Pologate: Canterbury employee who leaked Viliame Kikau signing picture quits job

The Bulldogs employee who revealed Viliame Kikau’s signing with NRL club has resigned - but that’s not the end of the story, with a high-ranking official at the centre of the scandal.

The Canterbury League Club employee who leaked a photo of Penrith’s Viliame Kikau wearing a Bulldogs polo shirt has resigned.

News Corp can reveal the man is a high-ranking club executive earning an annual wage of around $200,000.

League Club management pinpointed a staff member early in their investigation with that employee being issued with a show-cause notice on Monday.

The shot at the centre of the storm..

News Corp has been told the club’s previous management gave some staff members – including the Kikau culprit – access to the premise’s CCTV vision via an app on their mobile phones.

While watching footage of Kikau, head of football, Phil Gould, and coach, Trent Barrett, posing up at Canterbury Leagues, the man screen-shot the vision from his phone. He sent it to a friend and the photo soon went viral.

The man fronted a disciplinary meeting with Canterbury League Club management and members of the club’s human resources department on Monday afternoon.

Confronted with the possibility he would be sacked, the man jumped first by resigning, effective immediately.

“He’s fallen on his sword,” said one source close to the club.

Kikau, Gould and Barrett were celebrating in the photo after the damaging Panthers forward signed a four-year deal with the Bulldogs from 2023.

Despite the employee having resigned, Canterbury officials are trying to protect his identity.

Canterbury League Club had secured legal advice before heading into Monday afternoon’s meeting.

Bulldogs football club chairman John Khoury, also a Canterbury Leagues Club director, was completely across the entire investigation.

Gould was incensed the photo became public given Kikau still has a year to run on his current Penrith contract. Khoury and Gould shared equal amounts of angst through the drama.

Viliame Kikau will play another season at Penrith before moving to the Bulldogs.

Canterbury Leagues Club chief executive Greg Pickering drove the internal investigation into the incident. Club officials are still reluctant to comment publicly.

The man’s resignation ends baseless suggestions Canterbury intentionally leaked the photo to annoy cross-town rivals, Penrith.

News Corp sent Gould a text on Monday asking whether he was still “filthy” at the photo being leaked.

His response was a stern: “Understatement….”

Panthers management has maintained a silence throughout the drama.

The release of the photograph caused significant embarrassment to Kikau just a day before Penrith’s grand final celebration at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

With the offender now gone, Canterbury wants to shut down the matter and re-focus on off-season training.

Bulldogs identify staffer who leaked Kikau photo

- David Riccio

This could be the Kikau kick out.

The Canterbury Leagues Club employee who controversially released a photo of Penrith’s Viliame Kikau wearing a Bulldogs polo has been identified and faces the sack.

The development comes as Canterbury general manager of football Phil Gould used just one-word to illustrate his fury at the photo being released on social media.

Kikau was photographed at Canterbury Leagues Club on Friday wearing a blue-and-white Bulldogs polo shirt — alongside Gould and head coach Trent Barrett — after signing a four-year contract with the Belmore outfit from 2023.

The leaked photo of Bulldogs boss Phil Gould, new signing Viliame Kikau and Canterbury coach Trent Barrett. Source: Twitter

News Corp can reveal a male staff member was hauled in for disciplinary meetings with Canterbury Leagues Club management and Human Resources on Monday afternoon.

While a final decision is expected to be reached on Tuesday, it is becoming increasingly likely the employee will be terminated immediately, pending legal advice.

Canterbury Leagues Club chief executive Greg Pickering has driven the investigation into the incident, of which no club official has been permitted to comment on until the “process was complete.”

Senior Bulldogs executives want the matter finalised as quickly as possible. Bulldogs chairman John Khoury remains highly unimpressed by the incident but preferred not to comment.

The employee, whose identity remains unknown, was believed to have been watching Leagues Club CCTV vision of Kikau, Gould and Barrett posing up when he took a screen grab, which eventually went viral online.

News Corp texted Gould on Monday asking whether he was still “filthy” at the photo being released.

His response was short but stern: “Understatement….”

Canterbury launched an immediate investigation into who and how the screen grab was taken and posted, just hours after News Corp revealed Kikau would be joining the Bulldogs from 2023.

Phil Gould is known to have been furious since the photo was made public.

The release of the photo caused enormous embarrassment to Kikau, who was jeered by some fans at Penrith’s grand final celebration at BlueBet Stadium on Saturday.

Panthers management did not want to comment when contacted.

Kikau’s defection — and the subsequent photo — has added another layer of hostility between the two famous Sydney clubs.

Over the weekend, Gould took to social media to post: “I called (Penrith) to apologise for the inappropriate leaking of images, taken from security cameras, at Canterbury Leagues.

“It was not our doing, nor ever our intention, for such images to become public. Out of our control. Apologies to Panther players, fans.”

