Ex-Manly CEO signs with Sydney’s new AFL team
By Greg Buckle, 21 Oct 2009 Greg Buckle is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- AFL, Andrew Demetriou, Grant Mayer, Manly Sea Eagles, NRL, Rugby League
AFL chief Andrew Demetriou initially thought Grant Mayer was Jennifer Aniston’s boyfriend, or maybe the host of a dancing show on TV.
Demetriou soon discovered Mayer was the highly respected rugby league administrator who left his post as NRL club Manly’s chief executive in July following a board-room battle.
And the AFL chief is convinced that Mayer is the perfect candidate to sell the AFL brand to the rugby league heartland of western Sydney.
Blacktown-based Team GWS, who will join the AFL as the 18th team for the 2012 season, named Mayer on Tuesday as their general manager of corporate partnerships.
“When I heard his name I thought they were talking about the guy that went out with Jennifer Aniston, then I thought it was the guy that hosted Dancing With the Stars on Channel Seven,” Demetriou told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.
“Grant Mayer is a person with a great background in sport … and brings to us a knowledge of greater western Sydney that we don’t have.
“We’ve been consistent in saying that it doesn’t seem appropriate for us being based in Melbourne to be telling locals how to operate in their market.
“He will bring a degree of expertise that would have taken us years and years to acquire, so that sort of quality person is really important.
“Stay tuned, because he won’t be the (last).”
Asked to confirm a News Limited report that he had turned down A-League and Super 14 offers in Queensland, Mayer said he took the AFL role because “I believe in it”.
He said his initial brief, starting on November 2, would be to build a strong financial base for Team GWS.
“(That’s) to ensure that when we go back to the AFL in the middle of next year and we’re ready to be officially approved, we can show that we have a commitment from the commercial community,” Mayer told AAP on Tuesday.
Mayer said he couldn’t rule out another raid by an AFL team on the NRL after the Gold Coast team announced Brisbane Broncos star Karmichael Hunt would join them for their debut in the AFL in 2011.
“It showed everybody in Queensland or probably the sporting world in Australia that they are serious about making it succeed,” Mayer said.
“They tell me Karmichael was a talented player as a kid so you’ve got to suggest as an athlete he’ll fit in very well there.
“The (Team GWS) football department will look at athletes and if there’s athletes they believe can make it in the game of AFL they’ll certainly look at it.”
Mayer added at a press conference in Sydney: “I’m not sure how many Karmichael Hunts there are but we’ll see.”
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James said | October 21st 2009 @ 10:08am | Report comment
Next big signing…Jarryd Hayne!
I don’t know if he has officially put pen to paper with parra yet??
Michael B said | October 21st 2009 @ 10:18am | Report comment
Well he hasn’t ever played AFL in his life, but that doesn’t matter does it!
Michael C said | October 21st 2009 @ 10:44am | Report comment
No, that would matter.
Karmichael Hunt HAD played a bit of footy – with Scott Harding who ended up at the Lions. Hunt WAS such a talent that the AFL talent scouts were interested, but he was already signed (age 15) to a scholarship with the Broncos.
The Gold Coast AFL guys thought it worth a try when they heard he was not renewing at the Broncos and was looking to go elsewhere.
A perfect set of circumstances……but, only really for a club like GC17.
WS18 will be in a similar situation, but, unless a K.Hunt type player effectively makes himself available on the basis of such a background – then, you wouldn’t see the big spend on a ‘true conversion’ project player. Or, at least – that would seem highly doubtful.
But, say – a fellow who like Darren Lockyer, had started playing Aust Footy and really only went to RL because the distances and time were too great to stick with Aust Footy – - well, if there’s kids with that sort of background in the NRL presently who might’ve been good enough…..then, for them…..it’s now or never.
The Link said | October 21st 2009 @ 10:17am | Report comment
Mayer is a class operator and was only ousted from the Manly role due to petty boardroom politics. He hasn’t had a role since June so he’s hardly been poached from RL.
Not sure if Demetriou’s comments were the best for a sport looking to increase its presence in the Sydney market.
Michael C said | October 21st 2009 @ 10:45am | Report comment
Demetriou is actually a funny man, so, be sure to take that all in a humourous tongue in cheek and self deprecating context.
Redb said | October 22nd 2009 @ 12:59pm | Report comment
very good move for the Western Sydney AFL team. This is the Waldron-Storm scenario where a good local adminsitrator can get the culture right and understand the market.
As for the Demetriou thing your kidding, its in the funny bin. If Sydneysiders hold this against the new WS team your a bunch of lightweights.
Redb
M1tch said | October 25th 2009 @ 7:15pm | Report comment
Demetriou trying to do a comedy bit, by reading punchlines from his paper..omg!
Only thing about Storm and Waldron is, they were around for 7 years before they signed him.
WS18 shows they have no idea what they are doing out there and need help..3 years before the first bounce.
Michael C said | October 25th 2009 @ 7:51pm | Report comment
or perhaps it shows that Storm might have wasted the first 7 years before realising a bit of local knowledge/credibility was required……
….which shows GWS18 has some idea at least about what they are doing.
M1tch said | October 26th 2009 @ 8:52am | Report comment
They won a premiership and only missed finals twice before Waldron came in.
But in the end who cares.Meyer wasnt poached he was sacked from Manly and needed a job.
Midfielder said | October 21st 2009 @ 10:31am | Report comment
Football has shown with JON & BB … that it is a management skill to run a sporting club… He is a good choice…
Michael C said | October 21st 2009 @ 10:51am | Report comment
Soccer in this country has a fair track record -
poaching John O’Neill and Ben Buckley as you mentioned, but, also Archie Fraser and John Ribot amongst others. (along with cross code ‘owners’ like Cole at MVFC – - which makes the FFA push for ‘exclusivity’ surprising).
This whole ‘this means war’ crap coming from this Phelps fellow at the Daily Telegraph is rediculous though.
A. does he go on about soccer/HAL approaches the same way?
and B. was it war when Melbourne storm ‘poached’ Brian Waldron?
and C. …..does someone have to actually be employed/contracted to be ‘poached’???
and D. given he was fielding offers from RU and Soccer interests……does that constitute war anyway? brings us back to ‘A’.
at any rate, the AFL has all along indicated that they want locals involved.
James said | October 21st 2009 @ 12:13pm | Report comment
Phelps is hilarious…I think Patrick Smith had a go at him a few months ago when he suggested that Western Sydney’s AFL bid was in tatters. LOL. Actually I think this sort of “journalism” can work in the AFL’s favour…in terms of bringing in awareness and potentially interest, given the team is still more than 2 years away.
Michael C said | October 22nd 2009 @ 5:08am | Report comment
It’s been funny to watch (Online), the Daily Telegraph have run about 4 stories on this topic, and ALL in the NRL section.
The SMH hasn’t touched it, beyond theAge run “RealFooty” section that ran a story in the ‘AFL pages’ about Mayer.
The tale of two papers!!
Redb said | October 22nd 2009 @ 1:13pm | Report comment
The funny thing is it’s starting to become more and more obvious that the war talk is just silly when you look at the administrators moving between sports and expansion plans. The AFL is not the only code doing either.