cup. I would just like to point out that Ricky never said he's resting Jarryd so he can play in the World Cup. He said he'll speak to Tim Sheens to see what he thinks and will decide from there. A part of me thinks that Ricky is just putting this out there to plant the thought in Tim Sheens mind of Jarryd being selected. Either way, this seems to have caused an uproar from Parramatta fans. Here is exactly what Ricky said, I got this from the Triple M website.

It's not as bad as you first thought was it? The Australian side comment was just as passing comment, the main issue was about making sure he's 100%. I think where Ricky is coming from is; everyone wants Jarryd back to help out the team but Ricky doesn't want to bring him back if he's not 100% when our season is already over.

Last night I had numerous discussions with different people on twitter over why I'm ok with Jarryd being rested. As I mentioned above, the Australian side comment was just a passing comment, however my discussions always came back to why should Jarryd be rested so he can play in the Australian side. I'll humour you all with my point of view even though I don't think that's the main reason Jarryd is being rested...

As a Parramatta fan, I can see everyone's point of view on wanting him to play for the people who pay his wages. Is it cheeky of me to point out that the Kangaroo's will also be paying his wages as he gets paid to play for Australia? Anyway, as a Jarryd Hayne fan, I want him playing for Australia again. I know this is selfish but Parramatta's season is over. It looks as though Jarryd won't be ready until the last 2-3 rounds. Why risk him and have him miss out on a rebirth in the Australian squad. I've said in the past that Parramatta won't win another game until Jarryd is back so I know full well what resting Jarryd means for us. I'm still ok with this though.

Hamstrings a very risky, he can't come back until he's absolutely 100% otherwise he risks re-injuring it and making it worse than when he first injured it. I'm happy for him to spend the extra time on the sideline the eliminate this risk.

Playing for Australia is the highest achievement in Rugby League, although some might argue that it's winning a Grand Final, or playing for your state in State of Origin. Why can't Jarryd be selfish just this once so he can go after his dream and do us all proud representing his country?

I know a lot of you won't agree with me and that's ok. I truly can see your point of view. I just wanted to put my point of view out there. Jarryd Hayne seems to divide a lot of people and this will be no different. Who knows, Tim Sheens might turn around and say he wasn't going to pick Jarryd anyway and this will all be for nothing. I hope that's not the case though! Just keep in mind, the Australian side isn't the only reason Jarryd is being rested. The main reason is his own well being.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

Contracts - A One Way Street - By Hayley

Some news I just heard on Triple M's Rush Hour has prompted me to write this post. Dan Ginnane is reporting that the Broncos have told Peter Wallace and Scott Prince they are not wanted next year. Both players are signed beyond next year. Peter Wallace is understandably fuming as he reportedly had an offer from Penrith 6 weeks ago which he declined after approaching the Broncos and being told he is in their future plans. The offer from Penrith is no longer on the table and Peter Wallace is left without a club for next year. I'm sure he'll get snapped up by someone, however being so late in the season, the chances of him getting a similar offer to the Penrith one are probably pretty slim. Scott Prince on the other hand may not be so lucky and this could mean the end of his career.

Contracts are a legal document but seems to be only a legal document when it suits clubs. Players ask for releases all the time, I do have an issue with this as they have signed a contract and should stick with it, however my main issue is with the way clubs treat contracts. If a player asks for a release they are only released on a mutual agreement when it suits the club. If they club doesn't want to let a player go, they don't have to; they can hold them to their contract. When a club wants to get rid of a player it seems to be as simple as telling them they are not wanted. It seems that it is a one way street.

Now I don't know if there's a clause in the contracts that says the clubs can tell the players they're not wanted at any time, but either way it's not fair. If a club has recruited badly then that's their issue and they should be made to deal with it. There's no accountability for poor recruitment.

I understand that if a player isn't performing then the club should be able to act on this; my point is that it only works one way. If the news is true then the Broncos have left these 2 players with no security for the future and being so late in the season means it will be even more difficult to land a good deal for next year. Most clubs would already have their salary cap sorted.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

NRL crowd numbers in decline... but why? - By Mary

This morning, an article has appeared in the Daily Telegraph which discusses the dwindling NRL crowd numbers. Crowd numbers have reduced from a round 4 average of 22,388 to a round 19 average of 11,480. Read more here.

