Richard Reid is nothing if not a realist. As a cricketer, he was never bogged down by delusions of grandeur.
He played the game because he loved it and his give-it-a-heave approach led to nine one-day international appearances for New Zealand, which were about nine more than he expected.
Now Reid finds himself in what many consider an unenviable job.
He's in charge of an Otago Rugby Football Union that is bleeding money, trying desperately to cede ownership of a creaking ground, underachieving on the field and facing criticism for losing touch with its fans.
He could promise miracles but he knows there is no point. Otago rugby fans might be a disillusioned lot but they are no fools.
‘‘I won't say I'm necessarily optimistic but I am realistic,'' Reid says.
‘‘I think there's scope for optimism, because rugby is New Zealand's game, and it's never not going to be New Zealand's game. Can the problems be fixed? Yes. But I'm realistic about what we're trying to do. I'm not going to come up with grand plans that we can't follow through.''
Reid has already signalled that getting the ORFU's finances back on track is his immediate priority.
The union is a financial basket case, saddled with $6 million of debt and an unloved ground that is depreciating rapidly. And in a competitive market, Otago has been as guilty as any union of over-extending itself in an effort to keep the pace.
‘‘We've been living beyond our means and we've got significant interest costs on loans, so our financial situation simply has to be the focus,'' Reid says.
‘‘But that shouldn't stop us delivering rugby. We've got to focus hugely on the delivery of the game, whether that's through the Air New Zealand Cup side or the under-10s. But we've got to be quite disciplined in what we do, because that's what we can actually control.''
Otago rugby has been inextricably linked to Carisbrook for 100 years but now the union can't wait to pass on the ownership papers to somebody else.
There are two possibilities: either the proposed stadium at Awatea St will go ahead, and Otago rugby will be the anchor tenant; or the dream will die, some sort of proposal to spend $50 million-$60 million on Carisbrook will be revived, and the ORFU will pass ownership to an independent trust.
It remains an unusual situation for a union of Otago's size to be owning and operating its own ground.
‘‘The stadium issue obviously needs to be resolved. That's an issue that's particular to us,'' Reid says.
‘‘We need some finality on that, whether it's a new stadium or not. We needed it yesterday. That will allow us to deal with some issues around Carisbrook.
‘‘Clearly, we've signalled that running a stadium is beyond our capabilities and we need to get rid of it.''
If the stadium is the millstone around the neck that is weighing down Otago rugby, the sneaky little gremlin that has crept up to tie the union's shoelaces together is the explosion in costs of running the professional game.
Driven partly by the expansion of the national championship from 10 to 14 teams, and partly by the rising player wages following hard bargaining from the Players' Association, unions are having to spend more to compete.
Reid has only been in the job four months but he believes he has seen enough to recommend changes to the Air New Zealand Cup.
‘‘In my opinion, it shouldn't be professional. It should be semi-professional.
‘‘I think we've been guilty of creating a professional level one row further down the food chain than it needs to me. The professional level in New Zealand should be the Super 14. Below that should be semiprofessional.
‘‘We've created a bloody nightmare from a financial point of view. It's just too expensive and we need to say, ‘Sorry, it's time to stop this'. Everyone's in the same boat.
‘‘I'm not suggesting you don't pay players. But perhaps some of the players at the bottom end don't get paid quite as much.
‘‘I've got no problem with paying good players good money, but I do have a problem with paying average players good money.''
Reid says it is pointless to have a salary cap set at $2 million as that is just driving salaries higher and few unions are affected by it anyway. He thinks a much reduced salary cap in a semi-professional competition will work.
He's ambivalent about whether the Air New Zealand Cup should be taken back to 10 or 12 teams, pointing out there is a solid rugby argument to keep 14.
Teams that finished ninth to 14th in the most recent competition - North Harbour, Northland, Taranaki, Manawatu, Bay of Plenty and Counties-Manukau - supplied 26 players to the five New Zealand Super 14 squads this year, or nearly 20%.
