Less than 12 months after aligning with Rugby Australia, NSW Waratahs chief executive Paul Doorn has been made redundant.
The Roar can reveal the administrator will finish up in the next couple of months, with Doorn set to stay in the role to help new director of performance Simon Raiwalui and head coach Dan McKellar finalise their roster.
What’s more, The Roar can reveal strength and conditioning coach Nick Lumley was let earlier this month.
It’s believed Lumley had only recently signed an extension, but the experienced S&C coach was told he wasn’t required by McKellar.
His departure comes after a chaotic year on the field, where the Waratahs’ front-row was decimated by injuries.
Indeed, the Waratahs had more than ten players across the front-row sidelined by a multitude of leg and Achilles injuries.
NSW Waratahs CEO Paul Doorn (L) has been made redundant less than 12 months after aligning with Rugby Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
The unprecedented run of injuries forced the Waratahs to draft in Wallaby Pone Fa’amausili from the Rebels as well as Argentine prop Enrique Pieretto from Scotland.
The wretched run of luck contributed to the Waratahs finishing last on the Super Rugby Pacific standings.
It’s believed Doorn always believed it was inevitable that one day he would lose his job given that he helped align with RA. Nonetheless, it’s understood he was still surprised at the decision to part ways with him.
Doorn, who was well liked across the rugby community, was appointed Waratahs CEO in early 2020 but his four-year tenure will be remembered for the struggles on the field that the men experienced.
Current Crusaders coach Rob Penney was sacked early in his second season after a winless start to the 2021, before Darren Coleman was appointed in mid-2021.
Coleman initially led the Waratahs to consecutive finals campaigns but the 2014 Super Rugby champions took a step backward in 2024.
The NSW Waratahs struggled in 2024 and finished at the bottom of the Super Rugby standings. (Photo by Luis Veniegra/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The Waratahs’ women’s side however responded from a disappointing 2023 campaign to smash the Fijiana Drua side in Brisbane this year to claim their fifth Super Rugby Women’s title.
At the same time, the Waratahs went from a $3.5m profit in 2021 to posting a $4.8m deficit in 2023.
At their Annual General Meeting for the 2023 year in May, Doorn said there was a multitude of reasons for their struggles.
“Lower home game attendance and a poor win/loss record challenged our income sources,” he said.
“Broadcast revenue distributed to the Super Rugby Clubs via Rugby Australia also declined. In addition, fixed costs remained for players, coaches and the high-performance program. This imbalance has been a significant contributor to financial stress for all Australian Super Rugby Clubs, including the Waratahs.”
The financial struggles were one of the key factors behind the Waratahs becoming the first Super Rugby franchise to align with Rugby Australia.
“It’s not going to happen overnight but it will happen…We 100% agree the strategy has to change,” Doorn told reporters late last year.
“Holistically, we bought into the fact we believe that centralisation or the integration, particularly of the high-performance model, will actually drive better outcomes both on and off the field.
“We’ve had a really strong working relationship with Rugby Australia to get us to this point today…we’re really comfortable with the fact that we’re going to get better outcomes.
“We want to be able to work really closely (with RA) to get some quick wins to demonstrate that it can actually work and it does have an impact.”
After the Waratahs officially handed over their Super Rugby licence to RA on January 1, the Brumbies have followed suit and will officially integrate with the governing body on August 1.
