George’s efforts deserve to be commended
There isn’t a Halberg award for sports administrator of the year, but if there was Cameron George would it win hands down for 2020.
The Warriors CEO has been able to walk a fine line while masterminding the team’s inclusion in the NRL competition, which will resume later this month.
George has had to deal with New Zealand, Australian and New South Wales governments, an unhelpful former NRL CEO Todd Greenberg, Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter
V’landys, the
Rugby League
Players
Association, his Warriors players and their families.
He’s juggled all of these balls in the air and done so without stepping out of line, saying something dumb or putting the club’s future in danger.
George’s No 1 priority through all of this was to protect the welfare of his players, which is why he’s made ensuring families are looked after a non-negotiable and hopes that they can soon be reunited in Australia.
During negotiations, he’s held a good bargaining chip, in that the NRL desperately needed the Warriors in the competition.
Without them, the NRL wouldn’t be able to deliver eight games each weekend, which would further impact the amount of broadcasting money the organisation would be able to get from Nine and Fox.
The NRL needed the Warriors as much as the Warriors needed to play.
Some are critical about George that he puts himself out there too much in the media. But it could also be said that he’s letting the club’s members and supporters know what’s going on. He doesn’t hide away and keep fans in the dark, like other CEOs of sporting organisations do.
Now the Warriors have become the darlings of the Australian media. There were 31 people tuned in to Stephen Kearney’s zoom media conference on Monday.
Not since the Warriors made the grand final in 2011 would there have been that many Australian journalists showing an interest in the club.
But George has been able to keep the players on side and credit must be given to the players’ leadership group for helping to make this happen.
On Monday New Zealand deputy prime minister Winston Peters hailed the Warriors as trail blazers for the trans-Tasman bubble.
The club didn’t intend to be that, but that’s exactly what they are. They have created the model on how the two countries can open up border restrictions between each other.
Others will follow what the Warriors have done, and they should be praised for what they’ve been able to achieve. Not only for keeping this season’s NRL competition alive, but for doing it with dignity and sticking to their principles.
Of course, the job’s not done and next comes the equally tricky part of trying to win games. That’s over to Stephen Kearney and the players, but George has put in place everything he could to help the team be successful.