Eels Blogs

Clubs Ready to Roll Grant

Posted by Glenn Lifetime Eel on October 30, 2015 at 9:55pm

Fed up clubs are preparing for war with the NRL over inadequate funding and want John Grant's head. 5 chairmen of Roosters, Canterbury, Manly, Melbourne and Warriors met with Grant yesterday. A 6th member from Brisbane was absent.

They want additional funding to ensure long term financial viability but their proposals were stonewalled by Grant, NRLs head of club services, Tony Crawford and ARL commissioner Tony McGrath. The club chairmen were frustrated saying discussions were going backwards. The five agreed to one final meeting late next month declaring that if the funding wasn't resolved 'heads will roll' with Grant top of the list. The chairmen would discuss the meeting with the 11 other clubs chairmen during a phone hook up next week.

There is still an outside chance of the clubs breaking away from the NRL if the funding wasn't resolved.

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Replies

Snakey - Sack Dylan Brown October 30, 2015 at 9:58pm

Why in the feck are the Roosters wanting more funding, as if they dont have enough.
Alan Hunt October 30, 2015 at 10:29pm

lol more News Limited BS, they got Smith now they want Grant. All for having the audacity to wanting a better TV deal off News.
- N1cK > Alan Hunt October 30, 2015 at 10:55pm
  
  Further to that seeing as news want to get rid of them look at the clubs they gathered. The list of clubs who in the past always seemed to get favourable decisions
Yobz October 31, 2015 at 7:05am

Hahahahhaha. The clubs which don't seem to have a salary cap, are the ones crying poor.
Yobz October 31, 2015 at 8:06am

This same article keeps magically reappearing.
- The clubs want more money to ensure their "survivability"
- The NRL pays 100% of salary cap to help ensure survivability
- If a club is run well, makes a profit and complies with the salary cap, why do they need extra money?
Glenn Lifetime Eel October 31, 2015 at 11:24am

If there was a breakaway group of all the clubs would that mean the new funding deal with Ch 9 would fall over? Could be right what Alan says that News Corp engineering this to rescind Ch 9 deal. Super League war all over again.
- JJ - The EEL > Glenn Lifetime Eel October 31, 2015 at 5:36pm
  
  That maybe so Glen, but unlike NRL contracts I'd be fairly confident that this is a done deal and binding. Time will tell but Dave Smith has probably short changed the NRL several hundred's of millions of dollars and make no mistake it is a dud deal and until Foxtel and a few other minor rights are negotiated then the full impact will be known.
  
  We can whine all we want about News Corp but ultimately they are a very powerful player in world sport and one would think Rupert Murdoch would not take kindly to is the way Dave Smith went about negotiating a new TV deal. Whether you liked it or not Foxtel deserved to in mix right from the start once negotiations were underway
Mitchy October 31, 2015 at 12:48pm

There's a fine line between clubs being viable and also receiving more handouts. Let's face it Melbourne, Brisbane and Warriiors are one town teams and should be doing well. They do great junior wise. If clubs go it alone and start more strife it will only hurt the supporters of the game in my view. I don't particularly like the way Grant does things but the clubs have to work with them. The players are paid well, and I know the arguments about players on lower end of cap being paid avg. it's all about choices. In my view Gallop would be good to head the game. He's done it before and is a smart operator. But no doubt the clubs will have their favourites and the directors too.