NRL must step in and fix Parramatta mess, says former Macquarie Bank boss Bill Moss
Date
May 6, 2014 - 10:02PM
Adrian Proszenko
Chief Rugby League Reporter
A disillusioned Bill Moss believes factionalism has rendered Parramatta "dysfunctional" to the point the NRL has no choice but to step in to save the wooden spooners from themselves.
Moss, an Eels diehard and one of Australia's most respected businessman, was effectively turned away from the club on Monday night during one of the most heated annual general meetings in Parramatta Leagues Club history.
There were four special resolutions put forward on the night, the most important being for the introduction of an independent director. Former Macquarie Bank boss Moss was put forward as Parramatta chairman Steve Sharp's preference if the motion, which required 75 per cent of the members' vote, was successful. However, that – and the other three proposed resolutions – failed during a highly politicised meeting.
Moss was philosophical about the members' decision to oppose an eighth director, but was aghast they chose not to back a resolution seeking to bind the board to a code of conduct.
"I'm quite disillusioned that people in this room, who are supposedly Parramatta fans, voted the way they did," Moss told Fairfax Media after the meeting.
"Why? It's not a question of whether I'm the right person or wrong person.
"No company ever in the world, I would say, in a business forum, when shareholders have got a choice to say, 'do you want a code of conduct for your directors or not?' says no.
"What that says to me is there must be some people who are worried if that comes in to place. I don't get that.
"I'm not too worried about not being on the board, I'm happy to help the club in the background. I don't need to be on the board.
"But to me, that summarised the whole night of destruction. Obviously the factions running behind this dispute are much stronger, they are being put in the forefront rather than the betterment of the club. I find that quite alarming as a Parramatta fan.
"What I do know is that when people vote down a motion on a code of conduct for directors, my question is, 'what are people trying to hide?'. Maybe it's time a few people dig a little deeper into what is behind the past performance of this board."
Asked if he thought it was time for the NRL to intervene, Moss said: "Yeah, I do. After [the AGM], on that basis alone.
"If the NRL is running a competition and it has clubs in that competition where the members of those clubs don't want a code of conduct for their directors, it's time for the NRL to step in."
The Eels have been plagued by factionalism and boardroom bickering off the field, resulting in successive wooden spoons on it.
"It's not a coincidence," Moss said.
"You have to be realistic, you don't turn a ship like this around in 12 months. We've heard all the rubbish about five-year strategies on the field – it's a five-year strategy off the field to turn this around. But it's got to start.
"If you don't start to get people who have got the ability to take this club forward working together, it will go round in a circle ...
"It's costing the club money. It's costing access to good players. The club has to engage with the business community properly and effectively. It has to do that and I don't think that's happened for a long time.
"It certainly didn't happen under the last board and you can see that yourself – the clubs that win competitions engage with the business community."
NRL chief executive Dave Smith said it was up to the Parramatta board and the club’s members to decide how the club should operate.
“We support the strengthening of good corporate governance through a range of initiatives, including the appointment of independent directors,’’ Smith said. “Under our new club funding model, which will apply from next year, there will be an increased emphasis on corporate governance.”
Moss, who retired from Macquarie Bank with a payout of $40 million in 2007, said another priority for the club should be providing education and training opportunities for players in preparation for life after football. However, he fears corporate entities will steer clear of the club after the "disgraceful" conduct of some members towards the current board.
"I think the business community believes this club, over the last five years, has been dysfunctional," Moss said.
"There's a perception the current board, under Steve Sharp, can fix that.
"[The AGM] unfortunately shows the members don't want him to fix it.
"All I would say is if I'm a business or a corporate out there wanting to support this club reading the article you'll write for tomorrow, I would shake my head and say, 'Do I want to go anywhere near this?'"
