Ray Price, Eric Grothe and Terry Leabeater plan to remove Parramatta CEO Denis Fitzgerald Exclusive by Josh Massoud | November 20, 2008 12:00am
THEY sacrificed their bodies for a total of 459 games to build a blue-and-gold dynasty. Now Eels greats Ray Price, Eric Grothe and Terry Leabeater have re-united to tear one down.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal that former front-row bookend Leabeater has joined the ticket that aims to overthrow the Parramatta football club board and veteran CEO Denis Fitzgerald.
The Eels greats are fed up with the current management that has failed to deliver a title since they last played together in 1986. "I think things have been the same for too long and there needs to be change," Leabeater said.
Price, Grothe and Leabeater are on a rival ticket that aims to bring fresh faces to the seven-man Eels board, which features four directors who have overseen more than 15 barren seasons. Fitzgerald has served as CEO for 30 years.
"I've spoken to so many Parramatta fans who are desperate for a change," Grothe said.
"Running for the board will be worth it for all those people who are disheartened with what's happened to the club over the past 10 or 15 years."
At least seven more challengers will be nominated alongside Price, Grothe and Leabeater when applications close at 5pm tomorrow.
Among them are millionaire property developers, successful businessmen and current sponsors.
The list of challenging nominees will then be narrowed to a final ticket of seven before the football club AGM on December 14.
Serious talks about forming a rival ticket have gained momentum since June and came to a head at a secret meeting in Parramatta on Tuesday night. More than 20 Parramatta identities - including six current sponsors, local councillors, former footballers and a doctor - gathered for the three-hour meeting where 11 agreed to contest the election if required.
Leabeater, who has set up a consultancy alongside the Men of League Foundation to help former footballers with their business affairs, revealed fellow great Brett Kenny had convinced him to run.
"Above all, I want to see the past players welcomed back to the club - people like Bert (Kenny) and Peter Sterling," Leabeater said. The rival ticket has branded itself "3P" because it is determined to restore "Parramatta's pride and passion". "The ticket is about Parramatta being a home for everyone," an insider said.
Winning, however, will not be easy. The football club boasts an estimated 300 voting members, and the vast majority have traditionally been convinced to keep the incumbent directors in power.
In turn, the board - which has been headed by chairman Alan Overton for the past 22 years - has extended Fitzgerald's tenure as CEO to three straight decades.
They are even throwing a 30th anniversary party to mark the occasion next Friday night.
Nicknamed "The Emperor" because of his incredible reign, Fitzgerald also controls Parramatta Leagues Club under the identical seven-man board.
Regardless of next month's result, the rival ticket has already vowed to stay together and challenge at the upcoming leagues club election early next year.
. Clearly this hack hasn't learnt anything from his f**k up on the weekend in misquoting Lynn. 
