Board rift will cripple Eels title tilt, says rejected Moss
Margie McDonald
The Australian
May 07, 2014 12:00AM
Further instability at board level will make Parramatta’s quest for a title even harder, says former Macquarie Bank executive Bill Moss. Picture: Sam Mooy Source: News Limited
THE deepening cracks on the Parramatta board are holding the club back from securing another NRL title, according to one of Australia’s best-known corporate identities, Bill Moss.
The former head of Macquarie Bank’s real estate group, which manages more than $23 billion worth of investments around the world, this week tried to join the seven-man Eels board as an independent.
But a resolution put to the annual general meeting on Monday night was voted down along factional lines, with former chairman Roy Spagnolo and former chief executive Denis Fitzgerald pitted against chairman Steve Sharp and CEO Scott Seward.
Board upheaval could not come at a worse time as Parramatta — wooden spooners the past two seasons — is finally a force again under the leadership of new NRL coach Brad Arthur and football director Daniel Anderson, who took the side to the 2009 grand final.
But Moss said all that effort could be wasted if the board did not re-engage fans and the business community.
“Further instability at board level will make the quest for a title even harder,’’ Moss posted on the 1Eyed Eel website.
“You see teams that win titles have the support of the corporate sector: the more companies that support the team, the more sponsorship and third-party agreements you can enter into.’’
That translated into attracting big-name players to Parramatta.
Later Moss told The Australian he did not know his next move, but was contemplating running an independent ticket at the next election.
“It’s pretty hard to help the club if they don’t want to be helped,’’ Moss said last night.
“I’ll just have to wait and see what else I can do. If the board doesn’t want to engage, it’s difficult to make them.
“Maybe if there’s a push by the NRL for independent directors, I could be of some help. But that’s a question for (NRL chief executive) Dave Smith.”
The NRL has encouraged clubs to have independent directors for better governance and accountability. The league has gone as far as making it a criterion in maintaining club grants.
Moss wondered why Eels *directors feared an independent at the table.
“I feel these factions are fighting over more than the right to run a football team or manage a leagues club,’’ he said, declining to expand on the business connections of board members.
Spagnolo declined to comment on why he voted against the resolution.
