An announcement on a new rugby league CEO "is set to be delayed" if Australian Football League COO Gill McLachlan knocks back the job, according to Brad Walter of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The Australian Rugby League Commission will discuss the appointment Tuesday, but ARLC Chair John Grant is understood to have told Monday's National Rugby League Coucil meeting that unless the commissioners got their No. 1 target they would leave interim CEO Shane Mattiske "in the job." Grant did not name McLachlan, but sources have said that "he is the first choice for the job and was flown to Sydney two weeks ago for an interview." It is believed that the eight commissioners "are keen to appoint someone from outside the game but who has experience in sport administration." McLachlan's role as Chair of the AFL's investment committee would also "ensure he meets the criteria of having a business background." However, rumors are that "he has gone cold on the job" unless the ARLC match his reported $1.3M salary plus bonuses for being Andrew Demetriou's No. 2 at the AFL. Meanwhile, since David Gallop's departure in June, Mattiske "has impressed key figures in the game" in his interim role. On Tuesday, he was appointed "to a powerful sub-committee to develop a funding model for the entire game" (SMH, 8/28).
