New brooms bring sweeping changes
Mike Colman
The Courier-Mail
April 26, 2013 12:00AM
HERE'S a first. The announcement the ARL Commission made the other day about the two new executive appointments? I reckon they've got it right.
The new broom sweeping through rugby league at the moment doesn't make a lot of noise but it seems to be moving a bit of dust.
I guess we have been spoilt for information from league HQ over the years.
CEOs such as David Gallop and John Quayle were not averse to the odd media conference or two, although most of their best work was done over a feed and a few drinks.
The relationship between Phillip St (then later Fox Studios) and certain rugby league journos was close to say the least. Some thought too close.
John Grant, the man who runs the game now, would seem to be in that category.
Grant has been at pains to shut down the stream of information, misinformation and rumours that once gushed forth from the league's offices.
He was openly critical of Gallop's "reactive" style of management and since Gallop's hasty exit from the job, has preferred to follow Wayne Bennett's theory of media relations: don't say anything until you have something to say, and then don't say it. The day Gallop left the NRL was the day we stopped hearing about the progress of the new TV deal. Until it was signed.
The commission refused to give any hints on who, if anyone, was in line for Gallop's old job. Until they appointed David Smith.
Their silence over the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority scandal, in contrast to certain shadowy figures who can't seem to keep their traps shut on the matter, has been nothing short of deafening.
Now this. Todd Greenberg head of football and Jim Doyle chief operations officer.
Who knew?
Well, obviously Todd Greenberg and Jim Doyle for starters, but neither they nor anyone else was talking about it.
While not giving away anything, Grant has always said he was going to change the way things were done. Well, this has got to be one of the biggest: no media leaks.
While it will take some getting used to (the late rugby league journalist Peter "Chippy" Frilingos will be turning in his grave), if Grant was aiming to give an insight into the future, this announcement was a perfect way to do it.
Not only has the commission made two key appointments, one of them is amongst the highest profile executives in the game who was pinched right under the collective noses of the ravenous media pack and, even more voracious, Canterbury supporters.
While you might get a few grumbles from those two partisan groups, I think Greenberg's appointment could be the best for years.
The good thing is, he has not been hired to run the NRL, he is being hired to run the game. They are two entirely different animals.
Last weekend, after the less than inspiring City-Country clash (read: waste of time) well-known media identity Ray Hadley labelled David Smith a "dunce" and told him to go back to banking.
While the close-following announcement of the appointment of Greenberg and Doyle was unrelated to Hadley's remarks, some could argue that by admitting he needs help Smith proved he was anything but a dunce.
In fact, he was rubber-stamping something that should have been done years ago.
The job of running the NRL is simply too big for one man. John Quayle kept such a tight hand on the tiller that when it was suggested he loosen it a little and listen to contrary views, the game almost imploded.
The effect the job had on Gallop could be assessed as easily as looking at a series of photos taken of him at different stages along the journey.
The splitting of the billion-dollar industry that is rugby league into seven separate divisions will enable it to be run efficiently along corporate lines, by people who, while not necessarily having the slightest clue about what is going on on the other six entities, will at least have expertise in their own.
That should be good news for fans of rugby league because, unlike David Smith, Todd Greenberg knows footy.