Some rival club officials wondered whether Canterbury had intentionally leaked the photo to upset their great western Sydney rivals. The Bulldogs vehemently denied the leak was deliberate.

Viliame Kikau was jeered by some fans at Penrith’s grand final celebration. Picture: Getty Images

Kikau — who signed a deal worth $3.2 million — also remains angry.

He posted on Instagram over the weekend: “Photos were taken of me wearing another club‘s colours. Me and my manager were told the photos wouldn’t become public until the appropriate time. I am very disappointed that didn’t happen and regret the upset it has caused.

“I want the Panthers fans to know I remain fully committed to our club and the team for the upcoming season. I can’t wait to celebrate our premiership with you.”

Canterbury’s recruit drive for the next two years has netted Kikau, Matt Burton, Brent Naden, Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Dufty, Paul Vaughan, Tevita Pangai Jr, Josh Cook, Max King and Braidon Burns.

Leaked Kikau signing photo should be poster for NRL change

By David Riccio

Imagine what Nick Politis would do if Roosters coach Trent Robinson pulled on a Cowboys cap because he was headed to Townsville in 15-months time.

Imagine if Ray Hadley began spruiking SEN radio because he’d decided that he was leaving 2GB to join the all-sport station in March, 2023.

Imagine if NRL CEO Andrew Abdo told Peter V’landys that he would see out the final year of his 2022 contract, but after that, he was off to the ARU or AFL

Actually, don’t imagine that.

The response would be rightfully obvious from ‘The Godfather.’

See. You. Never.

The NRL has an issue that needs to be corrected.

And the leaked photo of Penrith forward Viliame Kikau wearing a Canterbury polo shirt should become the poster for change.

Players signing for a rival club — with a full season still to play on their current club contract — is in stark contrast to the NRL’s entire ethos.

Panthers star Viliame Kikau is off to the Bulldogs — in 2023.

The game either needs to return to a June 30 deadline, create a November transfer window, where everyone — including fans — understands deals and moves can be done, or the player is made to leave the club immediately, which could then lead to the player thinking twice about his exit.

Where the current system of being able to sign with a rival club from November 1 if you’re off-contract the following season is becoming an increasing problem is that fans are being asked to invest into their clubs — but not their players.

It doesn’t add up when deep passion and tribalism is the foundation of what the game is built on. It’s also the future.

The Dolphins (which is just madness that they don’t have a name recognising where they’re from) are entering the 2023 competition and a guaranteed rivalry with the neighbouring Broncos is a major reason for their arrival.

Wayne Bennett addresses the media after being unveiled as coach of the Dolphins. Picture: Liam Kidston

Wayne Bennett’s pick-pocketing of the Broncos backroom staff is already making news.

In the wake of former NRL CEO Dave Smith’s E-squared entertainment and jumping castles-to-attract-fans nonsense, the NRL have recognised that the best way to cultivate the game, is to take the game to the people.

The population in the northern corridor that includes Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast (yes, that’s where the Dolphins are from) and beyond is more than 800,000 people — which is almost as big as Brisbane city.

The NRL have dropped a team directly into a rugby league town.

Tribalism is also the overriding factor in the NRL’s strategy to build bigger and better suburban grounds.

It’s the right call.

The heartbeat of clubs are in the suburbs; down the street, up the oval, at the shops.

Yet it’s worth asking, what are those you-beaut boutique stadiums worth without the colour, noise and screaming opinion of fans and paid-up members who have walked to the ground to watch Gutho, Turbo and The Fox?

Fans are being asked to invest into their clubs — but not their players.

Which brings us to the players.

You can‘t cultivate tribalism without the one-eyed passion, adulation and love from fans for their players.

There’s a very simple reason why fans buy jerseys with the names and numbers of their heroes ironed onto the back.

They are the players they will fight for. They are invested in them. They will defend that player at every turn.

That $160 jersey, for some kids, is the only jersey Mum and Dad can afford, so they buy a size too big, just to make it last four or five seasons.

But it’s not lasting four or five seasons.

The Dogs’ recruitment of Kikau on the eve of the Panthers Premiers parade is embarrassing for everyone involved in the game.

The Wests Tigers’ signing of Eels Dally M backrower of the year Isaiah Papalii is a good get for besieged coach Michael Maguire.

So too is the Warriors’ recruitment of Parramatta young bull Marata Niukore.

Both players are contracted to the Eels in 2023.

You can add Sharks rookie Luke Metcalf, who is headed to the Warriors in 2023, to that list.

I’d be letting them all go now.

Panthers, Eels and Sharks fans will be expected to cheer Kikau, Papali’i, Niukore and Metcalf next year, when in reality, those players have decided they no longer want to be at the club.

That’s not tribal, that’s torment.

Originally published as Pologate: Canterbury employee who leaked Viliame Kikau signing picture quits job