Canterbury Bulldogs' boardroom split so deep the factions watch games in separate suites
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- December 16, 2013
NRL's 2013 headline moments 4:56
It was another year of high drama for the NRL, with the ASADA scandal and the off-field woes of Ben Barba and Blake Ferguson headlining a dramatic year for the code.
Club great Steve Mortimer is running at upcoming elections. Source: News Limited
THE split in Canterbury's board is so deep the two factions sat in different private suites at ANZ Stadium home games this year.
The Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed a serious boardroom divide, with chairman Ray Dib and long-serving director Arthur Coorey in an opposite camp to deputy chairman Paul Dunn and director Andrew Farrar. Tension between the two political cliques has been festering for months.
Dib and Dunn don't talk.
It is understood Dib and Coorey watch home games from the Chairman's Lounge at ANZ Stadium, while Dunn and Farrar sit in a nearby private box hired by Canterbury Leagues Club. Football club director Phil Charlton and his brother, Leagues Club director Tony Charlton, are often seen with Dunn and Farrar at games.
The football club elections in February may end the drama, but insiders believe that will only happen if one group walks away, which is an unlikely scenario.
The plot and players in this boardroom spat are intriguing and complex.
Dib has convinced club legend Steve Mortimer to run at the elections, the ex-Bulldogs and Test halfback a loyal supporter of Coorey and Dib.
In fact, Mortimer, Coorey, Dib and Canterbury Leagues Club chairman George Peponis recently travelled to England together to watch some matches of the World Cup.
Peponis is also NSWRL chairman, Dib a NSWRL board member.
Dib and Dunn, once close friends, barely consult one-another now. The friendship has slowly deteriorated in recent years.
Dunn actually used to work with Dib in the finance sector.
There is little doubt Dib needs the support of Coorey and his brother George, both long-time influential figures at Belmore.
Arthur is a football club director and also deputy chairman of Canterbury Leagues Club. George is a Leagues Club director, as is Mortimer.
Well-placed sources say the Coorey brothers and Dib have strong support among the club's hard-core members.
Dunn and Farrar though, as former champion players, also carry plenty of weight.
Asked about the fall-out with Dib, Dunn said yesterday: "Go and talk to Ray.''
Pressed for any further comment, Dunn said: "Not at this stage.''
Dib played down any issues, saying: "I have never had a fall-out with Paul. Maybe we think differently. You don't want seven directors thinking the same.
"I hold him in high regard. It is disappointing what I have heard.''
About 900 members will vote at the football club elections, with the Leagues Club elections to be held in March.
Some influential Bulldogs members are planning to meet soon to discuss the problems.
Another former player and life member, Mitch Newton, will also run. He will be aligned to Dunn.
There are concerns among the powerbrokers that coach Des Hasler may become irritated at the board issues.
Hasler was sacked at Manly after a bitter and prolonged political bout between then co-owners, the Penn family and Max Delmege.
The Penn family survived at Brookvale, Delmege has long gone.
