Brisbane's NRL bid team has foot in Maroons' door
QUEENSLAND'S entire State of Origin squad could potentially be wooed by bosses of the new Brisbane NRL bid, who are members of an exclusive club that gives them privileged access to the Maroons camp.
Bid chiefs Bill Rae and Craig Davison pay $20,000 a year to be members of the 1980 Club, an elite group of up to 13 wealthy businessmen who are given unprecedented access to the Maroons dressingroom, private State of Origin functions, the team hotel and can even sit behind the team bench during matches.
The 1980 Club named after the year of the first Origin game has been likened to an Origin version of the Thoroughbreds, the group of businessmen who mentor Brisbane Broncos players.
Other club members include multi-millionaire horse racing identity Laurence Eales, who owns 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking and multiple Group 1 winner Whobegotyou, and leading Queensland businessman Mick Power.
But fears are growing among some NRL clubs that Brisbane bid consortium bosses could use their membership of the club to get an inside running to pursue Origin players for their franchise, which is aiming to win an NRL licence for 2013.
While there are few top-line Queensland Origin players who are off-contract with their NRL clubs, the Maroons camp would be a golden opportunity for the bid members to promote their organisation and foster ties for the future.
A top official at one NRL club told The Courier-Mail yesterday: "We aren't happy these blokes are being allowed into Origin camp. They are clearly going to be wanting to talk turkey to the Origin players."
But North Queensland Cowboys football manager Peter Parr said he had no problem.
"I'd back my relationship with my players any day over someone who sees them for a few days during Origin time," Parr said.
Rae has a close friendship with Maroons coach Mal Meninga the man mooted as a coach of the prospective Brisbane NRL franchise. But Rae insisted the Brisbane bid team were not out to use their Origin camp privileges to recruit players.
"No, not at all, that is total rubbish, we are definitely not in that sort of business," Rae said.
"All we do is respect rugby league."
Multi-millionaire Davison, the former Thoroughbreds chairman, refused to comment but confirmed he had been in the 1980 Club for three years.
Queensland Rugby League managing director Ross Livermore, whose son Nicholas is the third member of the Brisbane bid team, says he has no problem with the Brisbane bid members being involved in the 1980 Club.
"The club only gives them access to Origin players as a group . . . they don't really get the opportunity to sit down and talk privately to players one-on-one," Livermore said.
"If we had any concerns, we wouldn't let those fellows join up.
"The money that we get from the membership of the club provides a lot of benefits to the Queensland team, it is over and above the QRL budget.
"As well, through the 1980 Club, we can provide benefits for grassroots rugby league.
"We are looking at offsetting some of the registration fees for juniors whose families were affected by the recent floods."
