NRL's new no-name CEO not passionate about rugby league
Andrew Webster
The Daily Telegraph
November 20, 2012 12:00AM
ARL Commission chairman John Grant insists "the deal has not been done" with a new chief executive - but says the game should be prepared for a leader without a passion for rugby league.
Grant maintained their long search was over and the chief executive would not be revealed after the commission met in Sydney today, although it is understood the fate of the shoulder charge tackle will be known today.
"The CEO will not be announced tomorrow," Grant told The Daily Telegraph last night. "There's no date for the announcement of the CEO. What we will do is give you plenty of notice about when that date is determined. It's not a done deal."
The identity of David Gallop's replacement remains a closely guarded secret, with some commission members also unaware just who is the leading contender for the job.
What is becoming clearer is that the new figurehead will not have a strong background in the game.
There has been strong suggestions for some weeks that Victorian Major Events boss Brendan McClements was the leading contender, although some believe his role in trying to secure Origin matches for Melbourne presented a conflict of interest.
Instead, it appears the new man or woman - Grant would not even confirm the new chief executive's gender - will come from the "banking" sector.
"And what you won't see - and this was never our No.1 - is that they have to be an expert in rugby league football," Grant said.
"That's not to say it's not very important that the person has an affinity with sport. But they don't have to have a rugby league background. When we went through the process of talking to candidates, it was clear to us that this role should have a primary requirement for the people to be experienced in rugby league in Australia."
The last NRL chief executive without a rugby league background was David Moffett, who infamously took a large amount of time off during the 2001 season to attend the Tour de France.
He lasted two seasons before he was moved on and Gallop was ushered in as a caretaker before taking over the role full-time.
The league's first choice to replace Gallop had been AFL chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan, but he snubbed their offer and re-signed as Andrew Demetriou's second in command.
Asked if clubs, players and fans were prepared to have another leader lacking passion for the game, Grant said: "Expertise doesn't have to reside in the one person. You need people who are experts in rugby league in Australia. It doesn't necessarily have to be the CEO.
"If you asked what the commission is really about, it's the business of rugby league - with the emphasis on the word business."
Grant also said the new chief executive would require a strong track record in lobbying governments and politicians, and establishing a strong rapport with the media.
Meanwhile, the commission is also tipped to scrap the shoulder charge when NRL football operations director Nathan McGuirk hands down his report into the controversial tackle.
McGuirk would not reveal what his recommendation is, but the shoulder charge has been in the commission's sights since late last season.
Brad Walter ‏@BradWalterSMH
