The Rebels may be gone but Victoria's pathway solutions must be solved NOW – and the Brumbies might hold the answer

06/19/2024 08:03 PM

There is a growing to-do list in the corridors of Moore Park, and truth be told, it's concerning how long it is starting to get.

When Phil Waugh, and later Daniel Herbert came into the building, there was genuine optimism about what could be achieved, especially off the back of such a disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign. There were talks of pathway investment and centralisation in the air, with all teams expressing interest in one form or another. 

After so many years of talk and no action, or action that was undone due to the pandemic and/or financial constraints, there was hope that Australian rugby might start to take the first necessary steps on a long journey back to sustainability and success.

It's what makes the situation at the Rebels so frustrating – yet another crisis when we thought we'd finally hit the mother of all crises last year. However, as Herbert and Waugh fronted the media to announce the Rebels’ departure, their talk that pathways will still be maintained likely raised an eyebrow or two.

How will they do that now there is no state representation in Super Rugby? 

The whole thing feeds into this sort of feedback loop that makes covering – and enjoying – rugby so frustrating right now. 

Bad news leads to fans becoming more disillusioned and frustrated, which leads to a stronger desire for quick wins and results, which leads to a moment of brief optimism, which leads to the reality that it will likely be a long painful process hitting us across the face again with more bad news, and the cycle restarts. 

The situation at the Rebels is devastating, no matter which way you look at it. Even if you think it will benefit rugby's long-term health, it's easy for many of us to say that because our team isn't the one facing oblivion. 

The fans are the biggest losers in this situation, let down after years of loyalty. The Rebels board and management have not covered themselves in glory for getting themselves into this situation. Neither has Rugby Australia, who should have known that the club was trading insolvent for the last six years. 

While the reality is that shutting down the club is fiscally responsible for the game, it doesn't make it any less painful for rugby fans, players and management in Victoria. 

Out of such loss though, opportunity can rise. But if you wait too long, you miss it.

There is one thing Rugby Australia can and should do once their legal issues with the Rebels board have concluded – show those in the Education State a clear path to what the future looks like. 

Those claiming that nobody at all cares about rugby in Victoria haven't spoken to the nearly 12,000 registered players and thousands more volunteers in Victorian clubland, a number on par with WA rugby and double the number of players in the ACT and Southern NSW Rugby Union catchment areas.

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The fact the Rebels have struggled to engage with that community says a lot – and if any sort of plan exists going forward, it has to involve that community.

Does it involve Victorian rugby players being fanned out to other club competitions? Ideally, no. This is something that has already been trialled by the Rebels, with most players being sent to Queensland once the regular season is over. 

While the intention of that was to fast-track the Rebels competitiveness (and to a degree, it worked, as a finals finish came from it), it also came at a cost – a connection to Victoria's rugby community. 

If you are a proud Victorian club rugby player who wants to wear Wallaby or Wallaroo gold, you shouldn't have to up and move your entire life to New South Wales or Queensland. You should play your rugby in Victoria.

Yes, it'll mean painful years of growth, but with time, it makes a stronger player who has played their rugby in Victoria, and in a strong local competition. The cold truth is that, with rugby in Australia as a whole, it took us decades to get here, and it will likely take us decades to get out. 

This is the cruel lesson we have learned at the Rebels' expense – you have to build with the community, from the ground up. Where were the scenes the Force saw in 2017 for the Rebels, with a Twiggy-like figure or community support that will stick by the club, no matter what?

We couldn't be any further from that now. The feeling seems to be mute, aching inevitability. But while the Rebels may have ended their time in Super Rugby, there is something in the club that shows they can be a strong representative for Victoria.

It's a reason why it is so important to see that the women's program will continue for the time being – most of the Rebels Women’s side play their rugby in the Lindroth Cup. They are in the Victorian community, day in and day out. 

If Victoria cannot have a franchise for financial or player depth reasons, then the only solution is Rugby Australia should align Rugby Victoria and its competitions with a Super Rugby franchise, and find a way to incorporate said franchise with the Victorian rugby public.

Incorporating does not mean moving one of our teams to Melbourne. The Western Force have shown to have a determined WA fan base outside of the Eastern States, and the Reds and Waratahs represent the older club rugby competitions. 

The only realistic option is the Brumbies, but moving them throws up so many issues. Are we willing to upend a rugby program that has yielded more provincial championships in the professional era than any other? Would Canberrans accept their team being moved, and would Melbourne fans accept the Brumbies?

Honestly, you don't need to be a rusted-on rugby fan to see how such a move would go.

However, while the case for moving the Brumbies does not stack up, they loom as the clear, logical option in terms of which franchise Rugby Victoria should be aligned with. To start, it would triple the number of aligned club players in the Brumbies feeder area.

When they were founded in 1996 at the dawn of professionalism, the Brumbies were referred to as the team of so-called ‘rejects’ – players not wanted by the Reds and Waratahs.

Regardless, what they have done with what they have been given is impressive, both on the field with results, and off the field, crafting a strong identity to the Canberra and Southern NSW region. 

Many great local talents have come through the Canberra system like current squad members Lachie and Ryan Lonergan, and Corey Toole (to name a few). Regardless though, many players in the current squad still originated in NSW and Queensland. 

While the 'rejects' case may still apply these days, if not it seems a logical, inevitable step to wean themselves off those programs, and to foster more locally sourced talent. In that case, Victoria is a no-brainer. Is it that much of a stretch when you already have one of Melbourne's best rugby products in Rob Valetini in the team?

With more home games expected in the 2025 season, is it a case that under an aligned program, the Brumbies take a few home games to Melbourne, similar to what GWS does in the AFL with games in Canberra? It’s not such a stretch, given many Kiwi sides also play regional games, and Fiji splits its games between Lautoka and Suva.

Additionally, should Rugby Australia get its act together and announce a national club competition or a return to an NRC/ARC-style competition, the Rebels may yet rise again as a feeder team.

But before we go down this hypothetical wormhole, let's back up for a moment.

Such programs would require months of consultation, planning and negotiations. That is before you even put it the communities of both regions – and us Brumbies fans are a stubborn lot!

The key point to get back to is that a solution is better than empty promises made at a press conference as the team is being shuffled out the door. It's best that such a suggest arrives sooner rather than later, as it would not be a stretch to think that the Rebels departure has been felt more than just inside the organisation.

You think the loss of Carter Gordon to league is bad? How many players in clubland or in the women's team might have been approached to do a stint in league or the AFL competitions? How many folks might look at the Dewar Shield and see an opportunity to funnel it into another code?

That is not outside the realm of possibility – that is a guarantee. It will continue to be the case until a solution is found for Victorian rugby players. There are options on the table, ones that can lean into Rugby Australia's long term vision for centralisation.

They need to make that commitment, and make it public to that community to show they won't be forgotten. Ideally, they need to announce it yesterday, for the sake of future Wallaby greats that could come from the Education State.