A dozen club "powerbrokers" have been invited to a meeting at which they will be told the National Rugby League's "much-vaunted" A$50M ($40M) surplus for the financial year "has been overstated" by about A$30M ($24M), according to Adrian Proszenko of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Representatives of 12 of the 16 clubs "will gather in Sydney on Thursday to discuss the performance of head office." Four chairs -- Wests Tigers, Newcastle, St. George Illawarra and Gold Coast -- were not extended an invitation because they "are viewed as being beholden to the governing body because they have been given emergency funding or have independent directors appointed by the NRL on their boards." A leading accounting firm "has been engaged to look over ASIC documents" in relation to the NRL's financial position amid claims the trumpeted A$50M figure was not as impressive when exposed to greater scrutiny. While the financial performance of the game "is a concern for some clubs, other grievances will also be aired." Other issues to be discussed "include crowd numbers, a rise in executive salaries at head office and the impact of the government's stadiums strategy" (SMH, 5/21). In Sydney, Brent Read wrote the NRL "is poised to ramp up its testing regime for illicit drugs during the State of Origin period." Only a week after news emerged of two players attempting to switch urine samples at Parramatta, drug-testing officials "are set to swoop on NRL clubs in increased numbers during Origin time" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 5/21).
