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Chapter 1: What sporting and cultural differences exist between AFL and NRL?
Look, the AFL have always looked down their nose at rugby league. They treat us as second class citizens. It's obvious we've got them rattled. And the figures and the facts speak for themselves.
We measure ourselves on traditional metrics like people turning up to games, people watching, how long they watch for. They can huff, they can puff, but they won't blow our house down. It's solid brick. We're going to get stronger and we're going to take some of their fans.
We head to sacking country. Hello to you, Vossie.
We've got you covered. Rugby League 2, AFL 0. Two sacked coaches in seven weeks of footy. Incredible start. What about our two sports?
Chapter 2: How do traditional metrics compare between AFL and NRL?
They are just not sleeping at the moment. Everyone's got buy-in. Everyone's got an opinion about everything at the moment. Every facet.
Let's do the sacking first before I feel like we're vulnerable on this side of the border on a couple of fronts this week. I'm happy to declare that. The... The argy-bargy around the sacking. So zero and seven, bottom of the ladder, 11 straight losses. But it did feel like the chairman of the Dragons was desperate, desperate to blame the media yesterday.
So I just want to play it, Vossi, so everyone's across it. Here's some of what was said.
Finally, there's been a lot of media coverage over the Dragons these past few weeks. A lot of it absolutely deserved. Some of it poor.
Chapter 3: What recent coaching changes have occurred in the NRL?
and some of it about personal agendas. I've been in media longer than most. Our coverage of this great game, of this great club, should be better. Readers, viewers and listeners do deserve better.
Them's are fighting words, Andrew Lancaster there. Give us the backdrop.
Well, the irony to it is that it created even more negativity and commentary around it, sadly for him. Yesterday's press conference was the Dragons announcing that their coach, Shane Flanagan, is gone. Their fans, as any fan of any AFL club in Australia or any rugby union franchise, any A-League club, any rugby league club, wanted positivity straight away. So what's happening next?
And they put everyone in limbo. We have no interim coach. We're going to have a meeting now to decide what we're doing next. And then for Andrew to put that in the order of business at the end of the press conference, you can see why people are upset. No, no.
Chapter 4: Why is accountability important in sports management?
Okay, that's all well and good, but who's our coach? You've called a press conference. Can you believe this, Gerard? You tell me if this goes on in the AFL. They called a press conference. It's Wollongong. So journalists driving down from Sydney, hour to an hour and a half drive. They were told before the press conference, you'll only be allowed to ask one question.
And this is the order you will ask the questions. Denny Weidler from Herald 9, you can go first. Michael Karyanis, Telegraph, you can go second. Can you believe that? Oh, come on. And then to not have what every Dragons fan wanted to hear. Okay, so who's coaching us?
Chapter 5: How does media coverage affect perceptions of sports teams?
They didn't have. And that came through after six o'clock last night. Honestly, I won't use the SH word that ends with IT, but it was that sort of show yesterday. And that commentary there at the end led to more negative commentary. The Dragons came out on a positivity front. Dave Riccio from The Telegraph in our program today, he scored them less than one out of ten.
And they've got a game on Anzac Day, a traditional game against the Roosters. They're not even training today, Gerard.
Right. The bit that surprises me sometimes is that the media doesn't sack the coach. No. The board sacked the coach, and the president has to own that. Yep. Why take the pot shot at the media when you're the ones who sack the coach?
Well, here's again this board, and the chairman is just the head of the board.
Chapter 6: What leadership qualities are essential for sports administrators?
It doesn't necessarily mean he's making the decision. The board vote on it, and often the chairman is only called in as casting vote, isn't he? He might be a non-voting chairman until there's a casting vote required. But the Dragons last year extended the contract of Shane Flanagan for another two years. The extension was only going to kick in next year.
So, in effect, he's been given his marching orders more than two and a half years before the end of the contract that they negotiated last year when the team was running 11. Andrew Lancaster, that is disgraceful. So, you know, people are saying, sorry, accountability? Like, you know, if there was true accountability, the chairman and the board,
would say yesterday, we are also going because while we're clearing the decks of the coach and the football manager, the high-performance manager, we will also step down to give someone else a crack. I mean, that would be total accountability. Of course, that's not how it works, but... I think you know what I'm saying with that.
We are guilty of gross mismanagement and to unwind the pathetic decisions that have been made at this football club, we are sacking the coach and we are departing at the same time because we have proven we are unfit to run this organisation.
Chapter 7: How do fan expectations influence coaching decisions?
But then at a press conference where you finish with that exclamation mark, you have earlier said, we have no interim coach. We're not in a position to announce that. We'll have another board meeting. They couldn't even get a board meeting together yesterday. It wasn't going to be till today. Well, haven't they had a Zoom?
I think this is a pretty important thing that they addressed straight at the time. We've been talking about leadership on the club today, Gerard, and what the fan want from their leaders. Now, I gave Andrew Demetriou a rap, would you believe? Because, and I used, and it's a figure, maybe it's not an expression, but he was a bit of a head kicker. Like he spoke and defended his sport.
I like that in leadership. I think we're in an era right now where the leaders who make the more accessible to the media and get their message out and defend decisions, even that are being criticised by 90%, they're the better leaders. Do you find that as a common thread across the better leaders of the game?
So the failed leaders in sport are those who have taken on the guise of the politician and won't answer the question.
Chapter 8: What are the implications of recent controversies in the AFL?
Exactly. We hate our politicians. So for sports administrators at any level to think, oh, my best play here is not to answer the question, you have to level with sports fans. You have to level with club members. You don't need them to agree. You just need to state your case and to justify what you're doing and how you're doing it, and then sort of publish and be damned in a way.
But the worst tendency in modern public life is to be evasive answering questions in sport, given how intolerable we find that in politics.
First caller we had today on our program, and I don't know whether you know of John Schneider at the Seattle Seahawks, but they were singing the praises of John, who has the respect of all fans because the buck still stops with him. But on a weekly basis, he embraces the fans. He does radio. He does media. What's happening, good and bad times, his presence in the media is the same.
So when, you know, the you-know-what hits the fan, he's still accessible, he still makes commentary, he's available. Well, I think we're at a time where the news cycle is now not waiting for the Tuesday morning paper to come out on a story that breaks on Monday. It lands on our phone and on our devices within seconds of the story breaking and everyone starts commenting.
Then a quote by another listener this morning was brilliant. Speed of the boss...
determine speed of the team and you know what i mean like they need to get on the front foot and deal with things and yesterday at a front of press conference when the dragons fans were seeking hope they they they're zero and seven they're bottom of the table they're about to play the biggest game of the regular season on an anzac day and they came and said they put them on hold and said well we'll decide a interim coach later like that's so missing the mark
Is it ā so I asked you this a couple of weeks ago with Manly, and they've had the dead cat bounce of sacking the coach. Yeah, they have. Is this a justified sacking?
Well, yes and no. Yes and no. The roster of the Dragons ā Phil Gould said something last night, and he's the boss of the Bulldogs, but in his role as media, when a coach is sacked, it's the failing of everyone at the club. It's not just the coach. So you do have to look at the roster and say, well, the Dragons roster is not hitting the mark in some key positions.
There is a mix of old and young. Their roster is a young one in the forwards. They have some of the best young forwards, but in key positions, they don't necessarily have that. Dragons fans are being told to be patient. You've no chance of winning the comp this year by Shane Flanagan, the coach. Is that what you want to hear?
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