The Melbourne Rebels have every right to be furious with the Australian Rugby Union.
This season the Rebels' future has been subject to speculation and attack due to the ARU's aloof management of its Super Rugby teams.
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Force or Rebels to be axed
The ARU has yet to announce either the Melbourne Rebels or Western Force will be cut from Super Rugby 2018. Vision: ABC News 24, Fox Sports
The governing body of Super Rugby, SANZAAR, was always going to push to cut teams and that was confirmed on Sunday with two South African and one Australian team to be axed for next season.
The ARU plans to confirm in the next 48 to 72 hours whether the Western Force or the Rebels will be cut, but all momentum for those clubs has been destroyed.Â
![The future of the Melbourne Rebels is under a cloud.](/web/20170412225213im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/h/w/l/8/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gvhslj.png/1491876652328.jpg)
It's believed the ARU plans to cut the Force. If it were to cut the Rebels, it would face a big compensation bill from the owners, not to mention the black eye it will give the game in Victoria – once you abandon the Melbourne market you don't get back in.
The Rebels have to promote their Easter Saturday clash with the ACT Brumbies at AAMI Park while their future is under a cloud.
It's usually one of their biggest crowds.
While the ARU remained silent on its plans since SANZAAR's board meeting in early March, the Rebels, the Force and the Brumbies have been at death's door in the eyes of casual supporters, sponsors and television viewers.
![Melbourne Rebel players face an uncertain future.](/web/20170412225213im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/h/w/l/g/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gvhslj.png/1491876652328.jpg)
Those people, the ones who make the difference between a small, diehard crowd and a big one, are rightly asking: "Why bother?".
Where has the rousing support been from city hall? Where was the relentless marketing campaign? The call to arms for all rugby lovers?
![The ARU is keeping its own counsel on the future of the Melbourne Rebels.](/web/20170412225213im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/h/w/k/6/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gvhslj.png/1491876652328.jpg)
Instead, clubs have been left isolated and the Rebels are facing falling crowds and a toxic apathy towards the game.
Rebels managing director Andrew Cox told Fairfax Media last month his club's membership base was almost at 10,000 by the end of last season but this term had stopped at 5500 with sales coming to a halt once the club was put on the chopping block.
Cox's vision for the Rebels is an elite team drawing 15,000 to 20,000 people every home game. That's not something the Rebels can achieve while being undermined.
In Victoria, memberships mean relevance. Supporters could easily be handing their ticket money to nine AFL clubs, two A-League clubs, two Super Netball clubs or to Melbourne Stor.
Off the field, the Australian clubs have been barred from signing or re-signing "non Wallabies" players while European clubs can continue to offer contracts and take elite talent.
On field, the Rebels have done themselves no favours going winless, although they have been hit by injuries once again with 16 players currently out, almost half for the season.
Rebels flanker Sean McMahon was named the best Australian player in Super Rugby last year and his fearless play changes games.
Yet he hasn't played a game after coming back from the Wallabies' spring tour with an ankle injury. AÂ subsequent knee setback will keep him out for another six weeks.
The Rebels should also be asking why their best player wasn't treated with more care while on tour or even why he was there at all considering his workload.
The Rebels will never admit it but their schedule was a gut-punch in itself. Facing four of the five New Zealand clubs in the opening six weeks and a bye in week three while the AFL season was yet to start, is either ignorance or arrogance from those running the game.
What the ARU has failed to address throughout the life of the Super Rugby is whether it exists to develop Wallabies players or is it the game's shopfront.
If it's just for the Wallabies it should buy out investors like Cox, take control of the four remaining clubs and run them purely to harvest national team players.
Cut imports, promote the local talent and forget the crowds and results.
But if it sees Super Rugby as being in the sports entertainment business, which it is, then it needs to give clubs the marketing support they desperately need, offer a better fixture and more support in keeping key players, not just potential Wallabies.
The AFL, NRL, A-League, NBL and Super Netball are all putting out a far superior product and this is hurting the code, especially in Victoria.
But those following a Super Rugby club would rightly ask if the ARU has even noticed.
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