Lowe and Scurrah assist bid
Former Kiwis coach Graham Lowe and former Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah are assisting the Auckland Rugby League in their bid to buy the NRL franchise.
ARL chairman Cameron McGregor confirmed the pair were involved in their planned purchase of the NRL club and would likely contribute to a wide-ranging review of the organisation if their bid is successful.
“They’ve certainly been helping us, that’s for sure,” McGregor said.
“We would like to use their expertise if we could, but nothing has been discussed around those things yet to anyone’s satisfaction and who knows what their roles might be.”
The ARL last week submitted their proposal to Warriors owner Eric Watson’s representatives and are understood to have made a cash offer of $20 million, but are still working through details.
The rival Tongan-US consortium headed by CEO and Hawaiian politician Richard Fale are yet to finalise a deal and meet Watson’s reported asking price of $24 million despite weeks of negotiations.
Warriors fans hope any new buyer would bring a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude and judging by the club’s recent progress, it is difficult to pinpoint any areas where changes are needed in either the management or football departments.
Fale has said he would like to minimise disruption and would allow coach Stephen Kearney and CEO Cameron George at least three years to prove their worth, while the retention of chairman and former managing director Jim Doyle in an advisory role for at least 18 months is also a condition of their purchase plan.
McGregor also insists Kearney and George will remain safe under the ARL’s ownership, at least in the shortterm. Doyle has informed the ARL that he will stand down from his post if they gain control.
“Anyone would be a fool to come in and make too many changes to a winning team,” McGregor said.
“We’ve got full confidence in Cameron George and Stephen.
“None of that has been discussed and you wouldn’t want to upset the apple cart by making changes to something that seems to be working right at the moment.”
However, McGregor admits Scurrah could head a review of the club’s structure and the Herald on Sunday understands Lowe could fill a role similar to general manager of football, Brian Smith’s position.
Scurrah served as CEO of the club for nine years (2005-14), and Lowe was a part-owner during the ill-fated Tainui era (1999-2000).
“That’s the sort of area we could bring in Wayne and get him to help with a plan going forward, but that’s only something any good business owner would do in taking over a business,” said McGregor.
“[Lowe] has got a tremendous amount of experience, particularly around the football side, so again it would be a matter of having a good look at it all and coming up with a plan.
“But certainly there is some resource there and we’re not so naive as to believe that we have all of the knowledge, skills and experience to make these decisions without seeking wide views from people.”