Peter Beattie's first task as ARL Commission chairman will be to unite the NRL's 16 clubs after Melbourne, Canterbury and Gold Coast pushed back on proposed constitutional reform.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Beattie was elected John Grant's successor at Wednesday's AGM however a vote on the reform that would have increased the commission to 10 with two club-appointed directors was postponed until March 12.
Club chairs spoke for more than 90 minutes before Wednesday's meeting but were unable to reach a resolution given 15 of the 16 NRL clubs - along with the two state bodies - needed to vote in favour for the change to be made.
Instead, it was decided Beattie and NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg would meet with the three clubs to discuss their concerns.
"Todd and I will attend those meetings and talk with all the boards and directors to talk about how the rules would work and to answer any of their concerns," Beattie said.
"When you're making changes to the constitution like this it's not going to be easy. It's a very important step. I'm very happy we're not rushing it."
Under the proposed changes, Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'landys and Sydney lawyer Glen Selikowitz would represent the clubs on the commission.
V'landys was endorsed by all 16 clubs earlier this month, while Selikowitz held a 10-6 majority over former Collingwood AFL boss Gary Pert.
QRL boss Bruce Hatcher and NSWRL counterpart George Peponis will also be added for 18 months to represent their states before becoming independents or are replaced.
It's understood there are fears the changes could hand too much power to influential Sydney franchises, given the NSWRL and some NRL clubs in the city share common figures.
The fact the two state bodies would still have the power to veto further constitutional change is seen as a concern, while the two would also need to be at all commission meets for a quorum to be reached.
New Canterbury chair Lynne Anderson was also keen to take further time to decide the matter and meet with Beattie, given her board is less than two weeks old.
Beattie said he was unsure whether changes would have to be made to the proposed reform to get it across the line but insisted peace would be made under his tenure.
"The days of the commission being at loggerheads with the club are over," he said.
"That doesn't mean we're going to have a love-in. From time to time there will be disagreements.
"But this is about everyone respecting each other and working together."
In the meantime, the commission will continue to operate with six directors, while it remains possible V'landys could still be added as an independent by Beattie if a resolution is not passed.
Australian Associated Press
