NRL should hand keys to the Castle

[Bad Billy]

THE person who could easily run the NRL in Dave Smith’s old job is a woman. And we’re not talking about his chief operating officer Suzanne Young.

One of the best candidates is Canterbury Bulldogs chief executive Raelene Castle.

Castle was once sounded out to become chief executive of the All Blacks, the organisation with the strongest sporting brand in the southern hemisphere.

She knocked it back to take over from Todd Greenberg at the Bulldogs two years ago.

Since then the Bulldogs have been commercially one of the top-performing clubs in the NRL and in a much healthier position than when Greenberg was there.

In a male-dominated game, the appointment of a female could put lots of egos out of place.

But who cares? Castle’s credentials are as good as anyone else.

She is a strong and tenacious leader who has worked alongside some tricky characters including Bulldogs coach Des Hasler and high-profile Bulldogs directors.

The independent commission obviously feels big shots Shane Richardson and Greenberg are not up for it. Otherwise one of them would have been installed as an* *acting CEO.

Richardson has been *almost invisible for 12 months while, as head of football, Greenberg has presided over a number of administrative blunders.

Yet both are on $700,000-a-year deals.

Outside of Castle, Panthers chief executive Warren *Wilson has solid support.

So too does Warriors CEO Jim Doyle who did a fantastic job as NRL chief operating officer before returning home to New Zealand.


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They can have her, I reckon.
The way she broke James graham after Black Friday. She'd be perfect for the NRL's "executive" team.

 

[KelpiesHuskies]

it would be nice if the commercially successful bulldogs would transfer onto the field in a grand final win.

 

[Shnissss]

I'd be pretty confident in saying that a end of season review at end of next year and results not going according to the master plan Raelene will be on a flight to NZ so wouldn't at all be surprised if she saw this as an opportunity to step up. I'd be more impressed if she focussed her determination on landing us a premiership before her tenure expires rather than the NRL top job

 

[CrittaMagic69]

Broke james graham? Haha ****ing lol.

 

[Slick]

You realize that even though he didn't do much wrong Graham was marked for suspension because "stamping down on dissent" for all of the five minutes they did it for yeah? It was a very good move to not challenge.

 

[GrogDog]

Although the post doesn't say who wrote it, it's just an opinion. She would probably be more suited now to running the NRL than a footy club. For me I couldn't care less. On one foot it would be good to get someone in (Bulldogs club) who knows about footy and can get stubborn Des to change the footy style we are playing but then again if we did get someone in who threatened his dictatorship than the club will have internal fighting.

 

[c-b-b]

It would be funny if she ended up with the job over Greenberg who thought he was guaranteed to get it by moving to NRL HQ. But it's hard to take these articles seriously - yesterday I read one saying Geoff Toovey would consider the job.

In some ways it wouldn't be a bad thing if she moved on. She has just carried on the Greenberg way of doing things - positive stories to the media, bowing to the NRL etc. I think it's time for some fresh ideas and someone who can challenge Des on things rather than leaving everything to him on the football side.

 

[Bad Billy]

You realize that even though he didn't do much wrong Graham was marked for suspension because "stamping down on dissent" for all of the five minutes they did it for yeah? It was a very good move to not challenge.

It doesn't matter.
Sometimes, when you feel you've been wronged, you have to defend your integrity, no matter the cost.
Graham wanted to tell his side of the story and the club muzzled him.
Now he's broken.

 

[Mr Invisible]

You realize that even though he didn't do much wrong Graham was marked for suspension because "stamping down on dissent" for all of the five minutes they did it for yeah? It was a very good move to not challenge.

Exactly .. the NRL were already holding potential points removal over our heads (which means we would have missed the eight), yet people want us to push the NRL's buttons more.

LOL .. yeah that's not going to end well.

.....

Until Greenberg and Grant are pissed off, nothing will change.

Whoever gets the top job will always be the fall guy for John Grants inability to do anything (even remember the names of bloody clubs in the comp).

