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ST GEORGE RL COMMITTEE QUITS EN BLOC
Author: By PAUL TAIT
Date: 02/07/1987
Publication: Sydney Morning Herald
Section: Sport (page: 34)
The seven-man committee of the St George District Rugby League Football Club resigned last night.
The committee, headed by president Jim Grant, resigned after meeting Saints Leagues Club general manager Danny Robinson and chairman Alec Mackie. The meeting was also attended by NSW Rugby League general manager John Quayle.
The meeting was held to discuss the financial assistance of the Leagues Club to the Rugby League club. It is believed the Rugby League club requested a grant of approximately $1 million from the Leagues Club for next year, double the size of the current grant.
The St George Leagues Club will now take over the running of the Rugby League club and will appoint a sub-committee to administer its affairs.
Club secretary John Fleming, a paid official of the Leagues Club, retains his position.
Robinson said the committee agreed to resign "in the interests of the betterment and continuation of the St George club".
"The board of directors of the Leagues Club have been requested to inject funds into the football club to enable it to meet the commitments for 1987 and in particular to become a more competitive force for the 1988 season," Robinson said.
"The Leagues Club have agreed to do this and also to support the proposal of the Kogarah Council and the State Government for the development of a grandstand at (Kogarah) Jubilee Oval.
"The amount of funds required is significant and with such a commitment for funds it is considered reasonable that administration and expenditure should be controlled by the Leagues Club."
Robinson said that the move was a necessary one if the St George club was once again to become a competitive force in the Sydney premiership.
The club has suffered from an exodus of top players since 1985, including Michael O'Connor, Steve Morris, Chris Walsh, Perry Haddock and Pat Jarvis.
Only this week second-rower Billy Noke and utility back Chris Johns signed contracts with the new Brisbane club.
The Rugby League club felt it needed more money from the Leagues Club if it were to retain its current playing staff and sign more quality players.
That desire to strengthen its playing staff led to the demise of the Rugby League club committee.
The club also met the NSW Minister for Sport, Mr Cleary, last week to discuss the financing of the new grandstand at Kogarah Oval.
That meeting resolved that the State Government would make $1 million available in the form of a grant and a low-interest loan.
Kogarah Council also agreed to make $300,000 available, while the Leagues Club is still to determine the size of its contribution to the project.
Coupled with the money it will make available for the purchase of players, the Leagues Club may now be looking at a financial commitment of more than $2 million to rebuild its football team and home ground.