Holmes à Court: Rabbitohs’ US venture worth a go

South Sydney Rabbitohs’ co-owner Peter Holmes à Court writes: Re. “Rabbitohs chasing a non-existent football market” (yesterday, item 17). A couple of reactions to your slam of our training camp and trial match in Florida later this month. I am not sure what your central objection to plans are, but let me have a crack. Is it that you think we are wasting money? Good question as we depend upon the support of our members and we take our expenditures very seriously. However ticket sales and sponsorships will exceed $US350,000 meaning the 10 day training camp and trial match will pretty much break even. Is there a place for Australian sports in the US? The age of the hegemony of the big four sports in the US (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB) is clearly over. The fastest growing sports today are soccer, arena football, various forms of dirt bike riding, paint ball and poker. Lacross, previously considered a preppy past time now has a professional league. A rugby union tournament recently drew 50,000 spectators, and its a country where more people play rugby union than play it in Australia by some enormous factor. Jacksonville itself has a minor league following, evidenced by the fact the local Axemen got 2000 for their final match last year and 5 English Super League teams will conduct preseason camps in the city. However all we are attempting to do is attract a tiny slice of a minute fraction of the giant market that North America. And, thanks in no small part to the introduction provided by my partner Russell Crowe, we seem to have done that. We look like getting to about 10,000 paid tickets which is about 60% of the average for NRL games. Local sponsors and corporate ticket buyers have embraced the game, as well as Australian businesses with interests in Florida such a Macquarie Bank, Babcock Brown, the Casella wines group (whose Yellow Tail is one NSW’s export successes and a major supporter of the match) and the self titled “brave boys” of Barron’s Brewery. But, you say it gets worse than a friendly with the best team in the UK (not sure how that is bad, btw) when we say we are taking our players to see the inside the workings of one of the most successful NFL teams of the last five years (and currently one game from the Superbowl). Isn’t this the type of life experience we should be trying to give to our players? As for a surfing clinic with John Sutton and Craig Wing, that is just plain old fashion promotion for a football match we have to sell tickets for. Now is promotion a bad thing? You seem to also criticise the Rabbitohs for not promoting rugby league through playing more matches in regional areas. You’re right. We should do more, and will in 2009. I believe the experience we will give to our players, as well as the exposure of our brand is well worth trying to make a success of this adventure. Finally, as I am a long time Crikey supporter, it is great to see more rugby league coverage. Keep it up, and Crikey might even swing an invite on the media junket that you describe as “hangers on.”

Patrick Baume writes: Jeff Wall wrote, “It gets worse. Part of the program for the team, and hangers on, is a meet and greet with the Superbowl bound Jacksonville Jaguars, and, can you believe it, a ‘Craig Wing and John Sutton (Rabbitohs players) surfing clinic’.” Given that Jacksonville would have to beat the New England Patriots in Boston (a team that have not lost a game all year) and then beat (probably) the Indianapolis Colts the week after to even get to the Superbowl, I fear that Jeff’s certitude that Jacksonville are Superbowl bound could be seen as a touch optimistic by most observers.

London has two mayors:

John Kennedy writes: Re. “The odd couple: Boris and Lynton” (yesterday, item 6). Please note that London has the benefit of two mayors, our newt-loving Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone who stood as an independent after losing the Labour Party selection race and still won, and our largely ceremonial Lord Mayor of London Mr David Lewis who is Dick Whittington’s true heir. Boris’ appointment of Lynton Crosby, who will regularly return to Sydney, is particularly interesting given the blonde Etonian’s scepticism about the expansion of Heathrow’s terminal 5 and his recent complaints about the number of domestic flights Ken Livingstone’s staff apparently take each year.

The perils of changing lenders:

Katalin Erdosi writes: Regarding your story yesterday on the difficulty of changing lenders. I had a very bad experience with the NAB when trying to take my mortgage over to ANZ because it was needed as a security for another property I was financing through ANZ. I was basically being held at ransom by NAB, who through weeks and weeks did not return my phone calls or actually even start the necessary paperwork. Every time I called (if I actually managed to talk to someone which was rare) they needed to get approval form someone, or were waiting for someone to make a decision, all the while my settlement date by which time I need the loan released was getting closer and closer. I was so irritated but felt I had to hold back and be nice to these people as if they refused to do the transfer in a timely manner (over more then 6 weeks) my other property’s settlement would not be able to proceed. I was at my wits end with literally day to spare and about to call the banking ombudsman when it finally came through.

