All eyes will be on Rugby Australia’s handling of the Brumbies after Phil Thompson finishes in July. Photo: Jayzie Photography.
When Phil Thompson took leave without pay from the AFP to become the Brumbies inaugural team manager in 1996, there was little to indicate the roles he would play in later years to keep the club afloat.
Thompson was the perfect choice as the Brumbies first team manager; he was local to the core, coupled with his life experience as an AFP detective.
In those early years they were building the plane as they were flying it, there was no template on how it should be done.
Thompson fulfilled his task exceptionally well, so much so that he was appointed to key roles in the Australian Rugby Union.
Of more significance though is the part he has played in more recent times as the team hit turbulent waters.
Along with Michael Thomson and Matt Nobbs, he was a guiding hand through a maze of uncertainty over the team’s future.
The Brumbies versus the Force earlier in the season at Canberra Stadium. Photo: Jennifer Andrew.
He filled a number of roles as the Brumbies struggled with instability and financial pressure, including board chair, interim CEO and then full-time CEO in October 2018.
With Rugby Australia (RA) assuming control of the Brumbies, the CEO position in Canberra is redundant and Phil Thompson’s time with the club has come to an end. His last day will follow the Brumbies-British and Irish Lions game on 9 July.
It will be a fitting way to bow out, with ticket sales indicating the biggest crowd for a rugby game in Canberra in recent memory.
The big decisions will be made in Sydney by Rugby Australia and given RA’s stated aim of ensuring the Waratahs are successful in Australia’s biggest sports market, there is understandable scepticism among many in the Canberra rugby community.
There will be a managerial presence in Canberra to look after aspects such as marketing, ticketing and local sponsors while the high performance program will operate as it always has done.
It is again worth pointing out the program is the most successful in Australian rugby by a country mile. Tinker with it at your peril.
The appointment of Joe Roff as the Brumbies board chair strengthens the perception that it is not a complete takeover with the Roff-Larkham combination providing plenty of links to the ACT rugby union community.
But there will be plenty in that community watching every move made by Rugby Australia when it comes to the Brumbies.
