The richest TV rights deal in Australian free-to-air history may be National Rugby League CEO Dave Smith's "crowning glory but it will not be his final act as chief executive," according to Michael Carayannis of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Once he puts the "finishing touches on the pay-TV element of the broadcast agreement," his focus will shift to "completing the game's stadia policy and securing the funds to leave a legacy for the NRL Foundation." Smith played down speculation he would walk away from the game once he secured the broadcast deal. He said, "This is three years into taking advantage of a massive opportunity we have as a game. ... There are a number of big components you need to put in place. Stadiums is one, making the game financially strong. By the way, I think we're in a much, much better shape than we have ever been." Smith "also wants to turn each club into viable entities." He wants
to build on the int'l game which will now be played in a
dedicated window after the NRL season. Smith: "We're well down the track of making the clubs more prosperous. Frankly,
I don't want the clubs to be worried about whether it rains on a
Saturday, and whether their crowd is going to be 10,000 less and the
impact that has on their day-to-day P and L [profit and loss statement]" (SMH, 8/10). In Sydney, Stuart Honeysett reported Smith's to do list includes the "ongoing development of a stadium
strategy," which in part will hinge on an "impending decision from the NSW
government" on where it will spend an anticipated A$650M ($482M) in
funding. The options include a "bigger and better stadium and precinct to replace Allianz Stadium at Moore Park," a roof over ANZ
Stadium in Homebush and a redeveloped stadium in western Sydney for
either Parramatta or Penrith (THE AUSTRALIAN, 8/11).