Cricket debate rolls on:

John Hughes writes: Re “ICC must overhaul cricket’s disciplinary processes” (yesterday, item 15), Greg Barns is correct concerning the need to improve on the sort of “kangaroo court” process Harbhajan Singh was subjected to. I have little doubt that a major factor in Singh’s case was the Australians’ longstanding aggressive use of sledging as a game tactic, designed to achieve what Steve Waugh called the “mental disintegration” of opponents. Any half decent lawyer could probably have demonstrated that Ricky Ponting’s men applied the tactic so successfully to Ponting’s nemesis Singh that Singh eventually blew his top – which of course doesn’t excuse use of the “monkey” word if such occurred but at least goes some way to explaining it. On a related aspect, in the light of the Australians’ display of over-the-top triumphalism at the conclusion of the Sydney Test, it’s ironic that Andrew Symonds in The Age last September complained that the Indians’ celebration of becoming Twenty20 world champions was overly raucous and observed that the Australians always celebrated victory in a “humble” manner!

Denis Spencer writes: The incidents surrounding cricket at the present time by administrators are indeed worrying, but the suggestions of bad sportsmanship levelled at the Australians by the Indians smacks of hypocrisy. Yes Michael Clarke should have left the field when caught in slips and not waited for the Umpires ruling but, could a free to air network please show the antics of Singh so we can be reminded when clean bowled by England’s Kevin Pietersen in a one day game last year in India, he just stood there, suggesting that the wicketkeeper somehow had clipped the ball, replays showed he was comprehensively bowled. When asked to leave by one the English players we heard loud and clear his response, f— off. In a test match on the same tour and again involving Pietersen, this time at the crease, he snicks one behind and is given out. Dhoni the Indian wicketkeeper claims the catch but replays clearly show it bounced well in front of him, and unlike some catches, in this instance Dhoni would surely have known it was taken on the half volley, Pietersen was given out but called back by the umpires after seeing the replay. So please guys let’s get real, all sides at times show a lack of sportsmanship, gamesmanship, credibility, call it what you will, the Indians are no exception. As James Sutherland said it ain’t tiddlywinks. It would be great if a free to air network showed this footage, and after seeing these again, we just might get off Ricky’s back.

CASA disclosure:

Michael Wunderlich writes: If we are to have ongoing confidence in Australian air safety, shouldn’t or couldn’t CASA be as courageous about the probity of their perceived mission statement, as their marine counterparts at AMSA report. As with AMSA, (ships with faults are “detained”) and they are publically held accountable. The faults documented for everyone to see. Likewise shouldn’t all aircraft details of faults & report etc, not be be publically available for all passengers to see — before they board the plane.

Sydney Festival:

Stephen Magee writes: Debates about the Sydney Festival are waste of time (yesterday, comments). Some might say that it has degenerated into a melange of dance, circus, hiphop, dance, agitprop, big blow-up things … and dance. Others may correctly say that its headlong retreat from anything requiring intellectual effort on the part of its audiences is simply meeting the needs of the average inner city/eastern Sydneysider. The only really objectionable thing about it is that it continues to enjoy the support of the State Government, despite the fact that it focuses its activities on the elitist fringe dwellers in the east of the city.

Nuclear power:

Mark Byrne writes: Contrary to the wishes of Michael Angwin, Executive Director of the Australian Uranium Association (yesterday, comments), none of the quotes he supplied contradict the proposition that: “nuclear power cannot make a significant contribution to greenhouse gas mitigation between now and 2030”. In fact none of the selected quotes address the critical issue of timing. And yet timing is everything. To grant ourselves the calculated 50-50 chance of avoiding dangerous climate tipping points, we cannot wait 15 years for new nuclear plants nor the further 6 to 14 years to payback the massive energy inputs. We must do the heavy-lifting right now (to displace dirty coal) with existing low-carbon (renewable) energy and demand reduction.

Dean Friske writes: Yes, Michael Angwin. There are well meaning, highly regarded industry professionals and international bodies who think nuclear power can make a contribution to greenhouse gas mitigation as part of the hard yakka required by 2030. Only thing is, in this country, we have a bad habit of soldiers “losing” M-72 shoulder mounted rocket launchers. One such weapon could (a) affect the plant’s water supply & subsequently negate the plants cooling capabilities or (b) be used to gain access to the plant. The result is a nuclear plant that is “out of control”. Is this a risk worth taking when encouraging investment in alternative solutions could yield something safer sooner? And let’s face it, it takes how much time & energy to build a nuclear reactor? The Gen IV plants won’t be available until 2030, while smaller, safer plants, though available sooner, wouldn’t be adequate to meet energy demands. So yes Michael “I’ve got to protect my job” Angwin, Nuclear is an option. It’s just not an incredibly safe or expedient one at this point in time.

Go west:

Steven McKiernan writes: Re. “Crikey by midday, please” (yesterday, comments). Colin, Crikey DOES make it to my inbox by 11.30 most days. So that KPI is already achieved. The answer is simple, move to Boomtown, Western Australia. We also get to see monkeys and bastards at breakfast.

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