A plumber, politics and power games
* Special investigation by Phil Rothfield
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* March 19, 2010 12:00AM
HE IS more used to fixing broken pipes and leaking taps, but 64-year-old Balmain plumber John Chalk can now lay claim to the greatest administration shake-up in the history of rugby league.
It was 2.15pm on Thursday last week when directors of the Australian Rugby League were deadlocked in the boardroom of the NSW Leagues Club in a spirited debate about establishing an independent commission.
Chalk, a plumber by trade, has had enough. He puts forward probably the most historic motion in the game's history, for an in-principal agreement to hand the game over to a commission to run rugby league in this country.
It's seconded by former dual international Mike Cleary and is carried six votes to five on the back of chairman Colin Love's casting vote.
Welcome to the most dramatic management overhaul in 102 years of rugby league.
Veteran official Chalk says he is happy to hand the administration over to the "big end of town". He has been involved in football since managing Balmain's Jersey Flegg teams in the 1970s, before becoming chairman of the Tigers in the '90s.
"I don't have a problem moving on," Chalk said.
"Old people have memories, young people have dreams.
"Our game is in great shape but we're in a very hostile market. The AFL is serious about western Sydney. Look at soccer and their World Cup bid. They've got corporate people like Frank Lowy behind them.
"We've got to park all our egos and get the big end of town involved in the administration of the game."
The ARL had been stalling for months before Chalk, who had been revved up by Roosters boss Nick Politis before the meeting, paved the way for the long-awaited decision to hand over control.
No less than 32 positions on four different boards will be declared redundant by the end of the season as the search begins to find eight business types with no connection to the 16 clubs.
Like Chalk, a number of officials are happy to get out but others will be dragged kicking and screaming, most notably from Queensland.
Some will be handing in their blazers after more than 50 years in various positions in the game - saving rugby league an estimated $1.5 million in board fees, travel and accommodation.
Fees for directors differ on each board, depending on whether they are representing News Limited or the Australian Rugby league.
News Limited pays between $35,000 and $50,000 a year to its directors. Harvey Norman boss Katie Page gets $35,000 but donates it to charity. Stephen Loosley is rumoured to get $50,000.
On the ARL board, Love gets a minimum of $50,000 and the other directors receive $10,000 each.
Politis is paid to be on the NRL partnership board but has his $20,000 cheque sent to the Roosters.
Of the 31 photos on this page, only three will survive - Page, who is considered a certainty for the commission, Love, who has been offered the chair, and David Gallop, who will be offered four years as the CEO.
Roosters boss Politis has been one of the most powerful and influential officials in the game for more than three decades but says he is looking forward to moving on.
"I was hoping the partnership meeting we had last week was going to be my last," he said.
"We've got the NRL structure in place, we've got an in-principal agreement from News and the ARL, so there should be no reason for this to drag on for months.
"I'm looking forward to having a backseat role and just supporting the Roosters from here on."
Try telling that to the Queensland directors, who voted against the commission at an ARL board meeting last week.
"They're struggling to accept reality," one source told The Daily Telegraph.
"Which isn't surprising considering they were originally against the Broncos entering the Sydney com- petition and then the Titans coming into the NRL. They didn't even turn up for the All Stars game on the Gold Coast.
"They'll have to come around eventually because it's going to happen whether they like it or not."
