The Governing bodies of all Australian states are preparing for a possible showdown with ARU boss John O’Neill and the ARU over the possibility of the Melbourne Victory, an open entity, winning the right to the fifth Australian Super Rugby franchise over the Victorian Rugby Union.
O’Neill, who had close ties to the soccer club when chief executive of the A-League, acknowledged he knew of the application, while deputy chief executive Matt Carroll revealed he met the bidders while in Melbourne for the Italy Test last month.
“There’s a huge fight brewing between the states and O’Neill at the moment over who controls the game,” a source told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“The states are up in arms over the ARU’s perceived endorsement of the Melbourne Victory’s application for the Super 15 side.
“They believe that if it happens to Victoria, when the others states’ licences come up for renewal that a private buyer could easily do the same thing by throwing some big dollars around and taking over the NSWRU’s licence.”
“Then the Waratahs would be all dressed up with nowhere to play.”
“They’re concerned the ARU has too much control and want the right reserved for the respective states to ratify any team before it’s accepted into the competition.”
The powerbrokers from all five states will meet this week to discuss the issues.
