Todd Greenberg’s failure to win over clubs spelt doom at NRL

Todd Greenberg’s time at the NRL is over and his might not be the only blood spilt at Rugby League Central.

The tide turned quickly against Todd Greenberg, who has stepped down as NRL chief executive. Picture: Getty Images

Let’s rewind for a moment. To the day Todd Greenberg became chief executive of the NRL, the phone calls he made and the promises he delivered to those on the other end of the line.

Before he fronted the media for his first press conference as Dave Smith’s successor, Greenberg reached out to Cameron Smith and Steph Hancock, then the captains of the national men’s and women’s sides.

He called his predecessors – Smith, David Gallop, Neil Whittaker and John Quayle – to open the lines of communication with four men who had walked in his shoes with varying levels of success.

Crucially, he called each and every club chief executive and spoke about a desire to work together for the greater good of the game so that rugby league could reach its potential.

Few of those chief executives remain given the churn in clubland, where turnover off the field is as common as tackles on it. At the time though, Greenberg privately and publicly addressed the need for unity and a desire to bring people together, a lofty goal in a sport that appears to take great pleasure in eating its own.

Try as he might, he was fighting a losing cause. His time is now over, his inability to win over the clubs playing a large part in his demise. The ARL Commission was scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss the immediate future of the competition, but the sense was that Greenberg would also be a topic of discussion.

His contract was coming to an end and the whispers out of Rugby League Central in recent weeks had been anything but positive. Perhaps Greenberg saw the writing on the wall. It could hardly have been writ larger.

Where did it all go wrong? Maybe Greenberg spent too long trying to please too many. He has taken pride in a strong relationship with the players but seriously misread the room when it came to talking about pay cuts a week or so back.

He forged his reputation in clubland as chief executive of Canterbury but seemed unable to win them over when it really mattered. Familiarity ultimately bred nothing more than contempt.

Where his club ties were once viewed as a strength, a number of club bosses now view his time as chief executive of Canterbury with scorn. When talk turned to the spending at head office, they pointed to Greenberg’s time at the Bulldogs, when he leaned on the nearby leagues club for financial support.

Financial restraint, they whimsically say, has never been his strength. Revenue at Rugby League Central grew significantly on Greenberg’s watch. So did spending.

There was little cash in the bank when it was desperately needed. These are testing times for the NRL hierarchy. Greenberg is unlikely to be the only executive to fall.

There is pressure on everyone at Rugby League Central. The clubs are circling and blood is now in the water.

The rumour mill would suggest chief operating officer Nick Weeks and chief financial officer Tony Crawford are also under pressure.

The landscape has dramatically shifted. Eight years ago, when the ARL Commission was formed, the clubs were happy to take a back seat to an independent body. They no longer feel that way.

They want more of a say in the way the commission is formed and the game is run. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, plans were underway to give the clubs even more power. Those discussions were put on hold but will resume when game gets back on track.

Chair Peter V’landys came in from the outside and has won universal praise from the clubs. His relationship with Greenberg slowly deteriorated in recent months to the extent it became unworkable. V’landys has been running the show and Greenberg has been chief executive in name only.

Every success V’landys enjoyed magnified Greenberg’s failings. Every meeting V’landys attended shone the light on how estranged the chief executive was. Nine Network boss Hugh Marks lavished praise on V’landys on Monday. Marks had refused to deal with Greenberg.

Club bosses have almost universally supported every move V’landys has made. They became increasingly frustrated with Greenberg and head office.

Chief commercial officer Andrew Abdo has stepped into the breach but the commission will conduct a search for a new chief executive officer. Abdo will be among those in contention for the permanent role, as will NSW Rugby League chief executive David Trodden, Accor chief operating officer Simon McGrath and club bosses like Blake Solly, Paul White and Dave Donaghy.

The commission can take its time. There was a school of thought that its would be best to navigate its way through the coronavirus crisis before making a move on Greenberg.

One way or other, things have been fast-tracked.