Steve Mortimer axed by Canterbury board in favour of disgraced junior trainer
CANTERBURY legend Steve Mortimer has been dumped from the club’s board in favour of a disgraced junior trainer who is currently serving a six-year ban from the game for misconduct.
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CLUB legend Steve Mortimer has been dumped from the Canterbury Bulldogs Leagues Club board in favour of a disgraced junior league trainer who is currently serving a six-year ban from the game for misconduct.
Property developer James Marroun refuses to discuss the circumstances of his rugby league exile but the Daily Telegraph can reveal he is prohibited from performing any role in junior football until 2020.
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When pressed on the ban, Marroun — who changed his name from Gabby James Marroun to James Gabby Marroun prior to the Leagues club appointment — admitted he was serving one of the longest bans in junior footy but added: “The suspension doesn’t stop me from running on any board.
“It’s unfortunate what happened but from my end it’s a non-event. I’ve been nominated because of my business ability.”
His appointment over Mortimer is seen as a betrayal of the club’s greatest player.
“I’m very disappointed,” Mortimer said, “but one thing I learnt as a player at Canterbury over 13 years was to never give up. And I won’t. That’s why I’m standing now as an independent.”
It was new chair Lynne Anderson and her fellow directors who elected Marroun, who was found guilty of breaching rugby league’s national code of conduct under the following sections.
• Use of offensive or abusive language to participants.
• excessively disputed the decisions of the referees and touch judges during or after the match.
• Assault or acts of aggression towards any persons.
• Behaving in a way contrary to NRL code of conduct or spirit of the game.
• Behaving in a way that disturbs the enjoyment of a match, function or events.
• Refusing to accept reasonable direction of the ground manager.
Contacted at the Winter Olympics in South Korea, Anderson stood by the board’s decision.
“James has explained his past and I’ve accepted his explanation,” Anderson said.
“We know there are challenges in the Leagues Club and we sat down to work out what skills sets were required to fix it.
“He has building and commercial expertise and we’ve picked the four candidates we felt were the best options to face the challenges we’ve got.”
Anderson’s board is also supporting disgraced former Leagues Club boss Gary McIntyre as an independent. McIntyre was forced to stand down after being found guilty of salary cap rorting in 2003.
Under the Bulldogs’ constitution, the football club elects four Leagues club directors while another three are voted in by members.
Mortimer was on an overseas family holiday when he learnt he had been dumped.
He will now stand as an independent on a ticket alongside fellow legend George Peponis and long-time official Arthur Coorey.
The Daily Telegraph questioned Marroun about the legitimacy of him being a director of the club that controls the Bulldogs NRL side while still serving a suspension.
“The case wasn’t as straight forward as it looks,” he said.
“If you look at the suspension you’d have expected someone to have run onto the field, thrown a punch, threatened someone,” he said, “None of that occurred at all.
When pressed for a reason, he said: “I don’t really want to get into it at the moment. I was a trainer for the team. I’ve been told not to say anything.
“I run a building business and a recruitment agency. I’m not into the political stuff and backstabbing of rugby league clubs. I know there are agendas against me but I’m just a straight shooter.
“It is what it is. I have to wear the consequences and can’t change anything.”