He was the intermediate chairman (and is/was a director) of the AIIA (Australian Information Industry Association) who talk big of everything they have done for IT Indutry (reality is STUFF ALL).

I'll be stuffed if I know how he got the NRL gig, given that he is in the IT sector (as a director of Data #3).

In short, until they go nothing will change.

 

[ArnieD]

Glad some of our supporters don't run our club. Emotion would win over common sense.

 

[Bad Billy]

Glad some of our supporters don't run our club. Emotion would win over common sense.

I agree. It's definitely better to make money and not win premierships !

 

[CrittaMagic69]

Although the post doesn't say who wrote it, it's just an opinion. She would probably be more suited now to running the NRL than a footy club. For me I couldn't care less. On one foot it would be good to get someone in (Bulldogs club) who knows about footy and can get stubborn Des to change the footy style we are playing but then again if we did get someone in who threatened his dictatorship than the club will have internal fighting.

That will never work, the coach has to be the boss if a club is going to win a comp. You don't want to have CEO's or directors sticking their nose into stuff that doesn't concern them. You either trust the coach, or you don't and go ahead and find someone else.

Im happy with Castle, i think she has done a great job. Can't believe people are still sooking over her not letting Graham defend himself, their was no defece to what he done. He carried on like a ****ing idiot and should have been punished. He was known for carrying on likenthat in England before he came over to us.

 

[Boxer]

I'm not a fan of castle don't want her in our club hope they take her

 

[Bulldog_NJ]

We are commercially successful because of the fans. The most passionate and parochial in the game. That's 90% of the battle won

 

[Bad Billy]

Im happy with Castle, i think she has done a great job. Can't believe people are still sooking over her not letting Graham defend himself, their was no defece to what he done. He carried on like a ****ing idiot and should have been punished. He was known for carrying on likenthat in England before he came over to us.

I'm not sooking. I couldn't give a shit, it didn't happen to me.
But clearly, that's why graham went off the boil.

 

[Ahecee]

Castle has been fine as CEO, but her job is to make the team commercially successful....... not really the toughest job in the world when it comes to the Bulldogs. She lost me really when she decided to let the team get screwed over in THAT game without the slightest hint of backing the players and allowing them to at least rally together from it - if nothing else, just SOME action may have allowed the team to fall into a siege mentality and play like it was us v the world, instead, we even copped the charge on Lichaa, which had to be one of the dumbest charges in the history of the game.

At this point there are no shortage of people who could be the CEO for us, same can't be said for the NRL, Smith clearly sucked with his biggest achievement being screwing up a media deal, and not a whole lot else. Still think Greenberg would be a better choice though, he was a good CEO for us, move him, then maybe put in a ex-player in his role so if rules really need to be changed its by someone who has a better idea from a players side (and ideally not someone who will change things just to change them to keep their name out there and in the running for the top job, and coming down extra hard on your old employer to make sure nobody thought you where bias as Greenberg has done).

 

[Kaz]

It's definitely better to make money and not win premierships !

You win premierships, you earn make more money, as sponsors want to seen with winners.

 

[Bad Billy]

You win premierships, you earn make more money, as sponsors want to seen with winners.

Sarcasm.

 

[LordSidious66]

That will never work, the coach has to be the boss if a club is going to win a comp. You don't want to have CEO's or directors sticking their nose into stuff that doesn't concern them. You either trust the coach, or you don't and go ahead and find someone else.

Im happy with Castle, i think she has done a great job. Can't believe people are still sooking over her not letting Graham defend himself, their was no defece to what he done. He carried on like a ****ing idiot and should have been punished. He was known for carrying on likenthat in England before he came over to us.

Well even though he carried on like a maniac I couldn't blame him though, our players getting tackled without the ball (bmoz), and players getting tackled in the air, lafai getting scorpion tackled, Jackson getting kneed and the list goes on. We were Lucky thst one of our boys didn't become the next Alex McKinnon.

 

[LordSidious66]

You win premierships, you earn make more money, as sponsors want to seen with winners.

I want a preimership and castle is not helping!!!