Bulldogs, Canterbury Leagues behind the scenes feud tearing the club apart
Canterbury Leagues Club and the Bulldogs board’s messy feud has threatened to take a drastic turn with chairman George Coorey refusing to step down despite being asked four times.
Phil Rothfield
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Canterbury Leagues Club factions will formally ask their chairman George Coorey to step down at a board meeting on Wednesday night.
Coorey has told friends he will point-blank refuse to move aside.
Coorey has been accused of inappropriate behaviour towards women earlier this year.
Bulldogs directors attempted to remove Coorey voluntarily at four separate board meetings last week on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Coorey didn’t budge.
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The Daily Telegraph has also been told a club powerbroker, Bill Diakos, will meet with director Paul Dunn on Tuesday night to try to resolve the matter.
That meeting will occur at the home of deputy chairman John Ballesty.
There are concerns the club’s constitution will not allow for Coorey to be replaced under such circumstances. Only members can remove a director.
Despite the allegations Coorey, a long-time Bulldogs man, has been in the top job since 2018 and has enormous support from leagues club members.
A resolution though is expected to be passed on Wednesday night for Coorey to be removed with the faction pushing for his dismissal claiming to have obtained legal advice.
Friends of Coorey suggest the directors would have successfully moved him last week had it been permitted in the constitution.
Revealed: The bitter feuds tearing the Bulldogs apart
–Phil Rothfield
New coach Trent Barrett is about to walk into the most venomous snake pit at the Canterbury Bulldogs.
Forget about the football team’s dismal performances, Saturday’s loss to the Titans and the likely wooden spoon coming their way in three weeks.
Forget about the crappy roster and the fact they’ve won only two games all year.
The problems are far deeper and far more serious behind the scenes.
A bitter internal row has erupted and fractured this once great club like never before.
At senior management level CEO Andrew Hill and general manager of football Steve Price have had their differences. Board member Paul Dunn has stepped in as a mediator.
Hill was appointed by the old board more than three years ago and Price was brought in by the new directors. They don’t gel.
The atmosphere and morale among football club staff is dire.
Last week Andrew Mortimer, the son of club legend Steve Mortimer, quit his sales role after 10 years. Other have walked out in recent months.
At board level it is even more poisonous and hostile.
Last week Canterbury Leagues Club directors held four board meetings to try to sack their chairman George Coorey over allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women earlier this year.
Yet according to the club’s constitution, only members can remove a director.
He refuses to step aside, having been cleared in an independent investigation by Barringtons, the management compliance specialists who were brought in by football club chair Lynne Anderson.
Coorey even challenged the board to call in police to investigate the claims, so determined was he to prove his innocence.
The split between Coorey and Anderson is threatening to explode. They haven’t spoken for months.
Coorey has his legal team poised and has not ruled out taking legal action.
Leagues club chief executive Greg Pickering issued a statement last week, saying the club and investigators had considered all available material on Coorey and, until more information was received, the allegations were “unsubstantiated.”
This is as messy as it gets. Messy because Coorey is a long-time Bulldogs man who has enormous support from members, despite the seriousness of the allegations.
The same can’t be said for Anderson who was swept into power three years ago.
The problems she vowed to fix have, if anything, worsened.
Coorey also has the backing of influential club powerbroker Bill Diakos, who carries enormous sway with long-time members. Anderson has been seeking his support too.
No wonder. A recent poll on a Bulldogs fans page voted 83 per cent in favour of the chair standing down.
Diakos’ preference is for the pair to patch up their differences and work together.
Yet this seems an impossible scenario.
There’s also an option of Coorey calling an emergency general meeting to challenge Anderson and the current football club directors on a new ticket that would further split the club.
Such is the dissatisfaction among members, it could potentially turn into a bloodbath.
The NRL should be monitoring this situation closely.
The football club is bleeding and will be needing around $6 million from the League Club this year to break even.
The old super coach Jack Gibson always said winning premierships starts in the front office.
It’s why teams like the Roosters and Melbourne Storm are so consistently strong and powerful.
Boardroom stability is as important as two competition points.
The Bulldogs are like the old Parramatta Eels. It is bordering on management incompetence as they stumble from one crisis to another.
You’ve got to feel for Barrett. The poor bugger had no idea he was taking on such a basket case.
This club is no hope of climbing the premiership ladder until there is a ceasefire to the boardroom brawling.
‘NO WAY I’LL RETIRE’: INJURY SETBACK WON’T STOP FORAN
–Phil Rothfield
Injury-cursed Kieran Foran refuses to even think about retiring from the NRL.
Despite yet another season-ending injury against the Titans on Saturday, the 30-year-old playmaker has vowed to continue next year.
The torn pec muscle adds to a litany of injuries that includes toe, syndesmosis and shoulder surgeries in the past two seasons.
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“There’s been some tough times that have really tested me,” Foran said.
“Moments where I’ve felt really vulnerable.
“But each time I have these setbacks I learn to deal with them better. I’ve been there so many times. It’s made me stronger. You learn to accept the various outcomes and just get on with it.”
Foran has no idea where his next contract can possibly come from.
He’s leaving that to his manager, Sam Ayoub.
“It’s a hard position being off contract, there’s no denying that,” he said.
“I’ve had a ton of injuries but I feel I can continue at this level.
“I’ve just gotta hope someone will take a punt on me. I’m a realist, too, and I understand my injury history in the last four or five years will create hesitation.
“The thing is I’m not ready to walk away. There’s absolutely no way I’m going to retire.
“It’s not in my nature to roll over and give up. I’ll do everything I can.”
Foran has been clearly the Bulldogs’ best player in recent weeks.
Only on Friday recruitment guru Peter Mulholland was talking him up as the most valuable player on the open market.
“I think he is the best buy on the market,” Mulholland said.
“I mean, he can control a game. He has composure. He would be good in a struggling team and make them much better. And he would be excellent in a good side.”
It’s the support from people like the respected Raiders recruitment boss that is encouraging Foran to keep going.
“I’ve had a ton of support,” he said. “They all encourage me to keep going.
“I’ve still got the will to win and the will to be the best
“As long as you’ve always got that hunger and desire why would give up.
“It’s been horrific but you’ve just got to hang in there. That’s the plan.”