Rugby League Coaching Manuals

By Tony Smith and Duncan Johnstone - The Press - Former Kiwis coach Frank Endacott has backed the findings in the damning report on the state of New Zealand Rugby League but would like to see current chairman Ray Haffenden stay on.

An independent review, initiated by Sparc boss Peter Miskimmin and headed by Sir John Anderson, unravelled a long trail of problems in rugby league presented in a lengthy document.

The first phase of the recovery plan is a constitutional process which requires the current board to resign and a new, streamlined board to be put in place.

That new board will be initially strongly vetted by Sparc and will reflect a governance system based around seven new zones rather than the traditional 15 districts.

Current board members are eligible to put their names forward for re-election and Haffenden clearly wants to be part of the new dawn.

"I've been around this game for a long, long time and like some of our board members who like to finish off projects I would like to think that I'm part of the future project that we are involved in now," he said.

Haffenden said his current board had accepted their fate and he was not sure how many would join him in seeking roles in the new system.

As the review findings were revealed, a constant theme was that most of the problems were rooted well before Haffenden took charge in 2007.

Anderson praised Haffenden for the stabilising work that was being done during the review period of the past six months where the NZRL appeared to be in break-even position after losing over $2 million in 2006.

Miskimmin also said Haffenden had been a steadying influence at a time of crisis.

Endacott said last night that Haffenden should stay "either as chairman or on the board, whatever he's comfortable with".

"I think there's a place for Ray Haffenden. The one thing about Ray is he's honest and has the game at heart. It might not happen quickly with Ray, but it will happen. I think he's been a breath of fresh air, but he's got to be supported by good, business-minded people around him."

Endacott said a top chief executive was required to run the game professionally. "They need to make the right appointment there."

The former Warriors and Wigan coach hailed the Anderson report as "excellent and overdue".

Endacott, who was the NZRL national coaching director in the mid-1990s, believed the game's decline could be traced to 2001.

"We were not so long ago the best sport in New Zealand for the development of our players, coaches, managers and referees, through the national camps at Hopuhopu," Endacott said. "But once the funding was taken away from that, the decline started immediately."

He believed rugby league could become a "number one" sport "because we've got a great product". However the sport had always lacked funding.

It would be "a long path" but he supported the pathway outlined by Anderson in the executive summary of the 131-page report.

Endacott said if the changes were supported rugby league could prosper with strong leadership, better funding, quality coaching, proper national competitions for players at all levels and "no discrimination in schools".

"Kids should be allowed to play whatever sport they choose at school."

Haffenden said it was now onwards and upwards with transparency and accountability key ingredients.

"We have put a stake in the ground and we have to put our past behind us," said Haffenden who admitted to a mix of embarrassment, surprise and delight with the way the report unfolded.

"We needed a change and this is a definite step in the right direction for our game.

"There have been a lot of things put in place this year to stop a lot of things happening that did happen in the past.

"This will take us that step further in terms of governance."