David Smith is a good choice for NRL chief
Roar Guru By ScottWoodward.me, 25 Nov 2012 ScottWoodward.me is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- David Smith, NRL, NRL Independent Commission, Rugby League
Incoming NRL CEO Dave Smith. (AAP Image/Damian Shaw)
Related coverage
New ARLC boss David Smith resigned from his job with Lloyds Banking Group, one of the UK’s biggest lenders, after his Australian unit posted a net loss of over $1 billion in 2011.
As Chief Executive of Lloyds International, Mr Smith made a statement (before anyone knew that he would be the next head of Australian rugby league) that Lloyds’ Australian business “is on a very strong footing” and that he felt it was “the right time to seek new opportunities”.
We now know what those “new opportunities” are.
The fact that Lloyds have asked Smith to hang around until the first of February to help with the leadership transition indicates that he is highly thought of by the bank’s board.
When a key executive decides to leave he is normally ushered out before the tea lady arrives.
We can assume that David Smith has accepted a drop in salary.
We cannot compare Smith’s Lloyds package with JP Morgan Chase & Co’s Jamie Dimon, who takes home $23.1 million in salary, bonus, stock and options. Nor can we compare him to Wells Fargo chief John Stumpf ($19.8 million), Richard Fairbank, CEO of Capital One Financial Corp ($18.7 million) or Citi’s CEO Vikram Pandit ($14.8 million).
But you don’t get to preside over $50 billion worth of assets without being very well remunerated.
I applaud the commission for not reacting to the mainstream media, and for not making a knee-jerk, early decision.
They have taken their time and been very selective, and let’s hope they have backed a winner. I think they have.
Who cares if the new main man does not know who Cam Smith is? Who cares if he did not attend a game this year?
David Smith has inherited a group of outstanding human resources within the NRL, and his key role will be to bring them together as a united team and help them grow.
He also needs to be able to implement the ARLC’s Strategic Plan, while also being proactive enough to build his own plan and have it endorsed by the commission.
The 16 NRL clubs, especially the Storm, the Sharks, the Panthers, Souths, the Knights and the Titans, should benefit from Smith’s background in corporate loans.
Saving these clubs and helping them turn a profit is a hell of a lot more important to the game than sitting on the hill having a hot dog with Freddie Blogs.
- Explore:
- David Smith, NRL, NRL Independent Commission, Rugby League
November 25th 2012 @ 5:00am
Mick said | November 25th 2012 @ 5:00am | Report comment
Well said. There are plenty of talking heads in league – too many. They need a business man to run the business side of rugby league, so they hired one. Buzz, Biff and Bobo at the Tele can trumpet however much they like about him not being one of the boys, but they’ll, as is so often the case, be wrong.
November 25th 2012 @ 10:21am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 25th 2012 @ 10:21am | Report comment
Mick,
The bias with some of these journos is a disgrace to the profession, similar to what Obama received when he ran for Prez recently.A heap of the stuff they wrote is not only incorrect but misleading, but the fact remains they are influential as seen by the fat salary Ricky Stuart has got out of parra.
Your comments about the media echo what all my mates say.
November 26th 2012 @ 7:19am
Mushi said | November 26th 2012 @ 7:19am | Report comment
Isn’t it also misleading to spend a paragraph throwing out the salaries on the bank CEOs without referencing that smith wasn’t even remotely in a similar role?
November 27th 2012 @ 11:53am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 27th 2012 @ 11:53am | Report comment
Mushi,
They are both CEOs and both work for Banks…hows dat
November 25th 2012 @ 5:59am
Crosscoder said | November 25th 2012 @ 5:59am | Report comment
If Smith can organise upgrading of facilities at the Sharks,he will be performing yeoman’s service.
As a matter of interest the Shark’s licensed club received their agreed instalment of $10m on Friday ,from their development principal Bluestone Capital Ventures.The club now has a debt est $2.5m ,with an asset backing (due to DA approval) of est $22.5m.A debt one suggests easily manageable .
As to the pressure applied by journalists particularly from the News stable ,to rush CEO appoinments and decision making,suggests they are desperate for stories and no other reason.
