When a man discovers a higher calling, he can either follow or flinch. Terry Rowney discovered his last Monday. You might well ask: "Who is Terry Rowney?"
It's a fair question, because he's no household name. Not yet anyway.
Rowney operates a national label- printing business, but his sole claim to sporting fame used to be 26 years of service as a director of the Newtown Jets. That ended 12 days ago when Rowney stepped down from his beloved post to follow one man's higher calling.
And he is now the man who dared to take on Colin Love.
You might well ask: "Who is Colin Love?" It's a fair question because he's many, many things to rugby league. NSWRL chairman. ARL chairman. World Cup tournament director. RLIF director. Love wears more hats than a sun-drenched schoolyard of albino pupils.
And many in rugby league believe it's time to share them around.
Change, however, requires sacrifice. So Rowney walked into Newtown's monthly board meeting last Monday and told every director he was retiring.
Standing down from the club he helped revive from death. The club he served for seven years without a football team, only a dream of getting one back. The club he first watched play as a kid at Henson Park in 1958, a place the Jets can again call home today because of people like him.
Rowney had to go because . . . and we'll pause here for ironic effect . . . he can't wear two hats. To challenge for Love's position as NSWRL president, Rowney isn't allowed to be an office bearer of any member club. And Newtown is the oldest of them all.
A self-made man, 57 years old, Rowney described his decision to quit as a "disaster".
"Newtown has been my life, but I need to do this to ensure the club survives," he said. "Because if there's no competition to play in, then none of us will survive."
On Thursday afternoon, Rowney faxed his nomination for the NSWRL presidency to league HQ at Phillip Street. The board election is on December 5 and if Love gets rolled at state level it will shake the keystone that supports his kingdom of directorships.
But Rowney doesn't care about Love. Has never even met him.
All Rowney cares about is rugby league, a game he feels is dying at the grassroots level in NSW beneath the din of trumpets and whistles that herald the NRL and Toyota Cup.
Rowney looks around and sees the symptoms. NRL sides shipping their feeder sides off to Queensland. The Roosters axing their junior representative teams. Newcastle pulling out of the all-age competition, the NSW Cup. Long-term sponsor Jim Beam moved sideways at the behest of the NRL in the old Metropolitan Cup.
And then he visits a primary school fair in Marrickville and sees the Sydney Swans.
"Here I am - a nobody from Newtown with a pass-the-ball sign - and next to me is the Sydney Swans captain Brett Kirk," Rowney said.
"I'm on the ground and the AFL do things so well at the bottom level.
"When you do that the top takes care of itself. I look at the NSWRL and rugby league in general and there's no plan.
"Teams are pulling out, junior sides are being dropped and we're standing still waiting for something to happen.
"For Newtown's sake and that of every other club, I can't stand around and watch it happen any longer.
"Because at this rate, there won't be a competition for us in two years."
For Rowney to end Love's 10-year reign as chairman, he needs majority support from the 45 NSWRL voting delegates next Friday.
Given Love's tenure and powerbase, the chances are slim. But then so were Newtown's when the Blue Bags jersey was consigned to a glass museum case in 1983.
If sport relies on anything it's a contest - on and off the field. Rugby league is no different.
Win or lose, Rowney is at least giving them that much.
Go for it Terry, the best wishes of all Jets fans are with you, being elected would be great for the club, somehow though, I personally can't see you relinquishing your strangle hold you have over the Jets, as the board to a man would still need your permission to break wind.
It's a fair question, because he's no household name. Not yet anyway.
Rowney operates a national label- printing business, but his sole claim to sporting fame used to be 26 years of service as a director of the Newtown Jets. That ended 12 days ago when Rowney stepped down from his beloved post to follow one man's higher calling.
And he is now the man who dared to take on Colin Love.
You might well ask: "Who is Colin Love?" It's a fair question because he's many, many things to rugby league. NSWRL chairman. ARL chairman. World Cup tournament director. RLIF director. Love wears more hats than a sun-drenched schoolyard of albino pupils.
And many in rugby league believe it's time to share them around.
Change, however, requires sacrifice. So Rowney walked into Newtown's monthly board meeting last Monday and told every director he was retiring.
Standing down from the club he helped revive from death. The club he served for seven years without a football team, only a dream of getting one back. The club he first watched play as a kid at Henson Park in 1958, a place the Jets can again call home today because of people like him.
Rowney had to go because . . . and we'll pause here for ironic effect . . . he can't wear two hats. To challenge for Love's position as NSWRL president, Rowney isn't allowed to be an office bearer of any member club. And Newtown is the oldest of them all.
A self-made man, 57 years old, Rowney described his decision to quit as a "disaster".
"Newtown has been my life, but I need to do this to ensure the club survives," he said. "Because if there's no competition to play in, then none of us will survive."
On Thursday afternoon, Rowney faxed his nomination for the NSWRL presidency to league HQ at Phillip Street. The board election is on December 5 and if Love gets rolled at state level it will shake the keystone that supports his kingdom of directorships.
But Rowney doesn't care about Love. Has never even met him.
All Rowney cares about is rugby league, a game he feels is dying at the grassroots level in NSW beneath the din of trumpets and whistles that herald the NRL and Toyota Cup.
Rowney looks around and sees the symptoms. NRL sides shipping their feeder sides off to Queensland. The Roosters axing their junior representative teams. Newcastle pulling out of the all-age competition, the NSW Cup. Long-term sponsor Jim Beam moved sideways at the behest of the NRL in the old Metropolitan Cup.
And then he visits a primary school fair in Marrickville and sees the Sydney Swans.
"Here I am - a nobody from Newtown with a pass-the-ball sign - and next to me is the Sydney Swans captain Brett Kirk," Rowney said.
"I'm on the ground and the AFL do things so well at the bottom level.
"When you do that the top takes care of itself. I look at the NSWRL and rugby league in general and there's no plan.
"Teams are pulling out, junior sides are being dropped and we're standing still waiting for something to happen.
"For Newtown's sake and that of every other club, I can't stand around and watch it happen any longer.
"Because at this rate, there won't be a competition for us in two years."
For Rowney to end Love's 10-year reign as chairman, he needs majority support from the 45 NSWRL voting delegates next Friday.
Given Love's tenure and powerbase, the chances are slim. But then so were Newtown's when the Blue Bags jersey was consigned to a glass museum case in 1983.
If sport relies on anything it's a contest - on and off the field. Rugby league is no different.
Win or lose, Rowney is at least giving them that much.
Go for it Terry, the best wishes of all Jets fans are with you, being elected would be great for the club, somehow though, I personally can't see you relinquishing your strangle hold you have over the Jets, as the board to a man would still need your permission to break wind.
