NRL clubs to help slash $50m

Leading figures in clubland are set to have a decisive say in plans to trim $50 million worth of fat from Rugby League Central.

NRL acting CEO Andrew Abdo has impressed while doing the job during the crisis

Leading figures in NRL clubland are set to have a decisive say in plans to trim $50 million worth of fat from the game as ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys seeks to improve the relationship between the clubs and head office.

V’landys told The Weekend Australian that the likes of Brisbane chief executive Paul White and South Sydney’s Blake Solly would be part of the discussions over streamlining central costs, the process gathering momentum on Friday when the chair held further talks with acting chief executive Andrew Abdo.

Abdo, who stepped into the breach when Todd Greenberg parted ways with the NRL last month, is firming as the man to take charge on a permanent basis after impressing powerbrokers with his efforts in recent weeks.

He is set to preside over a leaner and meaner head office after clubs were told that as much as $50 million would be shaved from the operating budget of the NRL in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis that has decimated the game.

The crisis has also highlighted the fractured relationship between the NRL and their clubs. That bond has been strained for some time — it played a major part in Greenberg’s demise — and V’landys is keen to give the clubs a greater say as he looks to mend the relationship.

“I am going to involve the clubs in that,” V’landys said.

“I think they have to be part of the process. The problem with this organisation in my view is that the clubs have been seen as them and us.

“What I don’t understand is that the clubs are our shareholders. The Commonwealth Bank chief executive treats the shareholders with the utmost respect and tries to maximise their dividends. Here it was like an us and them scenario.

“There was always conflict. They were never rowing in the same direction.

“They are the brands. St George Illawarra Dragons and South Sydney Rabbitohs are the brands. People don’t go to a game because it is an NRL game. They go because it is the South Sydney Rabbitohs against St George Illawarra Dragons.

“They are the brands. In my eyes this organisation should be a service company to the shareholders.”

The clubs are members of the ARL Commission along with the two states and the commissioners. Yet they have had little say in the running of the game. Or at least they haven’t in recent years.

“That seems certain to change on V’landys’ watch as he adopts a more collegiate approach to the running of the game.

“We’re a team,” V’landys said.

“There are some great minds in clubland. I have time for Paul White, I have time for (Melbourne chief executive) Dave Donaghy.

“I have a lot of time for Blake Solly, I have time for (Sydney Roosters CEO) Joe Kelly, I have time for (Manly CEO) Steve Humphreys.

“There are good minds there. Use them. Let them be in the team. Why exclude them? It is like having Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith and saying I don’t need you.

“They have to be part of the solution. I believe in that. They have a lot to offer. There is no malice in them, there is no agenda.”

Some of those very chief executives have been linked with the NRL role currently filled by Abdo. Yet V’landys gave every indication on Friday that Abdo was set for a long tenure in the role, having impressed the powers that be since taking over the role.

“I think Andrew Abdo is doing an exceptional job at the moment and he is really growing into it,” V’landys said.

“As I said to him, people notice when you work hard and he is working very, very hard. I hope he gets the accolades in this.

“He is working tirelessly. A crisis builds a leader. If he gets through this crisis and has done a good job, why would you look elsewhere.

“He is totally focused on getting the job done. You have to remember, he was the guy who drove all the revenue here.

“I am quite taken aback with how well he is doing. I think he is winning fans.”