Parramatta's dysfunctional board appears to be on borrowed time after the 101 signatures required to force an historic member-forced meeting were officially lodged with the club on Friday.
Long-time Parramatta Leagues Club member Chris Losco is behind a push to immediately overthrow all current Eels directors save for Geoff Gerard, who would assist in forming a committee to identify a replacement board based on merit. The process would include the NRL, Clubs NSW and a specialised recruiting firm to ensure the best candidates are selected from a pool of eligible members that would run the club until at least the next election.
Losco handed in 114 signed copies of his resolution which, if declared valid, will give the current board until July 15 to convene a general meeting by August 24.
The NRL is expected to enforce its provisional sanctions against the so-called 'gang of five' next week, but the landmark meeting which requires 50 per cent of attendees to vote in favour will give the Eels a fresh start following the salary cap rorting saga.
"This is a point in history where, as a club, we can come together and select, based on merit, the best possible board," Losco said.
"Leaving behind the factions, the revenge, the political instability, we can really move forward as a membership with a board capable of repairing Parramatta's standing in the game with members, fans, sponsors and the NRL."
The Eels are in complete disarray are being investigated by at least three statutory bodies, including the NSW Fraud Squad, the Australian Tax Office and Liquor, Gaming and Racing. It's expected long-suffering members will vote for change although there are at least two other groups, including one organised by local businessman Andrew Eagleston, preparing to stage coups of their own.
Losco wants the current Eels board to engage with members during the process but expects to be met with resistance.
"I'm sure the directors will have a multitude of lawyers review it and call it non-constitutional or argue semantic or legal points of view," he said.
"But the bottom line is the membership want change, they want the best, independent people in charge.
"I'm asking other people building other teams or factions in the traditional way at Parramatta to support my merit-based proposal. If their people are that good, they should fly through this process. That way the member and fan base will have comfort the best possible people are being selected.
"It's not via association or friendship or ethnic groups, but the best possible people."
Losco said it was imperative to put in place a stable board and management, which would then allow for the retention of head coach Brad Arthur.
"No one has bled for the club like Brad has for the past six months," he said. "To lose him would set our football team back five to eight years.
"It's not an outlandish statement to say the future of the football club, at least in the medium term, with Brad Arthur."
At present, the same seven directors sit on both the leagues club and football club boards, but Losco said constitutional reform was required to allow at least a partial separation to ensure directors had the unique skill sets for each role.
