Toovey wants league-type as CEO

Geoff Toovey believes the NRL’s next CEO requires a far deeper background in the game of rugby league than their predecessors.

The former Manly mentor, who last week put his hand up to enter the race to replace David Smith, told the Triple M Grill Team on Thursday he didn’t believe a background in business is everything.

“I just think that in the past we have gone for people with a great business acumen, Dave Smith and before that David Gallop, but I still think they lacked genuine league credibility and that was a problem,” he said.

Toovey also hinted at one rule which could change under his possible administration, weighing in on the debate surrounding the NRL war chest for marquee players.

“I think it’s fraught with danger,” he said. “You make an exception for one or two players, and it favours a certain club. I think there’s all sorts of dangers with that.

“When Sonny Bill Williams left originally we thought we would never replace him, and along came five or six players of great quality … no-one is irreplaceable.”

Toovey has experience in both sport and business. The 286-game veteran is a chartered accountant and also spent more than 11 years serving on the board of the NRMA.

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