What the NRL needs to focus on now is why crowds are in decline and what the NRL as a code can do to improve crowd numbers. 

There are a number of reasons that I think contribute to dwindling crowd numbers. I'll discuss each of them in turn.

First of all, I think the NRL has shown tremendous disrespect to people who would prefer to attend matches in favour of seeking to obtain higher ratings and a greater viewer base at home. This can be seen in a number of ways. Firstly, the introduction of Thursday and Monday night football. For viewers at home, these games are fantastic. It means that there is NRL on television more nights than not during the week meaning that people watching at home have no excuse for not getting their NRL fix.

I am a fan who prefers to watch my football live. I love the atmosphere and get a real buzz from being close to the action, cheering my lungs out and being part of the game day atmosphere. However, like most people, I work and having to leave work early on a Thursday or a Monday to attend the football is near impossible. It is also a battle even on a Friday night. These means that the games I am most likely to attend are those that happen on a Saturday or a Sunday and depending on how your team is treated in regard to scheduling, this means that the games I can actually attend are few in number. Professionals are not the only ones who would struggle to get to Thursday or Monday night games. Those with young children I am sure would have problems keeping the little ones up that late, especially if they have to attend school the next day.

The Daily Telegraph's article is a little unfair I think in comparing Round 4 and Round 19 crowd averages. There are many supporters out there who find it difficult to attend matches when their team is not winning. In Round 4 there is potentially more hope that your team can turn its fortunes around. By Round 19, especially if you are a Parramatta supporter, the season is basically over. This can also discourage crowd attendance. A more useful comparison would be average crowds at Round 19 in 2012 compared with average crowds at Round 19 in 2013.

There are a series of other reasons why crowds are down. The article seems to suggest that it is because of missing superstars over origin. Perhaps the cost of attendance also needs to be looked at. Living costs are rising and people have less disposable income. Attending the football with a family is a costly exercise and with many teams underperforming this year, many think, why bother?

Scheduling also remains a problem. As a fan who likes to travel, it is often difficult to plan a trip interstate when the day of the game has not been announced far enough in advance to book decently price flights and accomodation. Poor scheduling is also a problem. The Eels played a game in Mudgee this year - brilliant idea. I would have loved to attend. However, the game was scheduled on a Sunday making it absolutely impossible to attend and be back for work on Monday.

NRL crowds are often also compared to AFL crowds. I think this is an unfair comparison and a comparison which means essentially comparing apples and oranges. As we all know, AFL is based in Melbourne and Melbourne absolutely lives and breathes AFL. It is a similar scenario for  Perth and Adelaide who show a preference towards the AFL based on them having teams based in these capital cities. While the NRL is based primarily in Sydney, sporting culture in Sydney, I would argue is more diverse. In Sydney it is not uncommon to find people passionate about NRL, Rugby Union and AFL, meaning that crowds are dispersed between three different codes, rather than one.

If the NRL wants to get its crowds back, there are a number of things it needs to sort out - consistency of refereeing should be a start. But I also suggest that the NRL starts showing some respect to the people who like to attend home games.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

What We're All About - By Mary

Ladies Who League is my baby - it's an idea I came up with a month ago and decided to run with, because I had nothing to lose.

I am passionate about Rugby League. While I am first and foremost a Parramatta supporter I also identify as an NRL appreciator. There is no sport I feel more passionate about and it was for this reason that Ladies Who League was born.

Rugby League is still a very male dominated arena. This is in terms of coaching, management and administration. I feel like women have strong voices and a lot to contribute to the greatest game of all. However I often feel like our voices aren't heard. Ladies Who League is here to change this because I am passionate about the role of women in Rugby League.

This post is an open invitation to all the females out there to submit a blog. It can be on anything you like as long as it relates to Rugby League. We have had a number of fabulous blogs on topics as diverse as Women in League, team list Tuesday and bad boys in NRL.

Many women feel like they aren't good enough to contribute. It is attitudes like this which stop our voices being heard. You all have meaningful thoughts and contributions to make. I want to hear them.

