Calm has been restored at Arden St with the re-appointment of chairman Graham Duff on Friday bringing to an end months of off-field manoeuvring leading up to We
Calm has been restored at Arden St with the re-appointment of chairman Graham Duff on Friday bringing to an end months of off-field manoeuvring leading up to Wednesday's board elections.Duff was unanimously elected to the position by the new board and he promised he would attack the role with greater vigour and focus than ever before as he led the club forward."It's certainly a very exciting time for the Kangaroos and more particularly for me. I'm very, very pleased that the board saw fit today to unanimously appoint me as chairman and to do that unconditionally," Duff said from the Docklands on Friday."(It was) very important to me that it was unanimous. I think it sends a very clear message that this club is absolutely united and we are rock solid in what we are going to do going forward."There is a very clear picture, I think, as to our future and we need to be united and the first step to that is a unanimous decision."The biggest issue that the club faces is, of course, its ongoing financial viability with a possible move to the Gold Coast firmly on the agenda ever since the club signed a three-year deal to play 10 games at Carrara late last year.Duff wasn't giving anything away about the club's plans, but he promised all would be revealed once the new board had had a chance to fully investigate all the options available."Keep in mind we have six new board members and over the next few weeks we will be developing a position on all of those contentious issues that are facing us and we will be advising our members, our shareholders and the general public as to our position with respect to those issues and that, of course, includes the long-term plans as far as the Gold Coast is concerned," he said."Everyone wants to second guess (us) at the moment and say, 'well the old chairman said that we only have 10 games, but he really means something else'."We do only have 10 games there over the next three years - that is the facts of the matter - and if people are looking for a more longer-term strategy then that will be spelled out over the next few months by the new board and we'll be very clear and concise about what we mean with that."Duff urged supporters to show up in force at the Roos' quarter-final clash with Fremantle at Telstra Dome on Sunday and also asserted that a clear strategy with respect to Dean Laidley's coaching tenure would be drawn up in due course."It's also the year when our coach's contract is up and we need to be clear and concise about what our program is to make sure that people understand the process that we will go through with respect to Dean's contract ending at the end of this year," he said."We'll be very, very clear about what we're going to do and when we're going to do it and that's something that has been probably missing in the past."
Brady Rawlings is glad that the make-up of the Kangaroos' board was settled at Wednesday's annual general meeting, but he's more happy for the fans than the pla