Look, fair play, at least Paul Kent admitted it.
“It is hard not to write about V’landys without sounding like a paid up member of his fan club,” the Daily Telegraph journo wrote this week, in yet another fawning piece about how the National Rugby League Commission chairman isn’t the best thing since sliced bread, he is sliced bread.
And by all reports – like, seriously, all reports – V’landys is crushing it in his role as the de facto boss of the NRL. As I wrote last week, both Buzz and Gus fall over themselves to talk the chair up.
V’landys has fans at Nine and Fox. Labor and Liberal. Vegans and carnivores.
And if you wanted evidence of how good a job he’s doing, you need only look to the coverage in the days after the latest instalment of ‘NRL presents: idiots being idiots on social media’.
Todd Greenberg got the boot after a committed media campaign, which painted the NRL CEO as a schoolboy compared to his grown-up chairman.
ARLC Chairman Peter ‘The Messiah’ V’landys. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Everything that was wrong with the game of rugby league was Greenberg’s fault and anything that was half-decent was because of V’landys. It really was that simple.
So with Greenberg now eyeing off a job with the A-League – because that’s just what ex-NRL CEOs do – surely there was only one person who could be left responsible for the debacle that was the lettuce-leaf slap that Latrell Mitchell, Josh Addo-Carr, Nathan Cleary and Tyronne Roberts-Davis received.
Someone did a shit job at the NRL. It’s Peter’s fault, right?
Yeah, nah.
“This was interim chief executive Andrew Abdo’s first big test since replacing Todd Greenberg as NRL chief executive just last week to show a strong hand,” Andrew Webster wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Abdo failed miserably.”
But Webster wasn’t done – not only was it Abdo’s fault, V’landys actually deserved praise.
“When the coronavirus pandemic finally subsides, and normal transmission of rugby league resumes, they will probably make a musical about V’landys,” Webster wrote.
“He’s been a true force of nature, the war-time leader the game has needed, blazing ahead with shirt partly untucked and tie askew as he saves rugby league with one hand while keeping racing ticking along with the other.”
Rupert Murdoch’s crew got in on it too, with Phil Rothfield taking aim at the NRL’s interim boss.
“It’s been a round one failure for the stand-in chief executive Andrew Abdo,” Rothfield said last week.
“He is the CEO and all these decisions stop with the CEO.”
All these decisions stop with the CEO? I mean yeah, Abdo had a decent chance to act the strongman and put his stamp on proceedings, but how long do we say that everything that goes wrong is the CEO’s fault but any time things are going well it’s because of Uncle Pete?
I don’t doubt the game’s chair is a sharp operator, but maybe if we’re going to pump up his tyres when things go well, we should also ask him some questions when things head west.
But according to the media, when the NRL copped a black eye at the most inopportune of times, that was Abdo’s fault. As for getting the game back on the airwaves come May 28, that’s all V’landys.
I’m not here to shit on the chairman, just to ask for some consistency.
Because how long can one person be responsible for everything that’s right in the world, yet be completely absolved when the shit hits the fan?
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Looks like you were wrong old boy!
Placepunter
Roar Rookie
Oh Dear Oh Dear Oh Dear. I'm sure you've heard of the saying "Show Me The Money". Channel 10 are all bar bankrupt, Channel 7 are in the same boat, Foxtel are awaiting the liquidators and the NRL are penniless. Channel 9 have much more money than all the others. We've all heard Vlandys talk about having a contract etc etc. But we haven't heard him utter anything about how much money the NRL are going to get. Rest assured it'll be Channel 9 and Foxtel showing the games with Channel 9 telling Vlandys just how much they'll pay and Vlandys accepting whatever they say. He talks a good game but thats all it is.....talk. Channel 9 can survive without the NRL but the NRL cannot survive without Channel 9. All the posturing of Vlandys amounts to nothing when his negotiating position is nil. Channel 9 will pay as little as they can get away with and the NRL will accept it because they have no options.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Nsw racing says hello. This bloke is happy to rattle the cage. He does not play short term politics . He plays the long game which means winning and losing a few battles but keep an eye on winning the war. He has Marks on the run after initially appearing to placate him. This bloke is a rarity. Tough, abrasive and smart. The nrl has dominated the sporting media for weeks. Channel 9 lackeys have thrown heaps of mud at us but this bloke had stayed firm and the game proceeds against all their sabre rattling. Interesting days ahead. Bring on the tv rights biff!
Placepunter
Roar Rookie
It's not negativity re NRL but a picture of how Vlandys does business. Clearly as i've articulated, I don't like the way and question the long term result that is much more important than the short term. I understand that some thought always needs to be given to the short term but it's absolutely inevitable that change must and will occur. Starting with less money for all and no doubt in my mind that there needs to be and will be a culling of some teams.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
I’m translating that to mean he’s going well and you don’t like it.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Very negative sort of chap aren’t you? Anything good to say about the nrl? Anything at all?
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
You tell them red! When’s your mob coming back? Bit disorganised aren’t they? Mind you they are distracted given this weeks headlines. Dear me.
