Rumours of Roy Spagnolo's demise as a Parramatta powerbroker have been greatly exaggerated.
In a shock development at Monday night's annual general meeting, the ParraFirst ticket was rocked by news that Spagnolo is set to return to the boardroom via a loophole in the club's constitution.
The former chairman was ousted at the Parramatta Leagues Club [PLC] board elections on Saturday, with members of the victorious Steve Sharp-led ticket taking all but two of the available board spots. The only incumbents to survive were Robert Sassen and Eric Grothe Snr.
It was a reversal of the result of last year's Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club Board [PDRLC], where the incumbents ruled with a 6-1 majority. Under the constitution, three members of the PDRLC must transfer across to the PLC board and that trio is presently Sassen,Grothe and Sharp. However, Sassen has stepped down from the PDRLC board for personal reasons and his replacement was determined at an emergency meeting following the AGM. Spagnolo won the vote to take Sassen's place and thereby automatically transferred to the PLC board, which is the one which controls the NRL team.
Ironically, it's believed the constitutional clause exploited was one inserted by former CEO Denis Fitzgerald. The reign of the man dubbed 'The Emperor' ended when Spagnolo's 3P ticket swept to power in 2009. Fitzgerald provided the ParraFirst ticket with constitutional advice for the latest elections and believed he had seen the last of his nemesis following Saturday's outcome at the ballot box. That result saw Spagnolo, Mario Libertini, Lyn Wallace, Sid Kelly and Joe Saadreplaced on the board, replaced by Sharp and fellow ParraFirst candidates Lawrence Shepherd, Peter Serrao, Chiang Lim and Tom Issa.''I am very pleased for Steve Sharp and his team,'' Fitzgerald said following the result.
''I am also pleased that the dysfunctional board led by Roy Spagnolo and his Napoleonic lieutenant Mario Libertini have been voted out by the members. They promised the world and delivered an atlas.''However, Fitzgerald - and the ParraFirst faction - were caught off guard by the developments. The ParraFirst faction held a 5-2 balance of power in the new-look Eels boardroom prior to the AGM. However, that was reduced to 4-3 after Spagnolo's stunning return.
Spagnolo's former board had achieved a group net profit of $15 million over the past four years, but a lack of on-field success ultimately cost them at the polls. It's understood that several sponsors who had expressed reservations about continuing following Saturday's election result could stick solid with Spagnolo returning to the fold.