Let's start a ladies revolution in NRL. Share this site with all your friends, post it on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. We are here to represent you. We are here to be your voice. We are here to make a difference.

Help us start a ladies revolution in NRL.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

Pink V is a Part of Me - by Darlene

Pink V is a part of Me!

Everyone has their own thoughts on what Women in League is. It could be holding tackle bags at training, maybe it’s filming the games, doing the stats, managing the team, running fundraising events, or even being club secretary. Yep, I've done all those and more. I loved every minute of it at my local team, the Thirroul Butchers. We were even in the Finals of the NRL One Community Grassroots Club of the Year! But for me, the best part of my involvement is with the Crystal Bears & Dragons WIL program since its humble beginnings almost 10 years ago (even though I am an Eels supporter).

The Dragons were the 1st NRL Club to start such a program and now it is under one of the club’s eight community pillars. Founded by a passionate Dragons supporter and owner of Crystal Bears, Elizabeth Kingston along with her daughter Melissah and a volunteer committee, every year they deliver a WlL Round better than the last. All funds raised go to the Joanne Mackay BCF. To date these ladies have raised more than $200K. This is a great effort but it’s the behind the scenes that really inspires you.  Elizabeth and Melissah put their own time and money into each event and that infectious enthusiasm has definitely rubbed off on me. 

Elizabeth hand makes jewellery, knits scarves and comes up with endless trinkets to sell at these functions. I was so inspired I just had to get involved.  I always helped out with minor preparations but in 2010 set off with my girlfriend and fellow Bee Gee (Butchers Girls) Lisa to raise $5000 for Joanne Mackay Foundation under the Dragons Pink V. After much talk and extensive training we embarked on our “Pink V's Conquer Kokoda”  journey- raising more than $11,600 (woo hoo-but that's another story).  This was just the start of my obsession.

This year we can boast the highest attendance to our WIL function where along with the Dragons Pink V jersey auction, we raised more than $25K.  We sold pink footy socks, scarves, jewellery, wine charms, had karaoke, silent auctions, raffles, cocktail slushies, cocktail food, guest appearances from Dragons players, former players, and Ambassadors.

I now consider this my personal mission to further develop this great work and would love to hear from the NRL Clubs out there on how they run their WIL Round and who runs it. 

Finally - do you have an unsung hero in your club that works tirelessly for the team or cause she believes in? I am proud to say we do at the Dragons -  Thank you Elizabeth we love you!

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

Queensland win the Origin decider 12 - 10 - by @WeLoveLeague

Here at @LadiesWhoLeague we are delighted that our friends at @WeLoveLeague have contributed another fabulous story for our blog.

Enjoy!

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Queensland have won their eighth consecutive Origin series following their 12-10 victory over a determined New South Wales.

 

Very much like the game in Brisbane the Maroons piled on the pressure early and came away with an eight nil lead thanks to a solo effort from Jonathon Thurston to step his way through to score next to the posts, and a penalty conversion shortly after.

 

It took until around the twenty-five minute mark with the injection of Anthony Watmough into the game for the Blues to look dangerous. James McManus scored out wide but James Maloney couldn’t convert the goal which would prove costly in the final result.

 

With Queensland on the back peddle close to the break the home side weren’t able to convert pressure into points and trailed by four at the break.

 

Some classic rugby league was played in the second half with both teams desperate to win the series. Again New South Wales started off where they did just before the break but they blew opportunities presented to them with Dugan unable to handle an Andrew Fifita offload which saw the fullback destined to score.

 

The game was over when Justin Hodges was able to get through some lazy New South Wales online defence and score. Thurston’s conversion missed but the Blues still trailed by eight.

 

Check out the rest of the story here:

 

http://www.weloveleague.com/2013/07/17/queensland-win-the-origin-decider-12-10/

 

Love,

 

@LadiesWhoLeague

Why did Edwards and the Eels part ways? - By Mary

For those of you who read my blog last night, you will appreciate that I was in a bit of a mood. As I blogged yesterday, I am tired of 'not good enough' being good enough for the Parramatta Eels and as a fan I am ready to demand better. The final straw for me was the parting of ways between our CEO Ken Edwards and the Club as of yesterday. This is Parramatta's 6th CEO in only 4 years.

