Dave Smith’s three-year tenure at the NRL should be remembered for what it was: reactive, slow-moving, high on expectation and low on execution. I think that to label Smith’s reign as NRL supremo disappointing would to be oversell his achievements.
Smith was, it can almost universally be agreed upon, a surprise choice when he was appointed to replace David Gallop. A Welsh banker more familiar with rugby union, Smith showed his lack of knowledge for the game – and the NRL’s unreliability in being able to brief their incoming CEO to a satisfying level – at his first press conference.
It was a rocky start to a flight that promised to soar but spent most of its time at low altitude dodging mountain after mountain before a rough landing with the political – and possible financial – blunder that was the latest free-to-air television deal, which was also the making of powerful enemies across the media and rugby league landscapes.
To be fair, Smith never squared up and claimed to be an expert on the game. The disappointing part was he rarely bothered to learn. His predecessor David Gallop was slammed by all and sundry – including NRL commission chief John Grant – for being a rugby league reactionary. Smith, on nearly every issue, was totally reactive, arguably more so than Gallop, who was hamstrung far more by the NRL’s organisation than Smith was.
Smith cited his pride in wiping out both the punch and the shoulder charge from the game, the latter surely a nod to his preferred rugby code of choice. He succeeded in neither with the biggest day of the year marred by an on-field unpunished sucker punch from Ipswich Jet Billy McConnachie, while the judiciary’s inconsistent stance on punishing so-called shoulder charge offenders has left fans and players frustrated and confused. The NRL has been as transparent as a secret society and as forward-thinking as a tent pole when it comes to the multitude of rule amendments.
By any measure the moves supposedly designed to protect player safety and make the game more family friendly haven’t worked. Crowds are down. Clubs continually flout concussion protocols. Players are unclear what they can and cannot do. The refusal to address swinging arms and the lenient treatment high tackles get at the judiciary highlights the inconsistent approach the NRL took to player safety under Smith.
The highly reactive, ill-conceived rule rewrites not only frustrated most stakeholders in the game but left referees cast in a sea of uncertainty and judiciaries a giant target for their inconsistent rulings.
Smith’s failure to address key issues that he inherited in the game such as having the game’s premier individual award judged by a media company, the poor – and declining – standard of officiating, the level of video refereeing, the deteriorating relationship between clubs and the league, the disregard for international and country rugby league and the failure to properly examine the benefits of a draft or a robust transfer system will all be blights on his tenure.
Undoubtedly though the failing Smith will most be remembered for – and the move that almost certainly precipitated his fall – was the last television deal. It reaped a significant windfall but it is almost certain to fall short of the financial expectations most in the game have.
The key to a strong negotiating position is competition. Smith handed Nine – which has made a sport of taking advantage of the league for near-on three decades now – not only exclusive free-to-air rights without inviting other networks to the table, they gutted the key properties of their pay television product, namely Saturday and Monday night matches.
Financially, this left the NRL short of both expectations and the AFL, despite a product that rates higher than the rival code.
Politically, it was a naïve move and one that will hamstring rugby league for a long, long time. Little has – and could ever – be gained by snubbing Rupert Murdoch. Now the entire might of the News empire is undercutting the game at every opportunity. The NRL quickly earned, deserved or not, a reputation as a partner whose loyalty could be questioned. His belief that new media like Google or You Tube could make a conceivable broadcast partner in the next two years seems a long shot at best.
It was a move that empowered his old enemies, created a legion of new ones and left one-time allies stunned at the strategic disaster.
There were some positives Smith can hang his hat on. The Auckland Nines has been a raging success. He has done plenty to make the game more inclusive. The expansion of grand final week has been a step in the right direction. The big events have been generally executed tremendously – bringing back Cold Chisel for the grand final entertainment this year was masterful. State of Origin viewing figures were huge. Smith was strong in the face of on-going pressure from Asada, arguably saving the Cronulla club. He has, without question, strengthened the game’s financial standing compared to where he took over, even if clubs and fans quibble today over the failure to reach expectations.
The positives though were not enough to match the smorgasbord of disappointment, missed opportunity and unfulfilled expectation. John Grant and the NRL commission must take their share of responsibility for this. Smith, after all, was their hire.
Smith reportedly spent time recently at the Rugby World Cup. It seems minor on face value but was in fact a gesture of significant note, a slap in the face to rugby league and those who have had to endure the oppression that other code has inflicted upon the 13-man game for 120 years. Now free from his responsibilities, he can return to the game seemingly of his heart and the code he would undoubtedly feel more comfortable around.
And rugby league can again begin praying that the next man through the door is the long savoured white knight. The game shouldn’t hold its breath.