The ARLC has demonstrated independence by not pandering to these guys,making considered decisions,some of which were not popular (shoulder charge eg),and the journos in question used to leaks and forever obliging NRL execs,have now had to join a queue.
Smith will be judged on his 1st year”s performance,not on early prognostications as to, whether he knows the name of players,has a ru background,is Welsh,is a Banker therefore unable to administer a sport and has never played the game..
If the code(NRL) under his watch can achieve the $300m pa revenue objective under the SP,then he has for a start ,paid his way.
November 25th 2012 @ 10:23am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 25th 2012 @ 10:23am | Report comment
Cross
Well said mate.
I was impressed by the fact that he did not try to BS. He did not try and be someone else.
Good start.
November 25th 2012 @ 8:40am
Dogs of war said | November 25th 2012 @ 8:40am | Report comment
As he is implementing a big change to how the game is run, I expect a lot of noise from the media as those impacted by the changes run to the media to complain. How he handles that will be his biggest test. I would hate to see him flip flop just cause of that noise.
–
Comment left via The Roar’s iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
November 25th 2012 @ 10:25am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 25th 2012 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Dogs
You don’t have 1,500 working for you in several countries and be responsible for 50 big ones if you are weak. If the main stream media want to be objective, then they will be the ones flip flopping.
November 25th 2012 @ 8:55am
Roarsome said | November 25th 2012 @ 8:55am | Report comment
I just hope the old guard man up enough to give Smith the space and freedom he needs.
–
Comment left via The Roar’s iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
November 25th 2012 @ 10:28am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 25th 2012 @ 10:28am | Report comment
Roar
John Grant has been a breath of fresh air. So far he has done almost everything correct (apart from ignoring the growth in Melbourne) and I think he is smart enough to step back now and let Smith front up.
November 25th 2012 @ 10:57am
Greg said | November 25th 2012 @ 10:57am | Report comment
I think he is a good choice,you only have to look at what Jim Doyle has done in his time has CEO of NZ League.Never played the game,is a a Scotsman,but he ran Navman.We dont want meatheads running this great game.
November 25th 2012 @ 2:01pm
ScottWoodward.me said | November 25th 2012 @ 2:01pm | Report comment
Greg
Obama has never ran a business and he become Prez.
November 25th 2012 @ 11:30am
Johnno said | November 25th 2012 @ 11:30am | Report comment
Scott this is an interesting appointment, I may go as far as to ay the most interesting sports administration CEO appointment in 20 years in Australia since i’v been following sport anyway.
On face value man he sure has an impressive resume, not remotely disputing that. He is a class above the likes of Gus Gould, fatty, the big Marn, the falcon Mario Fenech, matty johns , etc he won’t take any nonsense from these guys. He will put them in there place no doubt.
Gallop for a lot of his career as NRL ceo at least 75% of his time, he felt in my opinion he had to justify going on the footy show and take clowns like fatty seriously and Gus , who seemed to get stuck into him. At the last part of his career he felt no need to justify these clowns. I think Gus had to much influence in the NRL during a lot of Gallop’s career without actually having a formal position. Maybe it’s age or what Gus is at Penrith, or maybe it the new ARLC but John Grant certainly hasn’t copped any crap form the footy show crowd, in fact I don’ think he has even been on the show. I can’t see this guy taking one bit of nonsense from the forty show either least of his worries to go on that show, .
My only issue with him is understanding how to grow existing heartlands, and new markets. He will have to be guided and will a lot about the geography of Australia of where rugby league has growth potential etc. That’s not rocket science to work out.
The big thing that will take some time perhaps is understanding the code wars and how much AFL footy may mean to parts of Victoria,WA, STH Australia etc. He is welsh so he will understand the power of soccer and how it can infiltrate markets as he has seen ii in wales soccer get more market share foe rugby and now have an EPL team with Swansea in it.
Not rocket science either to work out AFL’S influence in some parts, but it does take some time to formulate strategies , to get market share it may not be rocket science but it takes time to work out it’s influence.