Placepunter
Roar Rookie
He does seem very blinkered in his approach. Borrow money from whoever will lend it, get the game on as soon as possible with whatever deal can be done. The issues are many and varied but essentially all boil down to desperation. What are the terms under which the money was borrowed? How much money is the game getting from this deal for this year? What are the terms of the deal moving forward? Has he sold the digital right and if so why and at what price? He seems like a one trick pony. Bully and bluster which can only work in degrees and not all the time. It's always a short term fix and not a long term solution.
Redb
Roar Guru
Watch out Spruce Moose, they don't like their views challenged. much like Vlandy's lol
Paul
Roar Guru
It's early days in the reign of V'landys but two things spring to mind. He really did throw Abdo under the bus over the handling of the player punishments, which must make anyone contemplating the NRL CEO position rethink whether they would be interested in the job? Leadership solidarity at the top levels, including trust & confidence in working relationships has to be a key part of any management role and it already seems V'landys has a different take on this aspect than most. The other issue is whether V'landy's is something of a Churchill type leader, great in war time when things are seriously tough, but not so much in peace time when steady hands are needed, rather than someone great at crisis management? It'll be interesting to see how he goes over the next 12 months, once everything starts to settle
Hoolifan
Guest
Sooner or later V'Landys will get the sack. These sort of crash or crash through characters always come unstuck. I fear the damage that will be caused on traditional clubs that will get mowed down on the way to where this lunatic is taking the competition. It is simply not the time for a wrecker now.
Dave WA
Guest
Greenberg was a dead man walking after Nine and News started their attack which seemed to start last year if not 2018. I always assumed it was about the digital platform being a threat to their $$s though falling advertising means they are under stress so it was not just being self-centred b++stards . I like the old saying that failure is an orphan whilst success has many parents. The commission, QRL, ARL, NSWRL and club chairs have all been active in leagues development over the last 5 years, but we now are meant to accept that it was mostly Greenberg's fault and V'Landy is the only competemt in the room? If Corona had not happened and the comp was under way I think Greenberg would still be there but still under pressure from the media experts (and V'Landy who does seem to play well with others). The new normal will be much less money for players, clubs and the admin. I just hope league keeps control of its digital future as that will be the long term income stream. I would prefer them to join with ESPN or Comcast as they would be much more professional than the hacks at Nine and News Corp.
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
Joe, I disagree with the overall premise/theme of the article. I think if you asked the average NRL supporter 2 simple questions you'd get a better summation. Q1. Would you buy a used car from Peter V'landys? Q2. Would you hire him to turn your struggling (used car) business around? The way I see it, he's the face/voice of the NRL at the moment, and the NRL is doing an extraordinary job. He's no doubt playing a big part in that, so he's the right person for this role in the current circumstances, and may well prove to be the right person going forward full stop, but for right now, if the media, the public, the fans, the punters etc think he's "king dingaling", and we get the NRL up and running as per the plan, then king dingaling he is. Compare the NRL to the AFL.
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
Agreed, and I think you'd like this article, if you haven't read it already. https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/mark-levy-column-peter-vlandys-victoria-sooking-afl-gillon-mclachlan/803e9110-2fd6-44a2-a846-58b4271d4ed8
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
Crawford was on $800,000 a year ….and will probably get a pay out because they sacked him. So if he was the CFO how much was Greenberg getting as the CEO……you have to be kidding me, it is not as though it’s Woolworths which turns over $5.9 billion p.a
Pickett
Roar Rookie
I saw Vlanys and the VFL bloke both being interviewed on the weekend. Vlandys was in his suit and tie ready to rumble. The VFL bloke looked like he just got out of bed and was ready to mumble. And he was mumbling.
TIGER
Roar Rookie
Always enjoy comments from the 'Roar' guys. An Interesting crosssection of opinions and some very intelligent thoughts. Love that about this site. As to the article, I would have to say that PV has shown more initiative than his predecessors, not that there was much to 'beattie'. As to A/CEO Abdo, he was in a no win situation dishing out punishment for stupidity, or was it arrogance. Smart move by PV to pass the buck, deliberate or not. Anyway Abdo is shortlisted for the job so he probably didn't want to rock the boat too much. It's a honeymoon period for PV so let's get it started and see how he handles the rest.
Big Daddy
Guest
Ten green bottles standing on the wall. Who's next. ?????
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Great response mate. I think our friend does not wish the game well. I wonder why?
Placepunter
Roar Rookie
Jimmmy, touche. We can agree to disagree and have good debate. Some of PV's doings has shown a lot of short term vision. The implementing of race fields tax whilst allowing bookmakers to plagiarise the tote product was shoddy and has cancerised the tote product. The Everest was/is all about one-upmanship. It's headlines for a while but only really helps the breeders and not the battlers. It propagates inflation at the top end of prize money whilst eroding everything else. Once again short term thinking. trying to "buy" goodwill and long established traditions doesn't work. A restart for the NRL when they're bleeding cash is vital as it is with any and every business. Are the NRL getting the best deal they can or are they desperate for a deal, any deal. I'd hate to be the NRL CEO because there's not enough money in any contract that would pay enough for the sore neck you'd get from looking around and behind you to see where PV was.