Rugby Australia poach first NRL talent ... from head office

[pt73]

It's the CFO and Salary Cap Auditor.

Big celebrations at the Roosters today .........

Rugby Australia poach first NRL talent ... from head office

When Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan baited league fans last month with a threat to raid the NRL for its best talent, no one saw this twist coming.

www.smh.com.au

When Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan went fishing last month with a threat to raid rugby league for its best talent, no one saw this twist coming.

RA have poached the NRL’s chief financial officer and salary cap auditor, and the right-hand man of its CEO, Andrew Abdo, Richard Gardham.

Gardham will replace chief operating officer Adam Foulsham, who was McLennan’s man brought in to gut the business to save it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Save it he did, and with a Lions tour and two World Cups on the horizon, Foulsham decided it was job done, paving the way for RA to land the game’s first major scalp.

From Deloitte originally, Gardham joined the NRL in 2014, eventually assuming responsibility for the salary cap auditing and retaining that in his portfolio when he was made CFO in 2020.

It’s an intriguing bit of recruitment in light of McLennan’s aggressive rhetoric around poaching NRL players who grew up with rugby. At the very least, they’ll know exactly how much they’ll have to pay.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Had to laugh yesterday about the threat to leave Super Rugby and set up their own NRL style competition domestically. Nobody would go and watch it and they’d lose a huge amount of TV revenue

 

[pt73]

Had to laugh yesterday about the threat to leave Super Rugby and set up their own NRL style competition domestically. Nobody would go and watch it and they’d lose a huge amount of TV revenue

Yes, I heard an interview with Tim Horan who said it was a fight over the TV rights payments and Rugby Australia reckoned they were being short changed by the Kiwis.

An article on Fox Sports said "NZR is being paid $91m by broadcast partners Sky, which dwarfs the $29m figure RA is receiving a year."

 

[Rosko]

There is talent at NRL head office?? Who knew!

 

[MissKate]

Not sure if this is a great win for RA, if he has been in charge of the nrl salary cap management as it is a total joke

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Yes, I heard an interview with Tim Horan who said it was a fight over the TV rights payments and Rugby Australia reckoned they were being short changed by the Kiwis.

An article on Fox Sports said "NZR is being paid $91m by broadcast partners Sky, which dwarfs the $29m figure RA is receiving a year."

Not sure how it all works but I’d have thought each country would sort their own TV deal ?

Figures wouldn’t surprise me as over here it is the prime sport, in Australia it’s 3rd tier

 

[pt73]

Not sure how it all works but I’d have thought each country would sort their own TV deal ?

Figures wouldn’t surprise me as over here it is the prime sport, in Australia it’s 3rd tier

Agreed, the idea that they'll setup an Aussie only competition is a joke.

 

[John Nicholson]

Whilst on Rugby, I noticed the list of Wallaby selections the other day, which included TOM WRIGHT.

I didn't know, but he has 10 Aus appearancesto his name already!

 

[Brookie Bob]

Richard Gardham?

He's an accountant. He's not the messiah. He's probably...............boring.

 

[pt73]

Richard Gardham?

He's an accountant. He's not the messiah. He's probably...............boring.

Or a very naughty boy.

 

[ricardo]

Whilst on Rugby, I noticed the list of Wallaby selections the other day, which included TOM WRIGHT.

I didn't know, but he has 10 Aus appearancesto his name already!

I watch a fair bit of rugby and Tom Wright has gone ok in rugby. Not quite a world beater like Korobeite but he is in the mix.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

It's the CFO and Salary Cap Auditor.

Big celebrations at the Roosters today .........

Rugby Australia poach first NRL talent ... from head office

When Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan baited league fans last month with a threat to raid the NRL for its best talent, no one saw this twist coming.

www.smh.com.au

When Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan went fishing last month with a threat to raid rugby league for its best talent, no one saw this twist coming.

RA have poached the NRL’s chief financial officer and salary cap auditor, and the right-hand man of its CEO, Andrew Abdo, Richard Gardham.

Gardham will replace chief operating officer Adam Foulsham, who was McLennan’s man brought in to gut the business to save it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Save it he did, and with a Lions tour and two World Cups on the horizon, Foulsham decided it was job done, paving the way for RA to land the game’s first major scalp.

From Deloitte originally, Gardham joined the NRL in 2014, eventually assuming responsibility for the salary cap auditing and retaining that in his portfolio when he was made CFO in 2020.

It’s an intriguing bit of recruitment in light of McLennan’s aggressive rhetoric around poaching NRL players who grew up with rugby. At the very least, they’ll know exactly how much they’ll have to pay.

Can he take Abdo with him?