ARL officials on tour junket

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ARL officials on tour junket
By Peter Badel
November 27, 2005

ARL officials have vigorously denied claims they are indulging in a Tri-Nations tour junket that is set to leave the governing body with a $65,000 expense bill.

As the Kangaroos prepared for the Tri-Nations final against New Zealand early this morning, The Sunday Telegraph learned that as many as seven ARL executives have embarked on a 15-day sojourn through France and England.

The group includes ARL chairman Colin Love, general manager Geoff Carr, Test selectors Les Geeves and Bob McCarthy, QRL officials Ross Livermore and John McDonald and CRL boss Terry Quinn. Of that group, just three - Love, Carr and McDonald - attended the International Board meeting held last Monday.

QRL trio Geeves, Livermore and McDonald - said to be on duty representing the ARL - have brought their wives, while Quinn took time out for a whirlwind day trip to Ireland.

The group has been captured by our photographer sightseeing, shopping with their partners and attending five-star restaurants.

But Carr hit out at claims the ARL contingent was embarking on a lavish junket, insisting the executives had a genuine and legitimate purpose in Europe.

"The importance of this trip can't be understated. It hasn't been the holiday that some might believe," Carr said.

"With the World Cup coming up, there were several pertinent issues for us to work through. We also had fruitful discussions in France as they are keen to tour Australia in the coming years.

"I don't see why our presence in England is such a big issue. This type of thing happens in every other major sport. I dare say Football Australia had an official party fly to Montevideo for the World Cup qualifier recently.

"As for the wives, I don't see it as a problem. They have come across at their own expense; we also purchased an economy ticket for Les Geeves and received special rates from Qantas as part of our business relationship with them.

"We can't be accused of extravagance - the ARL is not underwriting any more costs than is absolutely necessary."

However, the revelations have outraged junior rugby league officials, who are questioning the number of officials in England, the length of their stay and whether the $65,000 tour bill could have been redirected to revive ailing bush clubs.

Critics believe the ARL delegates' two-week stay is excessive. They point to the hit-and-run mission of NRL chief executive David Gallop, who flew in for the International Board meeting and departed two days later.

The ARL party has also come under fire for failing to adequately address the international judiciary system, which was horribly exposed in the wake of Nigel Vagana's high shot which left British playmaker Paul Deacon with severe facial injuries.

Wollongong club University, which produced Dragons back-rower Ben Creagh, took aim at Quinn, claiming a $15,000 rescue package from the CRL would have saved their first-grade side from folding this year.

"It doesn't surprise me that Quinn's overseas. These blokes take every junket they can get," a University official said.

"I've heard CRL officials joke about if you're in the job a long time, you get on the junkets. It's a boys club and a lot of the money they spend on these junkets could be better used helping out clubs like ourselves."

When contacted by The Sunday Telegraph, Quinn was in relaxation mode.

"You'll have to call back," he said. "I'm about to get a plane to Dublin."

But Quinn, who paid his own way to Ireland, denied he was treating it like a holiday, claiming he attended the International Board meeting.

"I sat in on the meeting. We had some fruitful discussions," he said.

But Kiwi official Selwyn Bennett, the NZRL's sole representative at the meeting, could not recall seeing Quinn.

"No, Terry wasn't there," Bennett said. "I spoke to him after, but he wasn't at the meeting."

McDonald, the QRL chairman, defended the decision to bring his wife. "I paid for her to come across out of my own pocket," he said.

"People criticising us clearly don't have the facts nor understand the role we are playing over here. We're not here to live it up. We've had several official duties to attend to."

The Sunday Telegraph