Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: WIN Stadium confidence eroding
There are long-term concerns about one of the NRL’s most-recognised grounds after a government study — check out all the latest NRL chatter and more.
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There are long-term concerns about the future of WIN Stadium in Wollongong to host NRL matches as the home ground of the St George Illawarra Dragons.
We can reveal a government study has found rust issues in the grandstands at the venue which sits beside the ocean on the south coast and is often severely battered by the elements.
It is a problem that has come to the attention of the state government’s new stadium board, headed by chairman Tony Shepherd.
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At this stage there are no grandstand safety issues.
However, we’ve heard suggestions a recommendation will be put to the government to bulldoze the stadium and sell off the land as prime beachfront real estate.
Another mini-Bankwest-type venue would be built in the Wollongong region to host Dragons matches.
Shepherd insists no decisions will be made without input from local authorities and a final call from the government.
The Wollongong problem further complicates the government’s stadium strategy.
The NRL is already lobbying for new stadiums at Brookvale, Kogarah and Liverpool.
Check out all the latest NRL chatter and more in Australia’s hottest sport gossip column.
SAINT
Eels tragic Dave Bell is dealing with some serious health issues. His carer on the Central Coast is Saki Veitogavi, who happens to be the uncle of superstar winger Maika Sivo. When Maika heard of Dave’s plight, he invited him to Parramatta training to meet his heroes, including Clint Gutherson.
SAINT
Legendary Wallaby winger David Campese for telling it like it is on the decaying state of rugby union in Australia: “Kids can’t name a single Wallaby and don’t want even free tickets to games,” he said last week.
SINNERS
NRL players whingeing about fatigue in trial games due to the new rules. Some breaking news fellas: Footy in February has always been hard work in the summer heat. Pre-season “SOMEONE WILL DIE” headlines have been around since 1908. Let’s give the new rules a chance.
SHOOSH
Some NRL types never learn. A Souths player had far too much to drink at Mudgee races last weekend and made a complete fool of himself. And on the northern beaches, a Manly star got drunk at the season launch and behaved like an absolute goose.
SHOOSH
Relationships between the men who prepare the nation’s top sporting fields and Cricket Australia have never been worse. We’ve seen the departure of some of our top curators as a result. Just last week, the highly respected Brad Van Dam quit at Manuka Oval after the busiest summer of domestic and international cricket the ground has ever hosted.
SHOOSH
Which media executive backed $172 winner Lunar Fox in the Australian Guineas? A $5 note turned into $860.
SPOTTED
Channel 7 boss James Warburton telling network employees of his hopes to dump cricket, even before this summer’s Ashes. It further strengthens the mail Seven wants the NRL when Nine’s deal ends next year.
SPOTTED
Your columnist is not a motor racing fan but acknowledges the huge interest as a TV sport. Last weekend the Bathurst event attracted a bigger audience on Fox Sports than the NRL’s Charity Shield in Mudgee.
SPOTTED
Don’t ever doubt the league pedigree of ARLC boss Peter V’landys. We stumbled over an old year book from Illawarra Western Suburbs from 1980. There was V’landys coaching the Red Devils’ 13Bs team.
SPOTTED
In a packed Eastern Suburbs cafe, a local chippy was struggling to replace the venue’s door. As the luvvies watched on and sipped their lattes, who should offer the carpenter a hand to move the door but Swans star Buddy Franklin. If he’s fit enough to do that, here’s hoping we see plenty of the big fella on the field for the Swans this year.
A CAR, PHONE AND $60,000
We recently reported that the Penrith Panthers had cut funding to women’s rugby league by axing their Tarsha Gale junior rep team due to COVID-related financial pressure.
This tough business climate hasn’t stopped their chairman Dave O’Neill from being very well looked after.
O’Neill is paid $60,000 to be chairman of the club.
Unlike other NRL club administrators, he didn’t take a pay cut during the pandemic.
His company, ABCO Distribution, was paid $250,000 by the club for the supply of products. On top of this he gets a car and mobile phone provided by the club.
O’Neill declined to answer questions when contacted by The Sunday Telegraph. He replied by text message: “Old news. Move on.”
We can confirm many NRL chairmen get nothing from the club and work strictly in an honorary capacity.
Two other directors at Penrith are also being paid through their companies.
David Hick’s company, Hix Group, was paid $336,000 through sponsorship and services.
Greg Alexander’s company, Dalycone, was paid $135,000 — also through sponsorship and services.
All transactions were conducted under normal commercial trading terms, according to the annual report, and there’s no suggestion of anything untoward.
NRL COST SLASH
In comparison to the Panthers, NRL administration costs are now lower than almost a decade ago. A deeper dive into the code’s recently released annual report reveals wages were $12.2 million last year. This compares to $13.3 million in 2012 and $20 million in 2019 when spending was out of control.
The reductions have come from the departure of high-earning executives Todd Greenberg, Nick Weeks and Liz Deegan, plus the slashing of staff across the entire business.
The NRL season launch was also several hundred thousand dollars cheaper than in recent years by moving away from a corporate event.
BIG MONEY ON THE DOGS
The Canterbury Bulldogs have experienced a huge shift in the area of major sponsorship. Every spot on their jersey and shorts was sold a week before the season kicks off.
All 17 individual player sponsorships, at around $25,000 a pop, have also sold out. There is now even a waiting list.
This is a massive turnaround for a club that had suffered reputational damage from so many off-field incidents in recent years.
It’s also a huge vote of confidence in impressive new chairman John Khoury, who appears to have finally stabilised what was a dysfunctional operation prior to his appointment.
FLANNO ON 2GB AN EXPERT CALL
The 2GB Continuous Call hasn’t been the same since the departure of rugby league Immortal Bob “Bozo” Fulton and veteran broadcaster Ray Hadley. They’ve also lost the talented Erin Molan.
The good news is that former Sharks coach Shane Flanagan has been hired to add much-needed football knowledge to the program. He replaces Anthony Griffin as an expert commentator for the Saturday night games.
Flanagan has also landed a gig at Fox Sports as a commentator on weekends.
We can’t wait to hear him comment on a Canterbury Bulldogs game when his son, Kyle, is playing in the No. 7.
WAR COUNCIL
It was like a reunion from the Super League war when old ARL bosses Ken Arthurson, John Quayle and lawyer Colin Love caught up for lunch on Thursday at Bar Reggio restaurant. The trio were the key powerbrokers in far more stressful days for the ARL in the battle for control of the game.
LATRELL’S $150K CAR
Latrell Mitchell has picked up an expensive set of new wheels to coincide with his new big-money contract at the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The superstar fullback is now getting around in a Ram ute that is worth about $150,000. He showed it off on social media during the week. No doubt it will also come in handy on his farm up near Taree during the off-season.
THEY’RE DROPPING HINTS, GRAHAM
The NRL’s Graham Annesley has one of the toughest jobs in the game each week in fronting up to explain on-field controversies.
Although his views can at times polarise public opinion, he never expected he would be under attack from within the fortified walls of NRL headquarters.
Rumour has it a squadron of disgruntled sparrows have taken up residence in the basement car park at Rugby League Central in Moore Park.
Although all NRL executives have allocated parking spaces, the very selective feathered creatures have decided the only car worthy of their very regular and excessive acidic droppings is that of the head of football.
It has become so bad Annesley has had to buy a tarpaulin to place over his car to protect the paintwork.
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