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https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...a/news-story/f3959c1ad8cdd0edab0a021826200c7e
The boardroom powerplay at Canterbury has spilled over to the ARL Commission, with Bulldogs chair Lynne Anderson forced to deny claims she and fellow directors used constitutional reform as part of a personal vendetta against club great and NSW Rugby League chair George Peponis.
Peponis, who is also chair of the Canterbury Leagues Club, was expected to join the commission as part of the reform process, which would have resulted in the Queensland and NSW rugby leagues each being given a place on a 10-person body.
After the initial plan was rejected by three clubs — Canterbury, Gold Coast and Melbourne — a compromise deal was put forward that would have seen Peponis and his Queensland counterpart Bruce Hatcher joining the commission on the proviso they stood down from their roles as state chairs.
But both state bodies yesterday rejected the compromise deal, insisting that they and the clubs had reached an agreement last year which a trio of clubs had now backflipped on.
Against that backdrop, drama in the corridors at Canterbury flared again. Anderson, who recently ousted Ray Dib as chair of the football club following an acrimonious election process, was the subject of rumours that she had contacted Peponis — a staunch ally of Dib — at the weekend with a compromise deal of her own aimed at removing him from the Canterbury Leagues Club board.
Anderson confirmed she had spoken to Peponis on Sunday but denied suggestions she had told the former club captain that the Bulldogs would clear the way for him to join the commission if he stood down from his role at the leagues club.
“We had a board meeting on Saturday of the Canterbury Football Club, so it was done before I even talked to George,” Anderson said.
“Basically, I was ringing him because one of the proposed amendments was around the NSW Rugby League and the QRL having to not be given the 18-month transition period.
“I wanted to know where the NSW Rugby League sat on that. He told me he wasn’t going to be rushed into a decision because the NSW Rugby League is opening a Centre of Excellence towards the end of the year and he wanted to see that through. ”
Told that Anderson had denied using the commission as leverage to remove him from the leagues club board, Peponis replied: “It happened.”
The jousting behind the scenes at Canterbury comes as the club prepares to open its season against Melbourne in Perth on Saturday night, the beginning of a new era under coach Dean Pay.
Anderson, who has endured a difficult week after attending the funeral of her brother-in-law Steve Folkes, will be overseas in her capacity as CEO of the Australian Paralympic Committee.
The leagues club elections are due to be conducted in a fortnight, but those wishing to stand for election had until last night to nominate. Peponis has nominated and is expected to retain his place on the board, although the football club will hold the balance of power as it is given four of the seven positions. It means Peponis is unlikely to remain chair after the leagues club elections on March 21.
It also leaves Peponis in a difficult position as he finds himself in the minority but determined to remain as a director while the leagues club undergoes a multimillion-dollar refurbishment, of which he has been the driving force.
Gary McIntyre, boss of the Bulldogs during the 2002 salary cap scandal, is among those standing for the leagues club board.
McIntyre was forced to stand down following the widespread roring of the cap, which led to the Bulldogs being fined $1 million and docked 37 premiership points.
Peponis was largely responsible for cleaning up the mess that McIntyre left behind, yet he now finds his position under threat as McIntyre makes his latest attempt to reignite his association with the Bulldogs.
The boardroom powerplay at Canterbury has spilled over to the ARL Commission, with Bulldogs chair Lynne Anderson forced to deny claims she and fellow directors used constitutional reform as part of a personal vendetta against club great and NSW Rugby League chair George Peponis.
Peponis, who is also chair of the Canterbury Leagues Club, was expected to join the commission as part of the reform process, which would have resulted in the Queensland and NSW rugby leagues each being given a place on a 10-person body.
After the initial plan was rejected by three clubs — Canterbury, Gold Coast and Melbourne — a compromise deal was put forward that would have seen Peponis and his Queensland counterpart Bruce Hatcher joining the commission on the proviso they stood down from their roles as state chairs.
But both state bodies yesterday rejected the compromise deal, insisting that they and the clubs had reached an agreement last year which a trio of clubs had now backflipped on.
Against that backdrop, drama in the corridors at Canterbury flared again. Anderson, who recently ousted Ray Dib as chair of the football club following an acrimonious election process, was the subject of rumours that she had contacted Peponis — a staunch ally of Dib — at the weekend with a compromise deal of her own aimed at removing him from the Canterbury Leagues Club board.
Anderson confirmed she had spoken to Peponis on Sunday but denied suggestions she had told the former club captain that the Bulldogs would clear the way for him to join the commission if he stood down from his role at the leagues club.
“We had a board meeting on Saturday of the Canterbury Football Club, so it was done before I even talked to George,” Anderson said.
“Basically, I was ringing him because one of the proposed amendments was around the NSW Rugby League and the QRL having to not be given the 18-month transition period.
“I wanted to know where the NSW Rugby League sat on that. He told me he wasn’t going to be rushed into a decision because the NSW Rugby League is opening a Centre of Excellence towards the end of the year and he wanted to see that through. ”
Told that Anderson had denied using the commission as leverage to remove him from the leagues club board, Peponis replied: “It happened.”
The jousting behind the scenes at Canterbury comes as the club prepares to open its season against Melbourne in Perth on Saturday night, the beginning of a new era under coach Dean Pay.
Anderson, who has endured a difficult week after attending the funeral of her brother-in-law Steve Folkes, will be overseas in her capacity as CEO of the Australian Paralympic Committee.
The leagues club elections are due to be conducted in a fortnight, but those wishing to stand for election had until last night to nominate. Peponis has nominated and is expected to retain his place on the board, although the football club will hold the balance of power as it is given four of the seven positions. It means Peponis is unlikely to remain chair after the leagues club elections on March 21.
It also leaves Peponis in a difficult position as he finds himself in the minority but determined to remain as a director while the leagues club undergoes a multimillion-dollar refurbishment, of which he has been the driving force.
Gary McIntyre, boss of the Bulldogs during the 2002 salary cap scandal, is among those standing for the leagues club board.
McIntyre was forced to stand down following the widespread roring of the cap, which led to the Bulldogs being fined $1 million and docked 37 premiership points.
Peponis was largely responsible for cleaning up the mess that McIntyre left behind, yet he now finds his position under threat as McIntyre makes his latest attempt to reignite his association with the Bulldogs.
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