Brisbane Lions boss on Broncos’ radar to succeed Paul White as chief executive
The Broncos have identified one of the most decorated bosses in the AFL as a frontline candidate to succeed Brisbane chief executive Paul White.
NRL
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He was the chief executive who saved AFL’s Brisbane Lions from bankruptcy and now Greg Swann could be the heavy-hitter to haul the NRL’s richest club, the Broncos, out of their own crisis.
The Courier-Mail understands the Broncos have identified Swann — one of the most decorated bosses in the AFL — as a frontline candidate to succeed Brisbane chief executive Paul White.
The Broncos have engaged a recruitment agency to find their next CEO and the highly-respected Swann is on the hitlist.
While White has not ruled out staying at Red Hill next season, the former mining executive is tipped to vacate the Broncos CEO‘s throne in November after 10 years in one of the most pressurised roles in the NRL.
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That has prompted Broncos hierarchy to begin searching for viable successors and there has been a high-level push from key stakeholders for Swann to take charge of Brisbane‘s $52 million empire.
The Broncos are mired in what chairman Karl Morris has dubbed the darkest period in their 32-year history with Brisbane slumping to second-last spot after five consecutive defeats.
It is understood Swann has not actively chased the Broncos job, with Brisbane instead eyeing off the Lions boss.
Morris is also monitoring CEO options in the NRL but there is a feeling the ideal successor to White is already on Queensland soil.
Swann is off-contract at season‘s end at the Lions and is one of the most accomplished administrators in rival code the AFL, having helped transform Brisbane from broke battlers to a semi-final force last year.
The Lions were struggling to pay the bills when Swann arrived with the support of the AFL in 2014 and, six years later, he has steered Brisbane to safe ground with a robust front-office.
The Lions have haemorraghed millions for the past decade but, under Swann, they recorded a profit last year.
Critically for the Broncos, the 58-year-old understands the pressures of a flagship brand, with Swann a key architect in the revival of AFL powerhouse Collingwood.
When he arrived at Collingwood at the end of 1999, the Magpies were reigning wooden-spooners, having lost $1.5 million, before Swann presided over back-to-back grand-final appearances in 2002-03.
Swann has also served at Carlton and would not be daunted by the challenge of rebuilding the Broncos given his understanding of the Queensland sporting landscape.
White has overseen record turnover at the Broncos in recent years but he has yet to tick the most important box of all — breaking Brisbane‘s frustrating 14-year premiership drought.
A fortnight ago, White told The Courier-Mail he won‘t resign as Broncos boss until he is satisfied the club is in a solid position.
“I won‘t let anyone down and I will work with my board to make sure that the club is stable,” he said. “I am in the twilight of my time here and any transition to a new CEO will be done with my full support.
“That process is run by the board but I certainly won‘t let anyone down.”