'She knows nothing': Alan Jones' savage swipe at outgoing Raelene Castle
Alan Jones has taken a stinging swipe at outgoing Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle, declaring she ‘knows nothing about the game’ and should never have been appointed.
The Embattled chief executive fell on her sword on Thursday night after being told she had lost the support of the board.
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Castle brought to an end her tumultuous 2-1/2 year reign at the helm of Rugby Australia, handing in her resignation to chairman Paul McLean.
Completing one of the most brutal weeks in Australian sports management, Castle followed NRL boss Todd Greenberg out the door after a sustained attack on her leadership and an extraordinary call to arms from disgruntled former Wallabies captains.
A group of 10 former players, led by World Cup-winning captain Nick Farr-Jones, signed a letter calling for a change in RA's administration.
Alan Jones takes parting shot at Raelene Castle
Former Wallabies coach Jones was also highly critical of Castle and called for change a number of weeks ago.
And on Friday he didn’t miss his chance at a parting shot.
“It’s an appointment that shouldn’t have been made,” Jones said on 2GB radio.
“She knows nothing about the game. It’s like putting someone to become the first violinist in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra who can’t read music.”
However the controversial radio host said Castle’s resignation won’t fix anything unless there are more changes.
“This solves absolutely nothing. I have said all along it’s easy to throw Raelene Castle under the bus,” Jones said.
“I can’t imagine anything she has done, whether it’s the bloated expenditure, the ridiculous growth in staff of over 150, the foolish, personal and spiteful attack on Israel Folau, the hopeless performances off the paddock and on the paddock.
“All of these things have been endorsed by the board.
“Now the board have told Raelene Castle, ‘You must go, we need clear air’. You won’t get clear air with the departure of Raelene Castle. The whole kit and caboodle have to go, that’s what the Wallaby captains wrote about.
“And that’s the only way sponsors will return, the public will return, it’s the only way credibility can be regained.”
Raelene Castle ends tumultuous reign in charge
A horror final year in charge of RA included a costly legal battle following the sacking of Folau, a poor World Cup performance and fractured relationship with then Wallabies coach Michael Cheika PLUS the failure to reach agreement for a broadcast deal.
The code is in dire financial straits, looking at a $120 million loss in revenue if no rugby is played this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Castle said in a statement that she had been told RA needed “clear air”.
“I love rugby on every level and I will always love the code and the people I have had the honour of working with since I took this role,” Castle said.
“I made it clear to the board that I would stand up and take the flak and do everything possible to serve everyone's best interests.
“In the last couple of hours, it has been made clear to me that the board believes my no longer being CEO would help give them the clear air they believe they need.
“The game is bigger than any one individual - so this evening I told the chair that I would resign from the role.
“I will do whatever is needed to ensure an orderly handover. I wish the code and everyone who loves rugby nothing but the best and I would like to thank the people I work with and the broader rugby community for their enormous support.”
with AAP