Edwards had only been in the role for 9 months. In that 9 months he was impressive in terms of ensuring that crucial players like Ryan Morgan, Jarryd Hayne and Mitchell Allgood were re-signed and he oversaw an increase of 11 per cent in junior participation in Parramatta. He was also very approachable and always responded to Twitter enquiries.

A man more suitable for the job you could not have found anywhere. Edwards was at the helm of the Knights when they defeated the Eels in the 2001 Grand Final and was previously the CEO of ANZ Stadium. This not only ensured that he had a sporting background, but also the commerical know how and ability to ensure his success in the role. This experience was something which could not be boasted of men who had previously held the position.

Ken Edwards was a man with a vision - his biggest goal was to build membership of the Eels to 40,000 by 2017. However, it was his next goal which is the reason being used as the one which saw him part ways with the new Eels board. Edwards undoubtedly was keen to move the Parramatta Eels away from their spiritual home, Parrramatta Stadium, to ANZ Stadium.

I have previously blogged here, that suburban grounds are important. Parramatta Stadium is home of the Eels. I love nothing more than watching football at Parramatta Stadium. When the Stadium is at or near capacity, the atmosphere is absolutely electric.

I also hate ANZ Stadium. Parramatta's record is woeful there. We have lost 12 consecutive games at ANZ Stadium. It feels completely soulless to me. Because it is so big, it is extremely difficult to get a good atmosphere, because the Stadium always feels empty. The only time that ANZ Stadium absolutely erupts is when it is at capacity and that usually comes in September when Finals Football is on. The atmosphere at the Grand Final Qualifier between the Bulldogs and the Eels in 2009 was probably one of the best games I have ever been to. It is for games like this that ANZ Stadium is perfect.

I find it extremely difficult to believe that there weren't other factors at play in the Edwards/Parramatta split. Edwards is a smart man - he must have realised that to move all games to ANZ would have been an unpopular move. Further, an upgrade to Parramatta Stadium has just been announced, it seems silly to me that the thought process would be to move all our home games away from our spiritual home.

While his eventual goal was to build membership to 40,000, if this had been ticketed members the move to ANZ Stadium would have been inevitable. The question however becomes whether ticketed memberships would have increased to such a level with a prospective move to ANZ Stadium on the cards. Surely, getting Parramatta back on a winning path should be the number 1 priority, especially since a team losing as many in a row as Parramatta has does not bode well for future memberships.

For the moment, Ken Edwards becomes the latest casualty of an already dismal Parramatta Eels season.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

When is 'not good enough', just not good enough anymore! - By Mary

Before I begin this post, I should make it clear, if it hasn't been made clear already, that the Parramatta Eels are absolutely one of my greatest loves in life. I have supported them since 1998 and suffered some heart breaking losses and celebrated some amazing victories. Throughout that time my support has remained loyal (stupidly so at times) and passionate. I have often been called an apologist for the club and have often defended the coach and our players when other people haven't been able to.

Tonight however, I am absolutely angrier than I have been in a long time. 

Today, Parramatta announced that Ken Edwards' position as Chief Executive Officer of the Parramatta Eels has ended immediately.

Before I get to the reasons for this, it has to be noted that many Parramatta fans, myself included, saw Ken Edwards as an absolutely fabulous acquisition for our Club last year. He has sports administration experience, coming from a very senior role at ANZ Stadium and had the professionalism and commercial knowledge I felt was necessary for the role. He has made big changes whilst at the Eels including increasing junior participation in parramatta by 11%, saw the retention of Jarryd Hayne, Jacob Loko, Mitchell Allgood, Ryan Morgan and actually responded to fans on Twitter! I met Ken a number of times and was impressed by him entirely and was so enthused about him coming to my Club.

Steve Sharp has said that the reason for the two parting ways is that Ken did not fit in with the new strategic direction of the club. What direction is this? The only direction I see from Parramatta at the moment is a downward spiral. I didn't think we could sink much lower, but this is basically rock bottom. This is about the last straw for me.

As a Parramatta fan, I am sick of mediocrity. It is not good enough. I don't expect my team to win every week, but I expect a basic level of performance and Parramatta has not been giving this and has not given this in a number of years.

