THE push for an independent commission exploded in acrimony last night thanks to the stance of the QRL.

The Queensland Rugby League took the extraordinary step of distributing a fact sheet to supporters and volunteers attempting to justify its stance on the game's most pressing issue.

In a move which prompted an angry response from club bosses, the QRL described itself as a "custodian of the game" and claimed it could not walk away and leave rugby league in the hands of the 16 NRL clubs.

South Sydney chief executive Shane Richardson, on the club committee charged with working on the independent commission, accused the QRL of self-interest and ignoring the game's shareholders.

Under the existing proposal, the Australian Rugby League and News Limited (publisher of The Weekend Australian) would hand over control of the game to an independent commission.

The inaugural commissioners would be appointed by the ARL and News Limited. From then on, the clubs would nominate commissioners.

"Clubs would spend more money on development than the QRL would. That's on top of the money we spend on the NRL.

"It's an absolute furphy. There's no way they're custodians of the game. It's rubbish."

The QRL has been widely blamed for standing in the way of an independent commission, a charge it has constantly denied.

However, its opposition to the current proposal is made clear in the three-page document, which was also posted on the QRL website yesterday.

"The ARL has 50 per cent ownership position and we believe it would not be in rugby league's best interests to eventually hand full control to the clubs," the document said.

"In other words, why would the ARL as custodians of the game walk away and place the game's future in the hands of the clubs, a number of which are privately owned?

"The QRL takes its role as the custodian of the game in Queensland seriously, which is why we will not compromise on our commitment to the grass roots of the game, nor are we prepared to gamble with its long-term future."

The latest developments cast serious doubt over the likelihood of the commission being in place before the start of the season, a goal outlined by the clubs last month.

Richardson said the QRL was the only body involved in the game which didn't see the formation of an independent commission as the way forward.

"We're the ones who are losing $30 million," Richardson said.

"We're the ones who are taking all the risks.

"There's no way they can stand there and say they are custodians of the game.

"It's another way of saying they're protecting themselves. They're not protecting the game.

"What we're saying is we want the game independently run. What they're saying is they don't want the game independently run.

"It's a recipe for disaster."

0 Replies, start dicussing now