Mac Reith-Snare
The ousting of NRL CEO Todd Greenberg at the beginning of the pandemic could have been the best thing to happen to rugby league in over a decade. And here’s why.
The Greenberg administration was found out big time during the Coronavirus lockdown of the NRL after it was revealed that they squandered their entire TV deal worth one billion dollars.
With the sport already on it’s knees due to the financial strain the pandemic put on the organisation, combing that with the seemingly missing money from the TV deal, the NRL board could not justify retaining Greenberg as CEO.
Although in financial ruin and under enormous public scrutiny, the firing of their Chief Executive meant the introduction of one of Australia’s most successful administrators in Peter V’landys.
Coming off the back of bringing NSW Racing back from near destruction, V’landys was brought in by the NRL board to clean house. And that’s exactly what he’s done.
Cutting costs left, right and centre has meant V’landys has put the NRL in a stable financial situation.
He has also somehow managed to re-negotiate the league’s TV deal with Fox and Channel Nine, securing multi-million dollar extensions that will see the sport making bank for some time.
Making drastic changes in such a short period time has made V’landys and the NRL look great in the public eye.
His ability to make the hard decisions and make the right ones is something to be in awe of, something that Greenberg and his administration were not able to do.
A great example of that is his introduction of the new “six again” rule that has changed the game.
The implementation of this rule has taken the game from a slow, laborious and boring affair to exciting, action packed and incredibly fast paced.
It has forced a quick play-the-ball into the game, enabling teams to score points at a very fast rate.
A simple, yet monumental decision that will change the game forever, and we haven’t even had the V’landys administration for a full season yet.
Rugby league is in very safe hands with this man at the helm and we can feel very content with the way the game is going under his leadership.
Peter V’landys, the NRL’s saviour.