Part 2
Follow the incentives
The June 30 transfer deadline has already passed. If AD wanted out immediately, his options are extremely limited. Likewise, why would we release one of our players with only a handful of games left?
There isn't much upside for either side. So what's the best outcome?
Simple.
Get through the season professionally.
Don't make things any uglier.
Let everyone cool off.
Sit down in October and work out whether this relationship can continue. That suits everyone. More importantly, it protects everyone's biggest asset; their reputation.
Reputation for AD is now worth more than football
Every club in the NRL already knows what AD can do. Nobody needs convincing that he can play. What they're assessing now is something completely different. How does he handle conflict? How does he react when he disagrees with a coach? Can he still put the team first?
Those questions will determine his market value every bit as much as his running game.
Likewise, our club has something to protect. If AD comes back, trains hard, plays good footy and everyone behaves professionally for the next six weeks, his value potentially goes up.
So does ours.
If there is a conversation about his future after the season, everyone negotiates from a much better position. That makes a lot more sense than lawyers, breaches of contract and another media circus.
Benji's biggest challenge isn't AD
This is where most commentators, and many on here, have missed the point.
Benji isn't coaching one player. He's coaching thirty.
Actually...
He's coaching the next thirty as well. Every player manager is watching. Every off-contract player is watching. Every kid coming through pathways is watching.
They're not asking whether AD wins. They're asking whether everyone plays by the same rules.
If Benji caves, that becomes the benchmark. If Benji publicly buries AD that becomes the benchmark too. Neither helps recruitment; but, consistency does.
Here's where my military background shapes my thinking
One thing I learnt over 35 years in the Army is that people often confuse leadership with popularity.
They're not the same thing.
Some of the best commanders I served under weren't trying to be everyone's mate. Likewise, I worked with officers and Senior NCOs I didn't agree with.
Sometimes personalities clashed. Sometimes relationships became strained. But the mission always came first. Nobody got to opt out because they weren't getting along; it was always job first.
Professional organisations don't run on friendship. They run on trust, standards and mutual respect. Mission first. Relationship second.
That's exactly where Benji and AD now find themselves.
They don't have to be best mates. They don't even have to particularly like each other. They simply have to do their jobs. Sometimes that's enough.
So where do we go from here?
If I was Benji, I'd make this incredibly boring: no press conferences bar the mandatory ones, no statements other than to confirm that what was said stays in the room, no punishment and no rewards.
If AD is in the best 17... Pick him.
If he's the best option at six...Play him there.
If he's the best option somewhere else...Play him there.
Have the conversation and expect him to do the job. But everyone continues to be judged by the same criteria: preparation, attitude and performance.
Nothing else.
Is winning or sending a message the biggest objective between now and Round 27?
It is clear that the bigger battle is convincing the rugby league world that this club has standards that don't change depending on who the player is.
Players don't just sign because of money. They sign because they believe in the environment. Until the AD saga everyone has been talking about what Benji had created, the atmosphere inside the four walls, and a changed culture. The drop in form has largely been attributed to injuries; but now everyone is asking themselves:
"Can I trust this coach?"
"Can I trust this club?"
"If something goes wrong, how will it be handled?"
That's what we're really being judged on now. This is now a “Battle to win the Narrative”. Really this is now a battle between the CEO and the Player Manager.
One thing that really interests me is that neither side has actually declared victory. Benji hasn't said "I won". AD hasn't said "I won". SM hasn't said "the matter is closed". That tells me both sides understand they still need each other, at least for the next six weeks. That's usually how mature organisations resolve conflict. Not because everyone suddenly agrees, but because everyone recognises the mission is more important than winning the argument.
Final thoughts
I started this deep dive thing thinking AD should probably be out the door.
To be honest, I still think what happened was serious enough that I wouldn't have argued if the club had gone down that path.
But after taking a more objective look, I think who wins between Benji and AD is the wrong issue. For fans and players alike; this is about the club winning the narrative. It is whether our club comes out of this stronger.
Personally, I think there's a way to achieve that.
Draw a line in the sand. Everyone gets back to work. No favourites. No grudges. One standard.
The clubs that build sustained success aren't the ones that never have conflict. They're the ones that know how to deal with it, keep it in-house and move on.
Whether AD is here next year or not almost doesn't matter anymore. The real test is whether, six months from now, players around the competition look at this episode and say, "Wests handled that well." If they do, the club wins. If they don't, nobody really wins; regardless of who was right.
