Parramatta Eels salary cap: Club could go private if Bill Moss has his way
an hour ago
Matt LogueThe Daily Telegraph
FORMER Macquarie Bank executive Bill Moss still harbours a strong desire to play a part in privatisation of the Parramatta Eels.
In the wake of Tuesday’s salary cap punishment handed down by the NRL, The Daily Telegraph can reveal Moss is currently putting together a group of former players, sponsors and politicians to be involved in a potential takeover bid.
This comes as one ex-Parramatta employee declared an independent board was the only way the Eels could remove the internal politics that have plagued the club for years.
“The politics at Parramatta is so tragic and it’s not going to change until they rip the football club ownership away from the Leagues Club and put it in the hands of an independent group,” the former staffer said.
“That’s the club’s best chance of being a proper functioning and compliant business.
“The NRL have done the technical work, but the really hard work is still to be done because whoever steps in and takes over is still going to be caught up in all that politics.
“There are so many people there fighting against each other that the club just doesn’t have a chance in hell of ever succeeding. When I went there I knew it was a mess, but I just had no idea how bad.
“Parramatta should be the Collingwood of the NRL — it has got the resources, the funding and the population.
“That’s one of the saddest things about it is that rugby league could be so much stronger if Parramatta gets it right.”
Parramatta legend Peter Sterling believes privatisation is a viable option for the Eels, but only if it’s done correctly.
“I was initially very supportive of what Tinkler did in Newcastle, but that would make me want to look into things even more after the way that finished,” Sterling said.
“I’m not informed enough about it (privatisations) merits yet to say if it should happen, but would imagine it’s something that should be discussed.
The former Parramatta employee also admitted the Eels’ salary cap drama came as “no surprise”, because the club has been doing “dodgy deals for years”.
“It wasn’t a shock at all,” they said. It was a disaster waiting to happen because of the structure of the place.
“But the way the NRL have gone about it is fair and reasonable and it has given them the incentive to drop players and become compliant for 2016 and play for points.”
