Board candidate: Mark Riddell during his playing days with Parramatta.

Board candidate: Mark Riddell during his playing days with Parramatta. Photo: Tim Clayton

Former Parramatta player Mark Riddell insisted he hadn't entered the traditional argy-bargy of the club's elections because he missed the heavy hits in first grade.

Riddell, who played for Parramatta, St George Illawarra, Wigan and the Sydney Roosters, is expected to oppose former teammate Ben Smith who was reported on Friday to be running on a rival rebel ticket to challenge the incumbent board headed by Steve Sharp. 

 The 34-year-old Riddell will run on Denis Fitzgerald's Parramatta Professionals ticket and said he'd committed himself after deep discussion about the club's direction.

  "I thought long and hard about it," he said. "I got asked a couple of times by a few different people and the more I thought about it -  the more I talked about it - it made sense. I had very positive feedback and that's why I'm doing it."

 Riddell declared his hand in the same week the Parramatta Leagues Club Group announced its best financial result in over a decade, including a consolidated group profit of $6.5 million for the 2014 financial year and a $12.5 million Parramatta Leagues Club profit.

 "I am delighted to say that our board charter of club first, team second, individual third has helped us achieve some remarkable turnarounds and progress on our journey," Parramatta Leagues Club Group chairman Sharp said. 

Riddell said he wanted to play his part to end what he called a perception that Parramatta's culture is of  "agenda" and "revenge".

 "My view is we have to get rid of the stigma of 'us against them', 'this against this', the agendas and the revenge attacks," he said. "I just want to try and get the fans on board, try to get everyone working together. The Parramatta Football Club and Parramatta Leagues Club needs to be the first priority for everyone.

"From speaking to people involved in the club it's clear everyone has had enough.  It's about the voices that are heard,  I'm of the opinion you shouldn't even know the board. You shouldn't know who's who because you [should] have the right people in the right places who field or answer the questions whether they're in regard to football club or the leagues club."

 Riddell said if Parramatta focused its energies it could replicate the success of Penrith in showcasing a number of local juniors in the first grade ranks and complement the collective talent with the recruitment of "superstars".

 Smith, who retired from the Eels last year after 152 matches for them, could not be contacted for comment on Friday.