Phil Rothfield: NRL CEO Dave Smith’s no show during dramatic ASADA week is a disgrace

QUESTIONS need to be asked about the no-show of NRL CEO Dave Smith during one of the most dramatic weeks in league history. BUZZ COMMENT.

QUESTIONS need to be asked about the no-show of NRL chief executive Dave Smith during one of the most dramatic weeks in rugby league history.

After 18 months of scandal, outrage and infuriating uncertainty, Smith chose to fly to Samoa knowing ASADA was on the game’s doorstep and about to hand down its verdict.

He left on Sunday night and didn’t return to his office until Wednesday, leaving ASADA in the hands of other staff.

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We’re all for the promotion of rugby league on the Pacific islands but surely it could have waited until the end of the season - or Todd Greenberg could have gone in his place.

The bungling drug investigation and the virtual blackmailing of Cronulla Sharks players to take discounted suspensions required the attention of the game’s chief executive.

There is no reasonable excuse for his disappearance.

Here we have a man on a salary of $1.5 million-a-year skipping town for a promotional tour.

Forget the long-suffering players and the fact their immediate careers were on the line.

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Paul Gallen returns home today. Picture: Stephen Cooper

Players, who through no fault of their own, turned up for training back in 2011, followed instructions from their high performance unit - and had their welfare and well-being put at risk in an unsafe working environment.

The 17 players were entitled to Smith’s support, or, at the very least, his presence.

Gallen, Gordon, Graham and every single one of them.

These young men are not drug cheats. They are victims. Victims of a club that was so poorly run at the time they did not even have a CEO.

Rugby league is not travelling well at the moment.

Dare I say it … the code is in crisis.

Paul Gallen returns home today. Picture: Stephen Cooper

We had almost 75,000 empty seats at Thursday night football.

And only 6,000 at the Monday night Roosters-Titans game the week before at Allianz Stadium.

Then just 5,297 fans at Leichhardt Oval to watch the Tigers v Roosters.

That means the NRL premiers have attracted less than 12,000 fans to their last TWO games.

That’s right … the premiers.

In the same week, the Western Sydney Wanderers got 17,000 to Pirtek Stadium for an out-of-season soccer game.

And what’s Smith doing about it … bugger all.

But I bet he’s back on grand final day to hand out the medals.

Originally published as Phil Rothfield: NRL CEO Dave Smith’s no show during dramatic ASADA week is a disgrace