Kevin Foote paints a grim picture of Rebels' future after redundancies
Coach Kevin Foote has painted a grim picture of the embattled Melbourne Rebels, who look set to enter this Super Rugby Pacific season as dead men walking.
After the Rebels entered voluntary administration earlier this month with debts of around $20 million, Rugby Australia is still to make a decision on the outfit’s future.
But it appears increasingly dire with administrators PricewaterhouseCooper cutting 10 staff including chief executive Baden Stephenson, who had been with Melbourne for 10 years.
While the players’ contracts for 2024 are guaranteed, Rugby Australia (RA) re-contracted the high-performance staff, including Foote, only on four-month deals.
Having signed two-year deals late last year, Foote revealed one coach had just started a home renovation while another couldn’t tell his son about the prospect of the side folding because the child would worry about his dad and family.
Even with the axe hanging over their head, Foote had hoped to carry on as “business as usual” but the loss of Stephenson has hit home.
“We were told things would remain as they are for the 2024 season and then to see Baden walk out of the building was very hard-hitting,” Foote told AAP.
“He’s such a good man and he does so much for us so that was hard, and then with the rest of the staff as well but that’s the reality that we’re in.
“I’m very grateful they kept the high-performance staff together so that we can put a good product up, but when you sign those four-month contracts you also know that it’s pretty real.”
RA boss Phil Waugh, who addressed Rebels staff in Melbourne on Thursday morning, told AAP that the redundancies didn’t signal the club would definitely be axed.
“There’s no correlation – we’ve maintained over 80 per cent of staff, so it’s not like it’s been reduced to skeleton staff,” Waugh said.
“We’ve kept on all the high-performance staff to ensure that we can deliver the season effectively and create the right environment for our athletes.”
Waugh said he didn’t have a “clear picture” of when the call would be made but acknowledged that players and staff needed certainty as soon as possible.
Promising young flanker Josh Kemeny, who made his Wallabies Test debut during the World Cup, has already signed with UK club Northampton.
“I don’t have an exact timeline, just because there’s so many different stakeholders and we need to ensure that we’re making sensible high-performance and economic decisions,” Waugh said.
“We’re certainly trying to accelerate at an appropriate speed.”
The Rebels face Fijian Drua in their final pre-season match on Friday and then host the ACT Brumbies at AAMI Park in round one next Friday night with ticket sales set to finally go on sale for that match.
Foote named nine Test players, including former Queensland Reds trio Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Filipo Daugunu, in likely the strongest line-up in his time as head coach; an irony not lost on him.
He said the staff and the players had to focus on the games, not the future.
“We can’t get too animated and then all of a sudden fall into a hole,” Foote said.
“If we start panicking now, it’s not going to help us perform.
“So the mantra is ‘the better we do, the better everyone will do’.
“Right now it’s about this year, the 2024 season, and we’re going to have to continually make sure that our emotions are in check so that we can maintain it through the season, because it’s a brilliant squad.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Good summation Ned. Agree the Canes were out-muscled for once (except at the scrum!) by a focused Brumbies outfit. Tua deserves consideration for higher honors after the way he humbled Jordie and the Canes defense. Thankfully, his lack of eligibility for Oz keeps him from Joe’s plans. While I also agree the injuries affected the Canes performance, some players seemed to lack focus and intensity for this match. Perhaps after the Blues demolished the Brumbies, they thought it was going to be easy? A good reminder that any slip up in preparation can have a big affect on the result. Brumbies deserved that win.
1 Go to commentsKarl Dixon should never have been appointed this fixture, absolute disgrace, He’s not much of a referee anyway, didn't have the balls to send his mate care off
5 Go to commentsBrilliant article! Harry of 8/9
1 Go to comments‘UK athletes' have been in the NFL from the start.
1 Go to commentsIt’s going to be Scott Barrett. He’s the coaches mate and captain of a previously elite team. Ardie a great option but scooter has worked with the coach and Ardie still as big a leader as needed.
23 Go to commentsI commend Colin Scotts bio All Balls. He was the first Aussie to make it to NFL. But he was poached and did a full apprenticeship at the University of Hawaii. He was 130kgs surfed played 1st grade cricket etc. big guy by normal but not NFL standards and a top athlete. Even then the nfl were picking up Tongans and Samoans for their natural size and explosive power. They want explosive power not cardio from the big boys so a guy like Taniela Tupou would have been good if picked up young enough. He has fast twitch and they’d bulk the little lad up and give him something to do. soccer teams set up academies and look for Over Sara’s talent eg Messi was at Barcelona since a teenager and harry kewell went to Leeds as a teenager like 16 or something.
11 Go to commentsThe article alludes to the fact that this isn’t about picking a captain. But picking a great captain. So who would make for a great All Black captain - not just an obvious or safe shoo-in? I’m not sure Ardie’s the guy and Barret doesn’t stand out either.
23 Go to commentsI guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
45 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
5 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
45 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
45 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
5 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
8 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
2 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
8 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
5 Go to comments