Dragons CEO Peter Doust quits after almost two decades with St George Illawarra
OUTGOING Dragons boss Peter Doust’s final gift to St George Illawarra will be finalising the club’s new ownership structure with WIN Corporation.
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OUTGOING Dragons boss Peter Doust’s final gift to St George Illawarra will be finalising the club’s new ownership structure with WIN Corporation.
The Daily Telegraph broke the news on Thursday afternoon of Doust’s decision to sensationally quit the club after almost two decades at the helm.
He will see out the remainder of his contract, staying on until the end of St George Illawarra’s season.
While Doust is expected to take a back seat to some of the long-term decisions regarding the club, his main task will be finalising the deal with WIN — who intend to purchase Illawarra’s share of the joint venture. The company’s multimillion-dollar owner Bruce Gordon is in Sydney with Doust now free to focus on fast-tracking the deal to sell-off the Steelers’ remaining share.
Doust called representatives from WIN to inform them of his decision. His stepping down could force a raft of changes within the Dragons organisation.
He is expected to retain a place on the respective Dragons, St George Leagues and Football club boards, at least in the short-term.
But his decision to move on could see a shake-up of the Dragons management structure.
The first major sign of a generational change at the club happened last year when Warren Lockwood stood down as chairman after 16 years and was replaced by Brian Johnston.
Doust and Johnston have been the only chief executives since the joint venture came into being in late 1998. Doust replaced the former Dragons and Kangaroos player in 2000.
The longest serving boss in the game said he had come to the decision during the Christmas break.
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“Essentially after 25 years in health care and 18 years in rugby league, I am at the stage in my life where I would like the time to pursue other interests. Rugby league, by its very nature, never stops,” Doust said in a statement.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the role, and am extremely passionate about the club and remain focused on its objectives before I finish up. However, I don’t believe that now is the time to reflect on my time at the Dragons.”
The Dragons will start the process of replacing Doust at the club’s next board meeting later this month. WIN will want to have a say regarding who runs the club — especially if they are given the chairmanship as expected. Gordon’s son Andrew already sits on the St George Illawarra board.
A polarising figure among Dragons fans, who have brandished the “Oust Doust” sign at games for more than a decade, Doust’s greatest achievement was no doubt luring supercoach Wayne Bennett to the club. That culminated in the Dragons’ 2010 premiership win — breaking a drought lasting more than 30 years.
His late father Laurie was also a long serving director of St George and played a key role in the club’s 11-year premiership run. Johnston paid tribute to Doust.
“His loyalty to the club, the staff and players has always been unwavering and we are very fortunate to have had him leading our club as CEO,” Johnston said.
“Rugby league is a very challenging and dynamic environment and he deserves enormous credit for his leadership, trust and resilience.”