Members vote could plunge Parra back into turmoil

Members vote could plunge Parra back into turmoil

Imagine the Eels get off to a flyer. Riding high on the table and their stocks soaring again, as their young guns take the competition by the storm. What's the worst thing you could do at that point? How about running a Parramatta Leagues Club election, thrusting the club onto the front and back pages for all the wrong reasons again, and letting the political and factional warring again dominate the attention of the club.

One of the key tenants of the Parramatta Leagues constitutional reforms being proposed is the abolition of the ugly all-in elections, where every two years the Parramatta Leagues Club board is voted upon. Anyone who has had anything to do with these elections knows they are bitter, divisive and leave a stain of recriminations and spite behind them.

Tonight members will vote on the Tuck Shop proposal, which will accept the proposed constitutional reforms on the basis that all seven members of the initial board will be chosen from a general election. The proposal is the result of various factions within the Leagues Club aligning, in order to have one last general election. Those behind the push have been remarkably frank about the factionalism at play, here. Former board member Paul Garrard admitted at the last AGM that the constitutional reform process had brought the factions together and then told the SMH: “"You are always going to get factions – it doesn’t matter if you have a tuckshop or a club.”

There is enormous self-interest at play. The former board members, politicians and developers backing the Tuck Shop proposal all have put together little friends and family groups, as well as having the support of some popular former players. They no doubt feel that this is their best chance, perhaps their only chance, of ever winning back control of the club.

The last thing our clubs needs, presumably in the middle of a football season is another circus of a general election. One that promises to be bigger, and messier than ever, because for many who stand  little chance of being elected on their own individual merits, this would represent the last throw of the dice. For a club that is trying to re-build its foundations, I can think of nothing more damaging.

The argument will be that this is all about getting Max Donnelly out of the club, with claims related to how much his role is costing Of course the same people making those claims have now twice knocked down the constitutional reforms that would otherwise have had ended the club’s administration.

At stake, is whether Parramatta Leagues and its football club continue to be beholden to factional groups, or whether it moves forward, encouraging well-qualified candidates to put their hands up on the basis of their own individual merits. No doubt the factions will turn out in force, and if the rest of the membership exhibits the same kind of apathy that has been displayed at past AGM and constitutional votes, we will be right back where we started and the Eel's season will be threatened before it even begins.

The vote will be held tonight at the Novotel Hotel in Parramatta at 7pm. All Parramatta Leagues Club members with three-year voting rights are encouraged to attend and have their say.

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

Comments

  • This reply was deleted.
    • Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority. Basically the government authority that oversees the clubs in NSW. They have the licensing powers and can register/deregister board members. They're the ones that removed the old board and installed Donnelly at the request of the NRL. Donnelly though works for Ferrier-Hodgson and his job has basically been to overhaul our governance structure, re-write the constitution and hire a new Leagues Club board. He's made his recommendations which were voted down last year. From what I gather ILGA has to agree to any changes to the club's governance structure while Donnelly is the administrator. Obviously ILGA don't want to get involved but I doubt they'd allow the status quo to remain if the vote tonight was passed.

    • yes

       

  • This reply was deleted.
    • Brissy, this is the last thing the government wants to be thinking about in the lead-up to the State election. ClubsNSW doesn't particulalry like government's getting involved in Club business. As a membership, we need to start sorting outselves out rather than relying on governments to do it.

  • FMD.  Why wait until THE ACTUAL DAY OF VOTING TO RALLY THE TROOPS PHIL?   I couldn't believe it last time when you only brought it up a few days (or less than a week anyway) before the elections. And now when it's even more crucial, you bring it to our attention BASICALLY JUST HOURS BEFORE THE VOTE? Not all of us check our bloody emails 47 times a day you know?

    My partner and I WILL make the 80 minute drive to be there tonight but man, I can't believe this, I really can't

    • That's 100% correct mate. With the power this site posses it's been very week in the way in which it has pushed towards shoring up the future of the club, and made it impossible for the factions to ever get back in.

      In my opinion it has been very substandard, just like the site's moderation.

      • Grow up Chief, if your members you know damn well when the the meeting was on. Phil has done everything he can but idiots like you, Snake and Fong are too lazy to get off their own butts anf just whinge that ut’s Everyone else’s fault.

      • With my limitied time/visibility to other Eels sites/forums, as best I can see this is the only post anywhere. Y'all have the ability to get the word out as much as I can, and you can do so at the vairous other online sites/social groups I'm sure many of you also co-frequent. 

    • This reply was deleted.
      • Mack, for me, it's not even a reminder. This is the first time that I'm finding out about it. I haven't gone into my emails for about a week. I'm not one of those people who check their emails 3 times per hour or texting all day & go to bed with my device so that I can do it all over again as soon as I open my eyes in the morning.

        • Mack, are you voting tonight, or staying home sifting through 1EE comments looking for opportunities to put crap on fellow Eels fans? That goes for the rest of you, GET THERE AND VOTE TONIGHT 

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