Denis Fitzgerald isn’t the answer to Parramatta’s off-field crisis according to club legend Michael Cronin.
The Eels have gone through 25 directors and six chief executives since 2009 when Fitzgerald was ousted by the club seven years ago, and face even more turmoil with five board and staff members facing deregistration from the NRL in the wake of the salary cap scandal.
And while Cronin – who coached under Fitzgerald for four years – said his 30-year reign was the most stable in the club’s history, he doesn’t believe the former boss is the club’s answer.
“I think it’s fair to say Denis has got a lot of enemies,” Cronin told AAP.
“I’m not one of them but they won’t want him back.
“That’d be going backwards, you’re going back to another faction that the other three hate.”
Fallout from the Parra salary cap scandal
» Parramatta only broke the 11th Commandment: Thou shalt not get caught
» Why Tuesday was the greatest day in Parra’s recent history
» Parramatta fans don’t deserve Parramatta’s boardroom
» Parramatta need to bring back The Emperor
» The Parramatta Five win first court battle against NRL
» Press conference: Parra breached the cap by $3 million, players may be investigated
» Parramatta docked 12 points, fined $1 million for salary cap breaches
Instead, Cronin believes the club must rid itself of warring factions and embrace stability if they wish to move forward.
“They need a stable board and people running it,” Cronin said.
“There have been factions there since when Denis Fitzgerald was put out and there have been factions every year since.
“The thing about it, once they are beaten there always seems to be people in the background sniping at the people in charge.”
However he admits it’s a lot easier said than done.
“Everyone will quote Jack Gibson’s `success starts at the top’ … but there seems to be a lot of drama there,” Cronin said.
“You’re looking for someone to come in and take over and rule with an iron fist that everybody likes. They’re hard to find.”
Cronin also remains a close friend and former teammate of current chairman Steve Sharp, who on Tuesday night along with four other key board and staff members successfully filed for an injunction against the NRL’s attempts to deregister them.
Such a move could threaten the Eels’ hopes of accruing points again next Friday against South Sydney, and while Cronin admits he doesn’t know the finer details, isn’t sure the group’s decision is the right one for the club.
“I think the smartest thing would be to stand down, just so the players have got hope and the fans have got hope,” Cronin said.
Cronin scored 75 tries in a 10-year career for the Eels which yielded four premierships.
81paling
Roar Rookie
Parra have to allow these 5 to contest what has happened to them for 1 reason and that is Todd Carney. Remember how obvious it was that Todd should be marched and yet he he sued the Sharks for not following the correct procedure in dimissing him and I think he won. At the time the NRL was doing everything it could to ensure this happened but, now they are no where to be seen when compesation and legal fee's are required for Carney. The other thing is, it looks like this investigation by the NRL is a mess now it is being reviewed and looks like it was rushed due to the pressure that Greenberg was starting to feel because he had taken credit for the BUNKER and now it is failing. Remember that waste of time blackest day in Australian sport designed to move attention away from other issue's to protect people at the top? welcome to part 2, "Greenberg's foolish hours" the chronicles.
MAX
Guest
If the $570K could be corrected it may be possible for Mick's influence to prevail and the Parra 5 accept their deregistration.