Kinda like if an outsider form the other side of the world was too take over Irish rugby, and just assume the GAA sports gaielic football and hurling, will just roll over and die. Not going to happen in Ireland.
Dave Smith is a rugby union man so understands the deep rooted grass roots passion of AFL and rugby league.
Once he gets his head around the code war stuff, and understands australia’s sports landscape he will be able to make good strategic decisons. He will have a lot of support and be guided well. But Gallop at least in perception maybe not in reality, gave off a perception that he had to justify himself to the likes of the footy show, and fatty , and Gus, and Matty, and these types, I can’t see this guy doing that. He is an outsider as was Gallop , but his resume is eery impressive I just can’t see him having to take one of Gus’s rants.
November 27th 2012 @ 8:45am
Big Time said | November 27th 2012 @ 8:45am | Report comment
The ARLC will be the ones in control of growing “exisiting heartlands” won’t they? Is that not why they were put in place.
Smith will be there to grow the business.
November 27th 2012 @ 11:58am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 27th 2012 @ 11:58am | Report comment
Big Time,
I haven’t seen his job description but the intended role of the ARLC is to write the strategic plan and the CEO’s job is to implement it. You would expect that David Smith would also be a co author of any plan.
November 25th 2012 @ 11:46am
ScottWoodward.me said | November 25th 2012 @ 11:46am | Report comment
Johnno,
Why do u keep referring to the Footy Show? Does anyone watch it?
It has very little content dedicated to our game. I join in with Fatty and cant believe it has lasted this long.
On Smith, the best way to grow is to employ the 80/20 rule and focus on his top 20% and make sure that is 100% first.
The NRL have been gifted a walk up start with the Storm and how they have put RL on the map in our biggest sporting city, and if the really want the NRL to be truly national then growing Victoria is a must. By taking away an origin game from Melb, they have also taken away vital money from the government to develop the game at junior level.
DUMB!
November 25th 2012 @ 12:19pm
Johnno said | November 25th 2012 @ 12:19pm | Report comment
Scott my point with the forty show is Gallop used to go on it and often be put down, and patronised and ripped into by Gus , and fatty. The tv ratings were bad so no one was probably watching it. I haven’t watched the footy show in 10 years. Fatty himself admits it too he can’t believe how long it’s lasted. I must admit like you to being stunned by the desicon. Dumb dumb decison. The energy at etihad stadium. was awesome . Love the indoor stadium , it adds a new dimension hope more stadiums in OZ go indoor eventually. Was a great energy there last year, stupid move . They should play game 2 there for the next 3 years , and see how it goes i say, it got a god crowd .
November 25th 2012 @ 2:00pm
ScottWoodward.me said | November 25th 2012 @ 2:00pm | Report comment
Johnno
Melb = Aust sport it is that simple. Not their smartest call to brush.
November 25th 2012 @ 1:28pm
fred gallop said | November 25th 2012 @ 1:28pm | Report comment
Another rugby union playing toff head of the NRL – remember david Moffet – from his interviews Smith sounded like he needed a local job so he could be at home more often because he was sick of flying in his current job – not a good start
November 25th 2012 @ 1:56pm
ScottWoodward.me said | November 25th 2012 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
Fred
I agree but so what!
I can assure you traveling all the time and having so much down time in your life wasted at airports is a novelty that wears off quickly. If you have ever seen his new offices at Moore Park it was an easy decision. What a great place to go to work everyday.
November 25th 2012 @ 1:32pm
Arthur Fonzarelli said | November 25th 2012 @ 1:32pm | Report comment
I love this appointment purely because the Daily Telegraph lackeys obviously hate it.
All this talk about Smith not knowing the game is nonsense. He wont be dealing with the public urinators, ear biters, chicken wing tackles, coach tantrums or refereeing blunders. Plenty of others who can manage that.
He will be ensuring that the game’s finances are in the best possible shape.
November 25th 2012 @ 1:58pm
ScottWoodward.me said | November 25th 2012 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
Fonzie
Spot on and I am glad the Commish thought that way. Some of the names that the main stream media were promoting were light weights.