Senior executives and editors at News Corp boycotted the offer of NRL hospitality at last week’s State of Origin match in Brisbane amid a war of words with Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys.
V’landys expressed frustration and displeasure with the editors of The Daily Telegraph, The Courier Mail and Code Sports over the contents of a recently released series about rugby league player-agents titled “The Deal Makers”.
The series was based on a survey of 50 player-agents on some of the biggest issues in the game, including a question relating to the use of recreational drugs in rugby league.
The agents were asked, “Is drug use a problem with players?” with 62 per cent responding yes.
That led to a series of heated phone calls between V’landys, and other NRL executives, and News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller, Telegraph editor Ben English, sport executive editor Jason Scott and Queensland editor Chris Jones.
Sources with knowledge of the situation – talking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of the phone calls – said V’landys took exception to the way the question was phrased, believing it incorrectly portrayed the NRL as having a widespread issue with drugs.
Peter V’landys on a plane with Daily Telegraph editor Ben English, Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell on their way to a youth clinic in Moree last year.Credit: NRL Photos
The game has already had to deal with a number of recent headlines relating to players and drug issues – most notably involving Brayden Trindall, Josh Addo-Carr and Ezra Mam – and V’landys believed he needed to protect the reputation of the players.
It resulted in several senior News Corp executives ignoring invitations to attend last week’s Origin as guests of V’landys in the NRL’s corporate suite at Suncorp Stadium.
There were no senior representatives from News Corp in attendance. However, chairman Lachlan Murdoch, currently in Australia on business, was at the series opener in his private suite.
“There’s no doubt they [NRL] weren’t happy with it, but we 100 per cent stand by it,” English said when contacted on Thursday afternoon.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, The Daily Telegraph editor Ben English and News Corp Australia executive chair Michael Miller.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“It was great journalism, it was really topical, and it provoked some constructive conversations about the future of the game. It’s exactly the sort of journalism we should be doing. If different stakeholders, such as the NRL, didn’t have an issue with what we write, we wouldn’t be doing our job.
“We have disagreements all the time. Rugby league is the second-toughest sport. The toughest sport is rugby league journalism, as you well know. Our relationship remains strong. There is no war. It’s just part of the cut and thrust of what we do. There’s enormous alignment between the two organisations because our audiences overlap so strongly. But we’re a news outlet, and we report it as we see it. There’s no animosity.”
V’landys, also the CEO of Racing NSW, has a substantial advertising commitment with News Corp that is worth millions of dollars each year.
News Corp’s stakeholder position in rugby league has changed in the past six months after the recent sale of Foxtel to DAZN.
News Corp still holds a minority (6 per cent) equity interest in DAZN but, for the first time in decades, will not have a major seat at the table when broadcast rights negotiations kick off in the coming months for the 2028 NRL season and beyond.
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