A strong Parramatta is crucial to the success of the NRL. I have blogged in the past about the threat that the AFL poses in Western Sydney, you can read more here. Parramatta is one of the oldest and most heavily supported Clubs in the NRL. Our membership has been on the rise over the last few years despite our abysmal performances on the table. Our junior nursery is depended on by many other Clubs and a strong Parramatta does nothing but good for the game I love so much. 

This is so disappointing because now, more than ever, Parramatta needs stability and stick-a-bility. This will only plunge the club into greater difficulties - including downing player morale and ensuring that no other player would want to come play for the basket case that is currently my club. 

I am no longer content with excuses. I am no longer content with not good enough. I am no longer content with rebuilding. I want reasons, explanation and I want improvement. As a paying member, I have expectations and they are simply not being met.

For the moment, I would love this blog to spread as far as possible, so please share it with all your friends.

If you are on Twitter, make sure to share it. If you are on Facebook, share it with all your friends.

Parramatta fans deserve better.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

Is loyalty overrated? - By Mary

Loyalty - is it overrated?

The big topic in the NRL world today is the news that Benji Marshall is seeking an early release from the final two years of his playing contract with the Wests Tigers. Marshall has been playing with the Tigers for a decade and was vital in their 2005 Premiership success. It is likely that Marshall will be playing rugby union next year.

This is extremely sad news for a number of reasons. Firstly, the reason Marshall is seeking this release is likely to be because he is disillusioned that the Tigers have not honoured a handshake agreement which would see him remain at the Club until the end of 2017. Throughout his career, Marshall has always stated that he would never play for another NRL club. Sport has become a business and while the Tigers may have other commercial priorities which see them unable to secure Benji's services for couple of years, it is sad to see Marshall and the Tigers part like this.

Marshall will not only be a huge loss for the Tigers but also for the NRL. Marshall has been a crowd pleaser for the entirety of his career. He is immediately associated as a star of the Tigers and it will certainly be a shock to see him playing another code next year. Many children idolise Marshall and see him as their hero. He has been a remarkable role model for the NRL and for his Club.

When huge decisions like this are made in the NRL, the word loyalty is often thrown around.

I am quite a sentimental person and am delighted and proud to see players honour contracts and ultimately show loyalty to the team that often gave them their big break in the NRL. Men like Nathan Hindmarsh and Luke Burt were always held in such high esteem by myself and many other Parramatta fans because of their commitment to our Club over their entire playing careers.

However, in today's modern game, is loyalty overrated? Or can players who show loyalty be said to be oversentimental?

Professional footballers need to take extreme care when negotiating their contracts. As I have blogged previously,  a football career generally only lasts for 10 years, if players are lucky and injury does not get too much in the way. For these 10 years, players need to maximise their earning potential, particularly when careers can end in an instant. Loyalty to a club is not the only consideration when players try to navigate their way through their careers. Responsibility and obligation are often two other very important considerations.

As a fan, it is extremely easy for us to be blindly loyal and devoted to our teams from the day we are born to the day we die. Unfortunately however, players are often unable to match this unwavering loyalty. Our game has a salary cap in place and this unfortunately limits the ability of each Club to keep all the players that they want, even when a player is desperate to remain. Kevin Kingston is a prime example. In 2009 he desperately wanted to remain with the Eels, but salary cap restraints meant the Eels were unable to keep him. In an era where money talks, sport is big business and loyalty is often seen as less important than winning, do we blame players for wanting to leave clubs?

While loyalty is a beautiful thing and many of us have a place in our hearts for those men who are 'one-club men', I truly think that the 'one-club man' is something which will become even more of a rarity in our modern game.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

Get Back in Your Box, Buzz - By Hayley

Today Buzz wrote an article in the Daily Telegraph about the low crowds in Sydney’s West. If you read this article you would be right in making the mistake of thinking the only stadium in Sydney’s West is Parramatta Stadium. I’m not going to post a link to the article because I would hate for you all to be directed to the Telegraph website and for Buzz to get the extra hits on his article. Instead, I will copy and paste the article at the bottom of my post.

