George Peponis faces battle after Bulldogs Reform ticket boots Ray Dib out
CURRENT Canterbury Leagues Club chairman George Peponis could be the next head to roll after Ray Dib was booted out.
NRL
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NEW Bulldogs board member Paul Dunn has declared he won’t hold a grudge against David Klemmer — but the same love might not be extended to current Canterbury Leagues Club chairman George Peponis.
Peponis could be the next head to roll following Ray Dib’s demise. With the Bulldogs Reform Team taking up six of the seven spots on the football club board, they will now gain the balance by having four members appointed to the leagues club board.
That could spell disaster for Peponis, who hitched his wagon to Dib’s team when he questioned the loyalty of the reform team ticket last week.
While new chair Lynne Anderson said she would have no issue working with Peponis, Dunn was not as diplomatic.
“If he is still there we can work with him,” Dunn said.
“Will he still be chairman though?”
The leagues club elections will be held in April and Dunn did not hide his disappointment in Peponis’ comments. Peponis said last week in obvious reference to Dunn and Chris Anderson: “No one on this board has ever been a CEO of another club wanting to beat the Bulldogs.
“No one on this board has ever coached three NRL clubs to play against and defeat the Bulldogs … this board would never contemplate working for an opposition club.”
Dunn said the comments were out of line and incorrect.
“He also left out a few people who are still at the club who had been at other clubs,’ Dunn said.
“Like the coach (Dean Pay) went to Parramatta. The football manager (Andrew Farah) played at Wests and Illawarra. The CEO (Dib) had played at Wests.
“This was about reinvigorating a club. It wasn’t about trying to damage people’s profiles and reputations.”
But Dunn was far more understanding towards Klemmer, who was reportedly upset about comments Dunn made relating to Klemmer’s performance when playing for NSW and Australia as opposed to Canterbury.
Asked what he would say the next time they meet, Dunn said: “I will say to him that he took what I said out of context and misunderstood it.
“That is what I will say.
“I did try to ring him the other week when it was in the paper but he didn’t answer the call.
“He didn’t know my number. What I said to him at the time wasn’t having a go at him.
“I was more having a go at how Canterbury were playing last year.
“And that is why we are here, because a lot of people were really frustrated with the way the Bulldogs played last year.”
Dunn said he believed players were thrown under the bus by being allowed to make public comment about the elections.
“To me that was totally wrong to involve them in a political way,” Dunn said.
“Players are here to play football.
“They don’t really care that much.
“I was at a golf day on Friday and Moses Mbye who they trotted out a couple of times came straight up to me and said, “G’day, Dunney, how are you? And all that sort of stuff.
“To me, I have been a player and I have also been an administrator.
“To put the players in that position is wrong.
“They have got enough to do because they are going to have a pretty difficult season.”