Former rugby league administrator Ken Arthurson tells NRL boss Dave Smith he must not lose common touch
Paul Crawley
The Daily Telegraph
April 23, 2013 12:00AM
LEGENDARY administrator Ken Arthurson yesterday offered some simple advice to NRL boss Dave Smith.
"You must never lose the common touch," Arthurson said. "I spoke to prime ministers no better than I spoke to garbos, especially if they were both fans of the game."
And right now, Arko can't quite understand why the former banker has closed his doors to the public by not making himself available to the media.
"I have never met Dave Smith and from what I hear he is supposed to have plenty of business acumen," Arthurson said. "But there is a bit more to running the game than just having business acumen.
"I know it is business, I understand that. But it is a peculiar type of business in that you are dealing with personalities.
"You don't run it as you would run a normal business.
"The media is the way you get through to the fans and let them know what you are doing and why you are doing it."
Arthurson also said he found it hard to argue with anything Ray Hadley has said in the wake of Sunday's City-Country crowd fiasco - where bush battlers were asked to fork out up to $50 for an open stand seat.
"When I was told the price of admission I bloody near fainted," Arthurson said. "Those prices are absolutely ridiculous. At the end of the day rugby league has always been recognised as the working man's game."
And Arthurson said he couldn't understand why the game has allowed itself to be held to ransom by the ASADA drugs investigation.
"It is absolutely disgraceful in my view the way the whole thing has been handled," he said.
"It has cast a shadow not only over all the footballers but all the sports people generally. I think it has been very, very badly handled, I honestly do."
Asked what he would have done if he was in charge today, he said: "I think we should have got on the front-foot more than we have.
"I really am in the dark like everyone else. I don't know what agreements the league may have made with ASADA and if they have I am reluctant to cut across anything they may have done. But as a person looking on, and at the risk of sounding corny, I do care about the game and I think they should be jumping in."
Paul Crawley
The Daily Telegraph
April 23, 2013 12:00AM
LEGENDARY administrator Ken Arthurson yesterday offered some simple advice to NRL boss Dave Smith.
"You must never lose the common touch," Arthurson said. "I spoke to prime ministers no better than I spoke to garbos, especially if they were both fans of the game."
And right now, Arko can't quite understand why the former banker has closed his doors to the public by not making himself available to the media.
"I have never met Dave Smith and from what I hear he is supposed to have plenty of business acumen," Arthurson said. "But there is a bit more to running the game than just having business acumen.
"I know it is business, I understand that. But it is a peculiar type of business in that you are dealing with personalities.
"You don't run it as you would run a normal business.
"The media is the way you get through to the fans and let them know what you are doing and why you are doing it."
Arthurson also said he found it hard to argue with anything Ray Hadley has said in the wake of Sunday's City-Country crowd fiasco - where bush battlers were asked to fork out up to $50 for an open stand seat.
"When I was told the price of admission I bloody near fainted," Arthurson said. "Those prices are absolutely ridiculous. At the end of the day rugby league has always been recognised as the working man's game."
And Arthurson said he couldn't understand why the game has allowed itself to be held to ransom by the ASADA drugs investigation.
"It is absolutely disgraceful in my view the way the whole thing has been handled," he said.
"It has cast a shadow not only over all the footballers but all the sports people generally. I think it has been very, very badly handled, I honestly do."
Asked what he would have done if he was in charge today, he said: "I think we should have got on the front-foot more than we have.
"I really am in the dark like everyone else. I don't know what agreements the league may have made with ASADA and if they have I am reluctant to cut across anything they may have done. But as a person looking on, and at the risk of sounding corny, I do care about the game and I think they should be jumping in."