The day after the A-League announced the sale of the Newcastle Jets to billion-dollar the Chinese Ledman Group, the NRL have set up a “Divestment Committee”, to find the best way to rid themselves of the Newcastle Knights.
The NRL took over the Knights after the failed stewardship of Nathan Tinkler’s Hunter Sports Group, whose reign at the club ended in a mess of failed promises and unpaid bills.
However, having taken charge of the Knights two years ago yesterday, the NRL said they were not looking to quickly offload of the Hunter club.
“A sale will only proceed when we have the right buyer for the club, the Newcastle community and the game,” said NRL Head of Club Services, Tony Crawford.
“I should stress that a sale of the club is not imminent.
“But this committee will recommend the most appropriate way of transitioning the ownership of the Knights at the appropriate time.”
Knights fans will be understandably wary of any new owner, having been burned so badly during Tinkler’s reign.
After promising to ‘buy back the farm’, one of Tinkler’s first acts was to sack local coach Rick Stone in favour of Wayne Bennett, who proceeded to stack the team with ageing veterans.
Then, when Tinkler’s money dried up, Bennett cut and run, saying sorting the Knights out would “take four or five years”.
It appears the Broncos mentor was on the money, as two seasons later Newcastle are dead last on the table and short-priced favourites to finish with a second successive wooden spoon, with some pundits suggesting they’ll be lucky to win another match in 2016.
And while a host of injuries to senior players has taken their toll, leading to the Knights blooding more than ten debutants this season and frequently fielding a side where half a dozen players still qualify for the under-20s, one has to wonder how much a lack of actual ownership is affecting performance.
I was at the pub watching the Knights’ first game this season, against the Gold Coast Titans, when none other than NRL CEO-in-waiting Todd Greenberg slipped into the booth across from me for a bite to eat with his family.
The Titans finished the game 30-12 winners, in what was supposed to be a far closer result.
There was a brief moment when I contemplated asking Todd for a please explain. He was supposed to be heading up the NRL, and the NRL owned the Knights. Who better to go looking to for a few answers over that dismal performance?
But I held off, because a Titans supporter would have been just as justified in going up and congratulating him for their team getting a win.
(Also, I held off because three beers aren’t enough to make me so rude as to confront a bloke in front of his family, and on his afternoon off, over a game of footy.)
There’s a conflict of interest when the buck stops with the NRL, because the buck also stops with them for the Titans’ results, as well as the Dragons (in part) and, until recently, the Tigers.
How can the owners of Newcastle make bold signings or go looking for sweet third-party deals for Knights players, but not at the other clubs they’re propping up?
And therefore, how much blame can you really place at the feet of coach Nathan Brown or CEO Matt Gidley when they’re so hamstrung?
Newcastle fans should be cautious of anyone coming in waving a chequebook, promising they’ll bring pride and victory back to Hunter Stadium. (Part of me is starting to believe that the Knights would still have a grand total of zero premierships and have been buzzing around the bottom four for most of their history if it weren’t for those years when a local lad named Andrew Johns wore red and blue.)
But the NRL’s announcement that they’re looking to offload the Knights is a good thing for Newcastle, because the current set-up is untenable.
The Divestment Committee
Todd Greenberg (NRL CEO)
Brian McGuigan (Knights Chairman)
Tony Crawford (NRL Head of Club and State Services)
Eleni North (NRL General Counsel)
John Quayle (Knights Director)
Eileen Doyle (Knights Director)
Peter Shear (Knights Director)
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
What a talented man Greg Marzhew is!
Andrew Johns and Brad Fitler disagreed over how the Hetherington-Mahoney altercation should've been handled with Joey suggesting if the pair got all their steam…
I’m sorry Newcastle, but this won’t be your year. Unless your whole approach can change. Kalyn Ponga’s Lisfranc injury may have cost him 12…
The St George Illawarra revival is now prompting a question that was on nobody’s radar heading into the 2024 season - can the Dragons…
Jack Hetherington could face sanctions from the NRL after vision emerged of the fiery Newcastle forward appearing to throw a punch at Bulldogs hooker…
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
