Blood in the boardroom: The battles behind Daley's second coming
The smile on NSWRL boss Dave Trodden’s face as he prepared to announce the return of Laurie Daley as NSW coach on Monday said it all. He’d won.
Seven years and three months ago, the NSWRL board had voted against Trodden’s proposal to reappoint Daley. On Monday, Trodden enjoyed the last laugh as he announced the return of his trusted ally at the helm of the NSW Origin side.
A lot has happened at the NSWRL since Daley last walked through the door, including the door itself, now leading to a swanky new centre of excellence at Sydney Olympic Park.
But that change pales into insignificance compared to the blood spilt on the boardroom floor since Daley’s first tenure ended in a series of director changes that cleared the way for his second coming.
It was at a board meeting in August 2017 – a couple of months after the Blues had just lost their third consecutive series to Queensland in what was Daley’s fifth series in charge – that Trodden presented the findings of an internal review.
Trodden ended the presentation with a recommendation that Daley’s tenure be extended by another year. He believed that Daley, who had helped break Queensland’s eight-year Origin stranglehold in 2014, deserved another chance despite the recent 2-1 series defeat, especially given the strength of the all-conquering opposition and the future Immortals the Maroons had at their disposal.
Laurie Daley is back as NSW coach.Credit: Louie Douvis / Sydney Morning Herald
Trodden’s recommendation was originally backed by the NSWRL directors, with only then-Canterbury chairman Ray Dib’s support needed for Daley to be reappointed.
Dib, however, disagreed with the CEO’s position and referred back to a previous board undertaking to move on from the coach if he couldn’t lead the team to a series victory in 2017.
Dib questioned the team culture under Daley and asked why the board had not been told of allegations that the hotel room of Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson had been damaged after a boozy night in the lead-up to Origin II that year.
Dib also raised an incident in Lennox Head during Blues camp ahead of Origin III in the same campaign when Dugan and Ferguson spent their day off drinking five days out from the series decider. He threatened to quit the NSWRL board if Daley was given a new deal.
Laurie Daley during NSW coaching and playing days.Credit: Aresna Villanueva
Dib’s concerns resonated with fellow director and Roosters supremo Nick Politis, who changed his mind about backing Trodden’s recommendation, which, to the frustration of several directors, had already been published in an article by News Corp senior sports reporter Phil Rothfield on the eve of the meeting.
A number of other directors followed suit and Daley’s cards were marked.
When the NSWRL amalgamated with the Country Rugby League in 2019, Dib and his fellow NSWRL board member Geoff Gerard were pitted against each other in a members’ vote as part of the rationalisation of the two boards.
Dib lost in a result that infuriated Politis and NSWRL chairman Dr George Peponis, who both had strong connections to him.
Dave Trodden and his QRL counterpart Ben Ikin.Credit: Nick Moir/SMH
A few years later, Politis and Peponis resigned over a board-candidacy row relating to Cronulla chief executive Dino Mezzatesta, who withdrew his bid to run for the board over an alleged conflict of interest.
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys and the ARLC got involved, saying they wanted to investigate whether proper corporate governance had been followed. In the fallout, the ARLC threatened to strip the NSWRL of its $1.77 million monthly funding and to take control of the Blues Origin team.
The Supreme Court subsequently found that while the NSWRL had acted improperly in not holding a fresh election to allow Mezzatesta to stand, there were not sufficient grounds for the NRL to terminate its agreement with the state body.
NSWRL boss Dave Trodden with Tariq Sims in 2021.Credit: NRL Photos
After more than seven years of fighting, Trodden now has the strong support of his board, particularly the Country Rugby League constituents, who had for years baulked at the idea of an amalgamation because they had wanted one of their own people – and not Trodden – to be the chief executive of the merged entity.
And he has also finally got Daley reappointed as Blues coach. Fittingly, it was Trodden who announced Daley’s return, securing with it the stunning coup of Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy being appointed as his offsider to oversee selections and strategy.
At the start of the process of finding Maguire’s successor, the NSWRL board came up with a list of criteria. They didn’t want someone involved with an NRL club. They didn’t want anyone with a significant role in the media to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
A subcommittee of the NSWRL board, consisting of Roosters CEO Joe Kelly and fellow director Carolyn Campbell, came up with the two names.
Daley was one of two men interviewed for the job – the other being Sydney Roosters assistant coach Matt King, who was also part of Maguire’s series-winning staff this year.
King put forward a proposal to work with former Blues captain Boyd Cordner and Penrith assistant coach Peter Wallace.
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Wallace had previously worn the jersey and has a strong affiliation with Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards, Isaah Yeo and many current and former Panthers.
King had the blessing of Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who was already beginning to make contingency plans if King was to get the job.
King, who played under Bellamy and has a strong bond with the veteran coach, didn’t make a formal pitch to involve him in his plans.
While Daley’s appointment wasn’t conditional on Bellamy’s involvement, the Storm coach agreeing to consult alongside Daley made his proposal irresistible.
The board unanimously voted in Daley’s favour. Daley was at home on the lounge watching golf on Sunday afternoon when Trodden’s name popped up on his phone. It might have been seven years late, but it was welcome news – Daley had been reappointed as Blues coach.
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