KEY POINTS:
For those struggling to understand why Brian McClennan is no longer coach of the Kiwis, consider an Aesop fable, one that may have been running around in Bluey's head.
A scorpion and a frog meet on the banks of a stream. The scorpion asks the frog to carry him to the good eating for both of them on the other side of the stream.
"But you scorpions have a death sting. How do I know you won't sting me?" the frog asks. "Because both of us would die," the scorpion responds, promising not to sting the frog.
Halfway across to land, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog asks "Why did you do that? You promised not to and now we're both going to die." The scorpion answers "I couldn't help myself - it's in my nature."
The fable provides parallels to the saga being played out between McClennan and the New Zealand Rugby League this week.
Graham Lowe was the scorpion in McClennan's mind. Despite Lowe's protestations to the contrary, McClennan clearly thought the former coach would not be able to stop himself from butting in.
Then there's Lowe's media work - would he criticise the coach and/or team? McClennan said his contract specified that he deal with the NZRL chairman. On May 20 the NZRL appointed Lowe as director of football. "Two coaches in the same room have different philosophies," McClennan said.
He was not consulted about the appointment of Tony Kemp as a selector, he said.
"I don't feel like I have resigned - it's more like I've been pushed. It's like I had no alternative really."
The NZRL emphatically denied that. "We offered him a substantial increase in his package to stay on as Kiwi coach until after next year's World Cup but we have no option but to reluctantly accept his decision," said chairman Andrew Chalmers.
Then there's the residency rule.
McClennan says he went to Chalmers on May 7 to tell of the approach from Leeds and ask for his agreement he could continue negotiations to go overseas, as well as retain his Kiwis job to the end of his contract in 2008.
Chalmers told him to go ahead, McClennan said.
But when he came back with a formal offer from Leeds the picture had changed.
He was on the outer, was not contacted for some time and the residency issue was not raised until this week.
Chalmers and Lowe have made it clear the residency requirement will not be relaxed.
Is it better to have a coach in New Zealand, where the Warriors will provide maybe four of the Kiwis, or coaching at top level in England or Australia?
McClennan felt he could do both jobs; the NZRL felt he could not, especially as he does not yet have first-hand experience as a pro-coach and the pressures that go with it.
The league's stance is that the Kiwis coach should be here, unearthing and developing talent.
But it was not previous Kiwis coaches who discovered and developed Benji Marshall, Sonny Bill Williams or a host of others.
The fact is, good prospects are signed to a range of NRL clubs which have talent scouts here looking at prospects at age 17 or younger.
Maybe the league thought McClennan needed reining in and a separation of thousands of kilometres would not help that cause.
But the most successful coach in recent history and the only man capable of pulling the team together with a realistic chance of winning the World Cup is now lost to New Zealand league.
Fans are sad as well as confused.
The McClennan affair has been full of smoke and mirrors, veils, changed allegiances, quicksand. You decide who to believe.
Fact: Neither side has handled the issue well and, as usual, league looks unprofessional. Like something from a fable.
