Code wars: ARLC boss Peter V’landys slams ‘rattled’ AFL rival Andrew Dillon over copycat tactics

ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has launched a savage attack on AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, calling the rival code “rattled” after exposing copycat tactics.

ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has launched a savage attack on AFL CEO Andrew Dillon and sensationally accused the rival code of attempting to sabotage the NRL’s expansion push to Perth.

Dillon rubbished suggestions the NRL has overtaken the AFL as Australia’s most-watched sport, saying on Melbourne radio: “We measure ourselves on traditional metrics, like people turning up to games.”

But V’landys has come out swinging, slamming Dillon’s comments and claiming the AFL is so fearful of the NRL’s uprising they are trying to shut rugby league out of Western Australia.

As revealed by this masthead, the NRL believes a smear campaign is being waged to prevent rugby league setting up an 18th franchise, the Western Bears, in Perth from 2027.

“They always look down their nose at us and now we are giving them competition. The AFL are rattled,” V’landys said on Triple M’s Sin Bin show on Sunday.

“The figures and the facts speak for themselves.

Peter V’landys vs Andrew Dillon is heating up.

“Last year, just the premiership matches, NRL had 154 million viewers compared to the AFL’s 140 million viewers.

“When you add the State of Origin and international games, we had 187 million viewers to the AFL’s 149 million viewers.

“On social media, the NRL has 6.8 million, the AFL has 4.6 million, so what metrics do they actually want?

“What’s the traditional metrics ... the ones you make up.”

This masthead revealed last week the NRL is eyeing a record $3 billion-plus TV rights deal and V’landys says, for the first time, the AFL is playing second fiddle and being outmanoeuvred by rugby league.

“They have always looked down their nose at us and for the first time, we are giving them competition,” he said.

“I remember five years ago, we shut down the competition (because of Covid) and we said we’re going to start on the 28th of May.

“One AFL club chairman called us out as delusional, reckless and stupid, that will be starting in August or September.

“We started on the 28th of May and then two weeks later, they followed us two weeks later.

“We have a thing called Magic Round. All of a sudden, the AFL has a Gather Round, what are they gathering, sticks and stones?

“I read in the paper this week that they have a new investment policy. It’s the NRL’s investment policy.

“Keep copying us.

“You won’t beat us, but keep copying us, that’s fine.”

“They always treat us as second-class citizens, but we will always look after the fans. And we have the best CEO in Australian sport in Andrew Abdo.

“They can keep taking the snipes, we will keep batting them back.”

Peter V'landys is currently negotiating with the WA government over the Western Bears.

Despite political roadblocks, V’landys is keen to push on and establish an NRL foothold in Perth via the Western Bears.

The AFL has had unfettered control of that state via the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers, but the NRL will resume talks with the WA premier Roger Cook in coming weeks in the hope of clinching a $320 million expansion deal.

Not a cent of the $320m will go to the NRL, which will pump WA government money back into the state’s grassroots and infrastructure to build a bedrock for rugby league in the west.

V’landys claims the AFL is trying to derail their expansion drive to Western Australia.

“The information is there is concern by the AFL in our ambition to get into Western Australia,” V’landys said.

“I think they would be concerned, because then we would become national, but they also haven’t got the Pacific, England and France.

“I can understand (how the AFL feels), but competition lifts all ships.

“We don’t object to the Swans or GWS being here in Sydney because that only improves our performance, so I don’t understand why they are so adamant in trying to keep us out of WA.”

V’landys also hit out at media reports from the West Australian, whose owner Seven West Media is part of the AFL’s $4.5 billion broadcast deal, that he has done a secret deal with WA premier Cook.

ARLC chairman Peter V'landys and NRL CEO Andrew Abdo in Las Vegas.

“There’s a pretty massive campaign to keep us out of Western Australia,” he said.

“There was no agreement reached. He (Cook) was very professional.

“When the election was called, we stopped discussions, it wasn’t appropriate ... there is nothing set in stone.

“We abided by the premier. He said I’m going to an election, can you wait until after the election and we will resume discussions.

“This stuff that we had deals done is all wrong.

“If we can reach an agreement, we will, but we won’t sell rugby league short and we will move forward with or without them.”

The NRL has been criticised for failing to match the AFL’s broadcast deal but V’landys is confident rugby league’s next TV rights contract from 2028-32 will trump the rival code.

V’landys is armed with statistical evidence that shows the NRL is Australia’s No.1 sport with viewers and it will be tabled in negotiations to achieve the biggest broadcast deal in rugby league’s 117-year history.

“I am very confident of our ability to get the biggest broadcast deal ever,” he said. “The players, coaches and clubs deserve credit ... for the first time league is working as a unit together.

“We beat all sports on Foxtel and free-to-air (networks).

“We will not undersell the product. I make no apology that I am there for the fans. I want to make sure every fan can subscribe to the game and it’s not at a prohibitive cost.”