Reading Buzz’s post has got me very riled up. Here is a list of the real facts;

• The photo used in the article was taken of the least crowded area of the stadium during a NRL match. Yes, they have used the same part of the stadium to compare but it’s misleading. For those who don’t know Parramatta Stadium, the northern end is behind the goal posts. While the Northern end is generally the busier end, this photo was taken in the corner. Most seats were taken closer to where the goal posts are but this has been cut out. Soccer fans seem to also prefer to sit behind the goal posts, NRL fans don’t; so you can’t compare. I'm not disputing that the crowds aren't lower, they're just trying to make it look worse;

• Can you give us the average crowds per club Buzz? If we can’t see the whole picture how can we come to the conclusion that it’s only an issue in Sydney’s West;

• The point about not being able to blame Origin is redundant because Parramatta’s Origin star is still out;

• The Wanderers were top of the table and winning games. You can’t compare the 2 crowds until the Wanderers have had 3 bad seasons in a row. We’ll see how many people go to Wanderers games once the tables have turned;

• How could Parramatta possibly be spending the full $5million salary cap? How can your beloved Sharkies be spending under the $5million salary cap, Buzz? Parramatta are one of the clubs that seem to be playing by the rules, looks like that gets you nowhere;

• It’s obvious Buzz’s agenda for this article is a Ricky Stuart bashing, however he is bashing the players in doing so. Maybe the team would have more confidence if people like you weren’t constantly bringing them down in the media, Buzz;

• The attacking numbers may be down for 2013 but Parramatta’s main contributor to those numbers is not playing. Once Jarryd is back in the team, expect those averages to rise;

• Of course Kevin Kingston and Luke Walsh are playing well. Kevin is playing for a contract and not so long ago so was Luke Walsh;

I also didn’t miss the compliment to Gus Gould’s Panthers which was closely followed up with a dig at the club. I love the little dig at Gus further down the article too. I’m sorry Buzz, what year did you play NRL? I think I’d prefer to listen to Gus.

Love,

@LadiesWhoLeague

Phil Rothfield says low rugby league crowds in Sydney's west a big worry

RUGBY league is in trouble in Sydney's west when not even a traditional local derby can attract 10,000 fans. Look at the two photographs that accompany this column. One is an A-League game, the other an NRL match between two fierce rivals.

Both at Parramatta Stadium, both on the northern terrace of the stadium.

Who would have thought the round-ball game could provide so much more atmosphere than a Parramatta Eels game, remembering this was the ground that used to be full to capacity during the footy season to watch Sterling and Kenny, Price and Cronin, Grothe and Ella.

Right now the Parramatta Eels are on the bottom of the scrapheap and as low as you can get.

They've fallen from an average home crowd of 17,000 in 2010 to 13,000 this year.

Saturday night had everything going for it. No rain, perfect Sydney weather. Plus it was school holidays.

We couldn't even blame State of Origin because these two teams weren't missing anyone who will be playing on Wednesday night.

There was no AFL or any other competing sport in Sydney, not that we regard GWS as genuine opposition anyway. The Lions tour is done and dusted, the trophy back home in the UK.

You can't even blame the Ashes cricket because the 5.30pm kick-off at the footy allowed you plenty of time to get home for the first over from Trent Bridge on Fox Sports.


Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers fans at the same end of Parramatta Stadium last A-League season. Picture: Mark Evans Source: The Daily Telegraph

There was nothing you could blame apart from the fact this Parramatta Eels side can't play.

They've got nothing in attack and are embarrassingly bad. No direction, no options, little or no skill.

How could they possibly be spending the full $5 million salary cap? Certainly, many of their players are paid far more than they deserve.

This Eels side is even worse than last year's team under Stephen Kearney in a number of key areas.

In 2012 they averaged 18 points a game. This year it's just 14.

Last year they averaged 4.6 linebreaks a game. This year it's 3.1.

In points, tries and linebreaks conceded, they are ranked at No.16 in each category this year.

At the Panthers, it's hard to be critical of anything they are doing this year.

They are without doubt the overachievers of the competition and probably eight places higher on the ladder than I thought they would be.

Still, there are a couple of recruitment decisions even their most ardent fans are rightly questioning.

