Nick Westby: Leeds Carnegie pay the price for attempting to compete against the elite

There is one common denominator behind Leeds Carnegie’s failure this season, their anticipated struggles of the future and the disillusionment of their departing head coach – money.Leeds Carnegie had one of smallest budgets of the 12 Premiership clubs in the 2010-11 season and finished bottom.

The gamble to freeze a debt of £1.5m at the start of the season chasing external investment and Heineken Cup qualification backfired. The debt is now £2m and repayments begin on July 1.

Should the club’s relegation be ratified with a Worcester win over Cornish Pirates, a one-off parachute payment of £2.6m will give them one chance and one chance only of winning promotion back to the Premiership.

Failure to do so at the first time of asking and central funding will be slashed to £300,000, a significant reduction that could mean curtains for the club.

Even a Pirates win and a Premiership reprieve would not herald a new dawn, only another season of staring into the darkening abyss.

Neil Back foresaw the problems and has opted out.

For two years, the 66-cap England flanker and former British Lion built a platform at Headingley, only for, in his eyes, the legs to be kicked from underneath him by a lack of external investment and the absence of an increase in resources he felt was required to take the club to the next level.

Aiming for Heineken Cup qualification was a bridge too far, but when he walked the same Kirkstall corridors as Leeds Rugby’s successful older brother, the Rhinos, envious glances could be forgiven.

League side Rhinos are a self-sufficient operation, who, on a rugby budget of £2.8m a year, come at nearly half the price of Carnegie, for whom their last season in the top flight cost £4.5m.

That £2.8m helps the Rhinos compete at the top of Super League. Carnegie’s budget, conversely, is dwarfed by their Premiership rivals. An outlay of £3m on players leaves them £1m adrift of the teams they are competing against.

It is a big chasm to overcome in professional sport and one Leeds have been battling to bridge for the last decade.

Carnegie have relied on benevolence but must generate their own income now to return to sustainability. Premiership attendances of 5,000 will inevitably drop in the second tier, making debts harder to pay.

Leeds face the biggest summer in their 19-year history.

A coaching staff of 21 has to be reduced drastically and players of the ilk of Hendre Fourie, Mike MacDonald and Juan Gomez have to be convinced their ambitions can be matched at the ailing West Yorkshire club.

Back leaves with his reputation enhanced but with the club in exactly the same position he found them when he and Andy Key took charge in 2008.

Regardless, his ambition, his drive and his professionalism will be missed.

Such is the price of competing among rugby union’s elite.