Kerry Packer

Jeba

Jeba

International
Mar 4, 2008
6,501
244
Having watched Howzat: Kerry Packer's War on Sunday night, and the story of the beginnings of World Series Cricket, it got me thinking about the Super League war a little bit, and I was seeking a bit of history education from BHQ's Rugby League fraternity, as I was a bit young to understand the ins and outs of it at the time.

From what I understand, there were a lot of similarities between World Series Cricket and Super League. Increase in player salaries, greater form of entertainment, fight for the broadcast rights etc. Correct me if I'm wrong there by the way.

My question is why didn't Kerry Packer try and seize the opportunity with Super League like he did with WSC? Was it purely because he was on the Optus-vision side of things and he was protecting his own personal interests? Super League, as controversial as it was, could've done a lot of good for Rugby League.
 
I'd like someone who knows the story to tell me about that infamous incident where Michael O'Connor supposedly had to 'spider man' his way out a window and down a couple of storeys after sneaking into a dressing room to sign players ...
 
I won't ramble on about it, just a quick lowdown.

Packer was just wanting exclusive rights both of them. Which he had in League.

The war in league was about the Pay TV rights.

In SL Packer was the establishment. In WSC he 'wasn't'

Regarding Michael O'Connor, someone had locked the doors & there was only a window open. (If my memory is correct)

The best book I have read about SL was

Super League: The Inside Story by Mike Colman
 
Kaz about summed it up. Murdoch wanted league on foxtel. Arl had already sold rights to packer.

Murdoch urged a compromise to allow both. Arl said GFY.

Murdoch went ahead and formed super league, and bought up all the other major league playing nations to isolate the arl.
 
My memory of that time indicates a willingness by Murdoch and co to be up front and honest. There was no backroom dealings INITIALLY although plenty later on. I remember a meeting being reported on where an offer and vision for the future was presented. It was being warmly received until Packer got wind of it. He was enraged and threatened everyone and anyone with huge law suits. What really stood out though was the price he had paid for the rights...similar to buying a Porsche for 600 dollars or so. He paid what I believe to be the lowest price imaginable for a product worth way way more.

The view that was being pedaled around was that there were no other buyers around,it was market value etc etc. That was a crock of shit. I believe that the dirty dealing was done sometime before Murdoch made what was a very fair (and fore-sighted)suggestion. He believed that rugby league was grossly mismanaged,players welfare a secondary consideration and no healthy vision for the future was being considered.

Packer paid an absolute pittance for the rights at the time, a deal which I believe was probably one of the lowest acts perpetrated on rugby league by corrupt and unscrupulous administrators. It was a dirty deal done with the aim of keeping the price paid for a great product artificially low. Shame shame shame the NSWRL of the day...Aurthurson and Quaile'''
 
Yes, but the biggest thing that WSC and SL had in common was that the main thing Packer and Murdoch wanted was exclusive rights. They made all this BS up about care for player welfare etc. They had no interest in that really, that was PR stuff. I think those that were beneath them had those thoughts in mind - Strop in WSC genuinely wanted the players to earn more, and Ribot and co wanted the players to earn more.

But to Packer and Murdoch, that wasn't the priority. At all. It was a means to an end.

Also in both cases, stubbornness of the boards prevented cooperation and a quick, favourable outcome and instead caused a bitter war. Cricket and Rugby League both recovered and prospered as a result, but it took cricket a good 15 years, and League is now at that point as well.
 
Can't really disagree with that summation. I probably was not as clear about Murdochs intention, more the intention was from those you mentioned. SL was a brilliant concept in my opinion and I had absolutely no love for the NSWRL so it was easy for me to 'get on board' the SL vision. I had not seen anything at all, ever, from the NSWRL that looked after the player interests rather everything was slanted towards what they perceived to be in their interests.

The only point I would question Coxy is whether or not Murdoch and co were adversarial towards Packer. Later in proceedings most definitely but initially I believe they were open, transparent and honest. Having a non-combative relationship with Kerry Packer would be almost impossible. From where I stood, little man in the street, I thought kerry Packer believed he owned Rugby League. Controlled league, his baby, his property to do with as he pleased. I thought he was a bombastic prick and I deeply resented anyone believing Rugby League was 'theirs'.

I always thought Packer,Quail and Authurson were the villains in the whole affair. Quail and Authurson were the best money could buy. I have no proof but I thought they were on the receiving end of some underhand slings....
 
I agree completely that initially Murdoch was up front and clear with his intentions and proposals. Just as Packer was when he approached the ACB to get the commercial TV rights, basically throwing a blank cheque at them and being turned down. Both of them realised a bitter split was not going to help them get their desired outcome.

Ultimately both saw dissatisfaction with the establishment as a potential opportunity to leverage and get their respective TV products a major attraction. Pay TV was in its infancy in 1995, and Optus Vision and Foxtel were head to head competitors. I think they both realised long term there wasn't enough of a market for both so they needed to get product on there that gave them the competitive advantage. Foxtel already had its ties with Fox in the US for movie/TV content, but needed local sport. So Murdoch would've been willing to share the pay TV rights with Packer because it'd still be a win for him.

Packer realised Optus Vision had SFA to appeal other than sport, so he clung onto his bargain basement acquired league rights for dear life.

The long term outcome proves it - Optus vision folded, acquired by Foxtel, and we now have a pay tv monopoly owned by Murdoch. He won the real war.

Where rugby league failed was that the likes of Ribot, Quayle, Arthurson weren't seeing the forest for the trees. Had they worked together, and worked with Murdoch and Packer, my god the game could be huge now. Instead it's only passed where it was in 1995 in the last 2-3 years IMO.

I have no love for the ARL/NSWRL either, and was very much behind the concept of Super League. But ultimately I love rugby league and in hindsight what happened to the game from 1995-2002 was horrible. While I thought Souths should be gone and still do, it was their return in 2002 that to me signified the end of the war.
 
Love the posts CP and Coxy. Some very good reading material here.
 
Just a little bit off topic, but the Channel 9 (read: Packer family controlled) produced story about Kerry Packer is so ridiculously contrived and "Underbelly-orised" and laced with corny BS, it's pretty hard to watch.

I thought the ABC series about Ita Buttrose where Kerry Packer featured was a much better show to watch.

Kerry Packer frankly sounds like a pig of a man to deal with, thinking that his father's money can get him his way in any fight.

I won't be suprised if Channel 9 don't run a Kerry Packer 2: Super League war, showing his attitude when the shoe is on the other foot.
 
No way channel 9 will show the Super league war. Besides which, their main allies at the moment in retaining TV rights is Fox Sports. So the formerly-Packer controlled Channel 9 and currently-Murdoch controlled Fox Sports....hardly going to produce something that makes the other look bad.
 
Coxy said:
No way channel 9 will show the Super league war. Besides which, their main allies at the moment in retaining TV rights is Fox Sports. So the formerly-Packer controlled Channel 9 and currently-Murdoch controlled Fox Sports....hardly going to produce something that makes the other look bad.
Click to expand...

The ABC would do it better anyway.
 
I finally got around to watching the first part last night - I thoroughly enjoyed it I must say, even if it was over-dramatised in places
 
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