Two of the players most instrumental in the Panthers' revival, Kevin Kingston and Luke Walsh, won't be there next year.

It's highly unlikely they would have beaten Parramatta without them. Both were outstanding. Walsh engineered two tries and Kingston scored one.

Obviously salary cap pressure has forced them out.

Salary cap pressure that was created by the signing of the "marquee player", St George Illawarra five-eighth Jamie Soward.

There is not a better leader or more reliable player on the open market than Kingston.


Clubs must be reimbursed for providing Origin players

COMPENSATION for providing Origin players is something the NRL needs to look at right now.

Paul Gallen will probably miss eight games from an injury suffered playing Origin and then standing down before Blues matches.

That's more than 30 per cent of his season and for a player on $500,000 a year, it's a big chunk out of the Sharks' roster.

Surely clubs should be reimbursed, at least in the salary cap.

Why should teams like Melbourne Storm give up Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Ryan Hoffman and Cooper Cronk over a six-week period.

It can affect their salary cap because they need to being in extra troops, some of whom are on first-grade bonuses.

What if Cronk or Smith were to suffer a season-ending knee injury on Wednesday night?

It would probably end their premiership campaigns. At the same time, Canterbury aren't risking their halfback or hooker. Neither are South Sydney and Newcastle.

You've got to feel for the Cowboys and Broncos. They are both desperately trying to save their seasons without their superstars.

At the same time, some of their rivals are totally unaffected and remain at full strength.

We have a salary cap that is strictly enforced and policed to ensure the competition is played on a level field.

But it's not. And it won't be until clubs are reimbursed for handing over their stars at the busiest time of the season.

HIGHLIGHT
Two sleeps until Origin and one of the biggest upsets in rugby league history.

The Blues by one in golden point. A Fifita man of the match.

LOWLIGHT
Australia’s use of umpire reviews in the Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

Michael Clarke wasted two reviews and then we all whinge when there are none left for a howler like the Stuart Broad decision. It’s a crucial part of the game we need to improve on.

LOWLIGHT II
Ashes sleep deprivation. Your columnist hasn’t been this tired since his kids were born.

PUNCH DRUNK GUS
Gus Gould is missing the biff according to an article over the weekend. I’d prefer to listen to the medical experts who have quite rightly campaigned to make rugby league a safer game.

THIS DAVE DOES SOMETHING
Panthers winger Dave Simmons is the quiet achiever of the NRL. He’s not as fl ashy, not as spectacular or not as fast as a lot of his premiership rivals.

Just very old school as far as wingers go. Solid, shrewd and smart. He could well finish up the game’s leading try-scorer this year.

Can we do it without our fearless leader? - By Mary

This week we are, of course, talking Origin.

Game 1 means nothing. Game 2 means nothing. The last 7 years mean nothing. It all comes down to Wednesday night, to 80 minutes of football. 17 play 17 and hopefully for NSW a drought will be broken.

This State of Origin series has not been without controversy and difficulty for New South Wales. After losing James Tamou and Blake Ferguson for State of Origin II, the Blues find themselves without Jarryd Hayne and Paul Gallen for Game III.

This will be NSW's first time playing without Paul Gallen since 2010.

My question is, can the Blues do without Paul Gallen and rise to the occasion on Wednesday night?

The importance of key players and the importance of leaders cannot be underestimated. Jarryd Hayne is a prime example - when the Eels are without him, they struggle and have a woeful record without Jarryd on the field.

Paul Gallen's absolute presence on the field cannot be underestimated. In Game 2, Gal made a massive 17 hit ups with an average of 135 metres. He is a consistent performer and a workhorse for the Blues. The other men on the field will have to work extra hard to make sure his workload is covered.

Not only will Paul Gallen's massive work on the field be missed, but his presence as a leader will also be missed. Other experienced enforcers on the field like Luke Lewis and Greg Bird will need to step up, lead by example and ensure that someone is always talking and motivating on the field.

It is going to be a massive challenge for the Blues. It has been 7 years since the Blues won a State of Origin series. The crowd at ANZ Stadium will undoubtedly be behind the boys in blue, but this won't be enough on its own. We have a fight on our hands - only 80 minutes stand between us and Robbie Farah raising that trophy above his head.