The appointment of Shane Richardson to what is essentially the second most senior post at the NRL is simultaneously a huge boon for the international game and terrible embarrassment to it.
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In an interview with me just before the 1pm announcement on Wednesday – which I posted right on the hour for people who have been kind enough to donate to my website – Richardson said he hoped to work with the existing team at League Central to "work towards establishing rugby league on the world stage."
When the denizens of Super League said that, 20 years ago in 2015, it was laughed at. But in the current environment, with globalisation of the sports industry and a well-resourced NRL, it should be music to our ears.
Richardson doesn't just know the doormen at Runaway Bay and the groundsman at Cairns Brothers, he knows the boss of the Czech Rugby League and rock promoter Simon Moran, the owner of Warrington.
(When they had lunch last year, Metallica's James Hetfield dropped in).
Richardson has the commitment to go with his deep contact list, too; he went broke trying to start a team in Newcastle, England. Ambition wise, that makes him the perfect man to oversee the next stage of the NRL's expansion.
So why is all this an embarrassment to international rugby league? Because the job Richardson really wanted was to be CEO of the Rugby League International Federation.
He was the NRL's pick to become the peak body's first fulltime boss and didn't care how much he was going to be paid, so fired up was he about making a lasting impression on the sport globally during the next stage of his career.
England's Rugby Football League didn't want him. They offered the job to an American who used to run the International Rugby Board, Mike Miller
He kept them waiting, then turned them down. Eventually, they went to Richo. But by this stage, the double-premiership-winning CEO had built a firm relationship with Smith, with whom he had discussed his vision for the sport.
The RLIF prevaricated still further. It was unclear where the CEO's wage would come from. That's how we got to yesterday's announcement. Smith and Richardson waited, and waited for the international governing body of our sport and eventually just went and did it themselves.
We still don't have a CEO or an office from the RLIF.
The northern hemisphere now has no excuse for blocking anything the NRL wants to do over the next few years. They had their chance to lead – and blew it big time.
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WHAT is the NRL's motive in changing the rules regarding the speed of rucks so late, and unilaterally?
Stopping the wrestle is an admirable objective – but not if it leads to endless dummy half scoots and diving at the feet of defenders.
We should be aiming to maximise the number of passes on each play. Warrington's Tony Smith is right - Super League is more entertaining because this stat is higher.
In this week's White Line Fever (yes, this is plug!): "We had the refs out here last week, we played four quarters and the first couple of quarters we were getting penalised.
"We had a chat about it at halftime with them and they told us why they were ruling about it with the penalties.
"We got better. If that's going to be the case, hopefully they can give us some notice and we can work on it over the next two months, adapting to it.
"It's not realistic (to get up immediately). I think what they want to see is some sort of effort, instead of just lying there and not moving at all. You've just got to respect the movement call from the referee and do your best to at least start moving.
"You don't have to jump up instantaneously."
