Andrew Abdo to be confirmed NRL’s new chief executive within days
Andrew Abdo is expected to be confirmed as the game’s permanent chief executive within days.
Interim NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo is expected to begin the painful process of streamlining head office with the backing of the ARL Commission as it prepares to confirm next week that he has the job on a permanent basis.
Abdo will front the commission on Thursday and make his pitch to remove the interim from his title. It seems a mere formality that he will emerge with their seal of approval given the way he has kept the game afloat during one of the most challenging times in rugby league’s history.
Abdo has been acting in an interim capacity since late-April and, along with commission chair Peter V’landys, he has miraculously kept the NRL chugging along, negotiating the COVID-19 crisis, restless club bosses, biosecurity breaches and bouts with broadcasters.
He deserves the chance to show what he can do with the uncertainty removed, at least as far as his position is concerned. The commission clearly agree as it prepares to rubberstamp his appointment as Todd Greenberg’s permanent successor.
It shapes as an important commission meeting on so many fronts as the code continues to feel the ripple effects from COVID-19. The salary cap, football department cap and State of Origin are all expected to feature heavily.
Abdo has also been working on a restructure of Rugby League Central designed to strip some of the fat from the code’s running costs. It is understood he will outline his vision for the future to the commission and his coronation will be the first step in a reshaping of head office as promised cuts begin to take effect.
Abdo and the commission have vowed to trim $50m or more off their expenditures, having given the clubs a promise that change will come into effect. Everyone has had to cut their cloth in the current environment but no-one is expected to cut it as much as the NRL itself. The sweeping changes come as the game navigates through murky waters. The only certainty at the moment is the uncertainty, although Abdo’s ascent to the top job will at least remove any spectre of doubt over his future.
Everyone in the game knew Abdo was a savvy operator on the commercial front when he took over from Greenberg and if there were any concerns, they were over his ability to become the front man for the organisation.
He has proved himself an adept media performer, stepping up when required, at times on a weekly basis. Greenberg set a lofty standard when the heat was applied. He was a polished performer when the lights went on.
Abdo has held his own. He has shown a stern hand when needed and then delivered the message in a measured and composed fashion. He has stared down some of the game’s most powerful figures, among them South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett.
Bennett returned to duty with the Rabbitohs on Friday, having served two weeks in a Covid hold after breaching the biosecurity rules. He acknowledged he had done the wrong thing and declined to comment on his punishment in comparison to others across the game.
Bennett was also fined $20,000 for breaching protocols when he visited Sydney restaurant Grappa. In his absence, the Rabbitohs won both their games under assistant coach Jason Demetriou.
“I missed that (the players) enormously, but it was a penalty that I had to serve, so it all worked out pretty good,” he said.
“I did the wrong thing and I paid the price for that. I understand that and it is all OK with me and I’ve moved on.
“I’m not going to comment about other sanctions. I’ve done my time now, I’m happy to be back, and I’ve got to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Asked wether he was now clear on the biosecurity rules, Bennett said: “I don’t think we will all be across everything because there are 13 pages.
“But what we are across now is the main ones and I don’t think there is any doubt in what we can and can’t do when we are away from the team itself. Because that’s where the issue is, when we’re away from the team.”