The great one returns!

FORMER prime minister John Howard has been secretly approached by rugby league officials to become the game's most powerful figure.

As part of a radical blueprint to overhaul the current structure of the game, Mr Howard has been asked to be inaugural chairman of an independent commission to run the NRL.

The Courier-Mail can reveal that Mr Howard, 70, was sounded out recently by Gold Coast Titans boss Michael Searle, who is leading an NRL club committee to establish the commission with eight directors.

Mr Howard, a league supporter and St George-Illawarra fanatic, is currently in the US.

A spokesman told The Courier-Mail last night: "Mr Howard has no comment to make other than to say that he has always been interested in rugby league and has the best interests of the game at heart."

It is understood Mr Searle is pushing for the former prime minister because he is seen as a distinguished, statesman-like figure with no ties to any faction.

It is believed the push for Mr Howard will meet with some opposition because some influential figures believe the retired PM may be too old for the role.

Mr Howard would be the only appointee to the board.

The other directors would be from nominations who would go through an election process among club and state delegates.

Mr Howard has a strong knowledge of league and is not allied with either co-owners News Ltd (publisher of The Courier-Mail) or the Australian Rugby League, neither of which would be represented on the commission.

The commission is being mooted to resolve the game's complicated ownership issues and the fractious set-up between the NRL, the ARL, the NSWRL, the Country Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League.

It is proposed all would merge and operate under the Howard-led independent commission, identical to the AFL's senior management structure.

Many senior figures at club level believe the game's development has been stymied by its unwieldy structure and "blazer brigade" culture created by too many controlling bodies.

Now, with the game at the crossroads ahead of crucial upcoming TV rights negotiations and ambitious expansion plans into the Central Coast and southeast Queensland, they want a commission to unify the code.

NRL chief executive David Gallop last night lent his support to approaching Mr Howard.

"I was made aware of it in some discussions I had recently," he said. "I'll just say this: to have someone of his high profile and passion involved in the game would be handy."

How will sides cope when they aren't allowed to use any left wingers?

Just when you thought we were rid of the qunt for good.

G.Wood wrote:How will sides cope when they aren't allowed to use any left wingers?

Wait till he smashes that players union!!!

Bradman wrote:Just when you thought we were rid of the qunt for good.

Nice.

What have I ever done to you?

Maybe once he's got use to Chariman of the NRL, he'll takeup "Chairman of Australia" and rid us of those lefty-pinkos.

bodyline wrote:Maybe once he's got use to Chariman of the NRL, he'll takeup "Chairman of Australia" and rid us of those lefty-pinkos.

You can only hope BL. Qunt he might be but I think he's the only one capable of leading an opposition party in this country at any level.

Bradman wrote:

bodyline wrote:Maybe once he's got use to Chariman of the NRL, he'll takeup "Chairman of Australia" and rid us of those lefty-pinkos.

You can only hope BL. Qunt he might be but I think he's the only one capable of leading an opposition party in this country at any level.

Don't like the idea of Joe Hockey????

Don't particularly like the idea of any Liberal. And as the opposition is likely to be in opposition for about ten years Joe will be dead of a heart attack.

Bradman wrote:Don't particularly like the idea of any Liberal. And as the opposition is likely to be in opposition for about ten years Joe will be dead of a heart attack.

10 years of the Nerd! FFS I'm moving to Hutt!

FFS!

The rightest of rightwing Prime Ministers detemining the future of the bluest of blue collar football codes.

WTF thought this was a good idea.

....Mr Howard, a league supporter and St George-Illawarra fanatic....

JGK wrote:FFS!

The rightest of rightwing Prime Ministers detemining the future of the bluest of blue collar football codes.

WTF thought this was a good idea.

Maybe he's trying to get some street cred for a run at safe Labor seat. Because that's about the only way any Lib will get anywhere near the Lodge.

Bradman wrote:

JGK wrote:FFS!

The rightest of rightwing Prime Ministers detemining the future of the bluest of blue collar football codes.

WTF thought this was a good idea.

Maybe he's trying to get some street cred for a run at safe Labor seat. Because that's about the only way any Lib will get anywhere near the Lodge.

Let's see how big balls krudd has - tell him to go before the NSW government!!! Krudd is going down!!!!!! Along with that leso loser greenhouse liar. The onlything carbon neutral is between her legs - coz she's never going to get some woody!

bodyline wrote:....Mr Howard, a league supporter and St George-Illawarra fanatic....

Aye. Come on, JGK, even you've gotta cut the great man some slack on those grounds alone.

Well he's gotta go before the budget so we'll just let Wilson Tuckey play up and have ourselves a nice little trigger.

A touch homophobic aren't you?

I presume you are on dial-up and responding to bl, qmy?

And I have to agree with bl's general sentiments on Penny Wong. What a farkin waste of space.

bodyline wrote:Let's see how big balls krudd has - tell him to go before the NSW government!!! Krudd is going down!!!!!! Along with that leso loser greenhouse liar. The onlything carbon neutral is between her legs - coz she's never going to get some woody!

mmm kruddy and the thing between P.Wong's legs - now there are 2 useless qunts

I think I'm on broadband.

Bradman wrote:
A touch homophobic aren't you?

Nah - but she really pi$$e$ me off.

The NRL really does need someone like Howard to sort things out. Whether he's the right man for the job or not I don't know.

He wouldn't be the first PM to get involved in League.

Billy Hughes attended the founding meetings of Glebe RLFC and was elected club patron.

The first Labor PM, Chris Watson, helped set up South Sydney and was the club's first patron.

Artie Fadden helped form the North Queensland Rugby League, becoming its first League Secretary.

Herb "Doc" Evatt fell one seat short of becoming Prime Minister, but he was patron of the NSW Rugby League for some time.

skully wrote:

bodyline wrote:....Mr Howard, a league supporter and St George-Illawarra fanatic....

Aye. Come on, JGK, even you've gotta cut the great man some slack on those grounds alone.

That, and his love of cricket, are the only things that separate him from the likes of George W Bush.

...The NRL really does need someone like Howard to sort things out...


Fark the NRL - his nation needs him!

Why does the NRL really need anybody at the moment - the on field product has been outstanding for a while.

And having a "Commission" hasn't stopped a whole stack of AFL footballers continuing to be qunts off the field.