Off to the Warriors game tonight after a day NZRL conferring. A few years ago it would have been a smokefilled room over sausage rolls. Now its powerpoint and samosas.

The future’s now in SPARC’s hands. The new constitution has a healthy mistrust of pokie infused democracy, so SPARC nominees will now decide the composition of national and Zone boards. The game can neither select nor sack its reps/governors.

In my view it’s a second best, somewhat risky remedy though now necessary (which is why I voted for it as Chairman of Wellington Rugby League).

National League admin had nothing wrong that would not have been better cured long ago by a few prison sentences.
Another case of the NZ disease – blacken the many and let everyone suffer for lack of enough official honesty and courage to enforce existing law and penalties on the few cheats and bullies.

The effect of mistrust among the leadership engendered by corruption – ticket clippers (as Sir John Anderson called them) was misinterpreted by snobs as working class incompetence. We have a chance to surmount that.

The new SPARC dominated appointment bodies must make a point of shunning anyone who carries even a taint of suspicious association with the crooks, whether it is justified or not.

If a true cleanout does not ensue my District League will rue its vote. We’ve sacrificed a hard won insulation from Auckland on faith in SPARC’s determination to ensure a cleanout, reaffirmed at the meeting.