November 24 2016 - 6:59PM
NRL club bosses move motion of no confidence in ARL commission chairman John Grant
by
Georgina Robinson and Adam Pengilly
The bosses of all 16 NRL clubs lodged a vote of no confidence in ARL commission chair John Grant on Thursday as a full blown mutiny threatens to topple rugby league's most powerful administrator.
The chairpersons intended to sign a letter, which was to be delivered to the ARL's independent commissioners, to act as the trigger for the club-inspired push for an extraordinary general meeting and Grant's removal.
It came a day after four club bosses stormed out of a scheduled meeting with Grant and NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg over an increasingly bitter funding dispute and break-up of the record $1.8 billion broadcast deal from 2018.
Grant appears to be on borrowed time after a turbulent five-year tenure, with even the NRL-owned Gold Coast and Newcastle lending their support to the no confidence motion which has exposed an ever-increasing gulf between League Central and the clubs.
Worrying registration levels and a perceived shortfall in grassroots funding triggered a stunning funding backflip over club grants on Wednesday by Grant and Greenberg, which had four club bosses walk out on the meeting.
Greenberg backed the embattled Grant as unrest over funding uncertainty threatens to boil over, with club bosses still privately seething the game's two biggest powerbrokers had waited until this week to flip on an in-principle agreement for club grants from 2018 onwards.
Greenberg said he had "absolute faith" in Grant's ability to steer the game through the negotiation of a new union agreement and club funding deal, despite his unpopularity in clubland.
Four club chairmen – Canterbury's Ray Dib, North Queensland's Laurence Lancini, Cronulla's Damian Keogh and Melbourne's Bart Campbell –
walked out on a meeting with Grant and Greenberg after the latter failed to re-affirm their commitment to club funding at 130 per cent of the yet-to-be-determined salary cap.
Greenberg used the release of next year's draw on Thursday to hint a worrying downturn in junior participation levels and grassroots funding had been behind the about-turn, but club administrators remain furious it had taken so long for the NRL's position to be made clear.
Figures obtained from the NRL show a less than half a per cent drop in club registered numbers since last year, while overall participation is up six per cent to more than 772,000. Nevertheless, Greenberg said he had concerns about the game's future.
"We've got some concerns about where we're heading," Greenberg said. "We've got to think very carefully about our strategy and where we apply funds. Whether it's in regional areas in the bush or the city areas, we've got to be very, very careful about what we do next."
Many club bosses spoke about how their cash-strapped clubs had crafted budgets for the next couple of financial years under the memorandum of understanding signed last December, which will now need to be revisited.
A salary cap for 2018 – projected to be anywhere between $9 million and $10 million – is still being wrangled over and has plunged the player market into uncertainty.
Rugby League Players Association general manager Clint Newton was diplomatic on Thursday at the launch of the
2017 NRL draw, which has delivered rugby league players a major workplace win in the form of a 30 per cent reduction in five-day turnarounds between games.
Newton said a year-long lag in collective bargaining agreement negotiations, which has stalled the club funding talks, was not ideal but said the RLPA was committed to working with the NRL and ARL.
"We're still 100 per cent committed to trying to negotiate a CBA that provides players as genuine partners in the game," he said. "That partnership is going to include the NRL and clubs ... it's all about being transparent and inclusive. We're confident and committed to trying to get the best outcome for everyone."
Greenberg played down tensions at the launch and backed Grant, who has overseen five seasons as ARL chairman.
"John's a good man who works very hard and always puts the game first. He'll continue to do that as the chairman, I have absolute faith in that," Greenberg said.
"It's not a new phenomenon that the head body of a sport and its clubs will have differing views on funding and we'll continue to have those discussions. There'll be more discussions in the next week or so, I would anticipate, with the chairmen of the clubs, and we'll work together to find a resolution."
Greenberg said on Thursday that neither he nor Grant had reneged on the memorandum of understanding, but had told the clubs they would finalise the new collective bargaining agreement first before negotiating the new funding deal.
Greenberg also foreshadowed changing priorities for the sport as the NRL battled falling participation numbers.
"I think what's happened is there's been some differing principles from last year to now and there are things you learn along the way. We were upfront with the clubs [on Wednesday] and we'll continue to be upfront with them," Greenberg said.
