NRL chairman Peter V’landys says his code saved AFL from financial ruin at height of pandemic

The NRL v AFL code war has been reignited, with Peter V’landys taking credit for saving the AFL at the height of the pandemic last year but he’s also taken aim at the game and the fans.

Australian Rugby League chairman Peter V’landys says he saved the AFL from financial ruin last year. Picture: Getty

Outspoken Australian Rugby League chairman Peter V’landys has taken credit for having “saved” the AFL from financial doom last year and has lashed the rival code as “boring”.

Under V’Landys’ strong leadership, the NRL was the first major sport in Australia to emerge from the COVID-19 shutdowns last year and helped pave the way for other sports.

The competition returned on May 28, with the AFL following suit and kicking off two weeks later on June 11.

The AFL had been staring at a billion-dollar black hole but ended up completing a 17-round season and finals series last October to report only a small loss for the year.

“In an unusual way we saved a lot of sports,” V’Landys told the Fox Sports Matty Johns Face to Face podcast.

“Because a lot of sports were looking at much later dates. They were looking at August-September and the financial losses they would have incurred would have been significant.

“I think the AFL were looking at a billion dollar loss, is what they announced. They made a $24 million loss because they started earlier.

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Australian Rugby League chairman Peter V’landys says he saved the AFL from financial ruin last year. Picture: Getty

“With all the criticism, with all the name calling, they started two weeks after us.

“So we proved we could be leaders, and we led, and everyone else followed.”

V’Landys said while he enjoyed healthy competition between sporting codes which pushed everyone to do better, he believed the AFL did not enjoy it and struggled with the idea of not being the leader in Australian sport.

“It is just simply competition, but they’ve never had competition,” he said.

“To them it’s foreign, they don’t know how to handle it.

“We’re giving them competition. We’re going to get better, we’re going to get stronger and we’re going to take some of their fans.”

Asked by Johns if he liked AFL, V’Landys responded: “Next question”.

“Not really, no,” he went on to say.

“I’ve never been a fan and I don’t want to take anything away from the great athletes of the AFL … they are great athletes and they have to be because it is such a boring sport.

“I can’t get enthused on it, and that’s just me, but there’s a lot of other people that love the sport, but they must love a lot of other boring things too.”

The NRL chairman said he had not had enough to do with AFL headquarters to label them “arrogant”, but said he did have issues with some individuals.

“There’s certain figureheads, they go for the person rather than the ball,” V’Landys said.

“I remember one chairman down there calling me a ‘nothing’. He got quite personal.

“I don’t blame them for wanting to come in (to NSW and Queensland) and take over. That’s what they are paid to do. But we’ve just got to take them on.”