‘‘The rugby part is sustainable. But I'm yet to be convinced that financially it can carry on the way it's going,'' Reid says.
A question that begs to be asked of Otago is: if the union has no money, and does not have the population to compare with bigger centres, how can it possibly expect to continue to compete on the field?
Already this year, the union has revealed it has slashed its number of contracted players from 35 to 26. Given that four or five such players are invariably injured, there are bound to be situations where Otago does not have a full roster of contracted players.
Reid accepts Otago will never have the resources of the biggest unions but believes creating an environment that encourages players to move to Dunedin is a good start.
He again emphasises taking a realistic approach, pointing out Otago has had moderate success in the 32 years of the national championship and can hardly expect to win it every year.
He'd like Otago to regularly compare itself to like-sized union Waikato, and for the Highlanders to see where they finish in relation to the Chiefs, for a genuine gauge of success.
Otago must aim to finish no lower than the semifinals every year, but it is not quite so simple to demand the same of the Highlanders in an international competition.
‘‘It's realistic to demand the Highlanders be competitive. But it's a very, very tough competition and it always has been,'' Reid says. ‘‘Sure we are probably never going to be among the favourites. ‘‘Some years we'll be talked about as being better than others. ‘‘
Can we compete? Sure. ‘‘It's about creating the right environment, getting the right coaches. You don't have to be a genius to see we've got one huge advantage, and that is that that is - and probably always will be - the easiest place to get a Super 14 contract. That's a big advantage.
‘‘If we get our recruitment and retention right, we can certainly have the personnel here to be able to compete. I don't see that ever not being the case.''
It is unthinkable to imagine a future without the Highlanders, Reid says. And, while there had been ructions in the past between major partners Otago and Southland, there might come a time where both unions shaped every decision they made around what was best for the franchise.
‘‘Whether we like it or not, the 1st XV of this area is the Highlanders. If they are successful, it might solve some of our financial issues.''
Then there's the big question of Central Otago, particularly the explosion in growth and wads of cash floating around in the Wakatipu Basin.
Some believe there will eventually come a time when an autonomous union will be based in Queenstown. The town hosted its first full Super 14 game last year and it was the biggest earner for the Highlanders, and a resurgence in Country rugby would inevitably benefit Otago.
Reid, like predecessor Russell Gray, is well aware of the potential benefits to come from the Country boom, but can also see issues.
‘‘Otago Country would be one of the biggest and most rural rugby areas in New Zealand, and smack in the middle of it is the largest urban growth area in the country,'' Reid says.
‘‘Little things like whether there are enough football fields in Queenstown, Wanaka and Cromwell to sustain the growth - really basic things like that need to be addressed.
‘‘We've got to ask what Otago Country rugby will look like in five years' time, work that out and then work backwards from there.''
At the heart of rugby is the club level, and the players, coaches, referees and volunteers who keep it going.
Reid concedes he has not quite been in the job long enough to have a comprehensive handle on the state of Otago club rugby, but he is looking forward to finding out more as the season begins.
‘‘I'm sure the issues will be the same as other club sports: lack of volunteers and financial things and the number of clubs and stuff like that.
‘‘Anecdotally, I think I've picked up that we've got quite a vibrant club rugby scene. And my understanding is the standard of the competition is pretty good.''
Reid is a realist, but years working for high-flying sports company Nike also showed him there's nothing wrong with aiming high.
In the next five years, his best-case scenario would see the Highlanders qualifying for two Super 14 semifinals, Otago reaching two Air New Zealand Cup finals, Otago sides being competitive across all age groups, the Carisbrook issue solved, and target numbers reached for player registrations.
‘‘I'd certainly also like us to get the respect back from our community,'' Reid says.
‘‘Just to have Otago rugby viewed once more as something that people talk about with pride, rather than derision.
‘‘That'd be nice.''
