Latest news with #ARLCommission
The Advertiser
30-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Fittler withdraws interest in coaching Kangaroos
Brad Fittler has withdrawn from the race to take over as Kangaroos coach, after opting to focus on his television commitments. Fittler has told the ARL Commission he is no longer eyeing off the Australian Test job, after having been the initial favourite to replace Mal Meninga. The former NSW mentor's decision leaves Cameron Smith as the front-runner for the role, having also emerged as a genuine contender. Smith only retired from representative football eight years ago, but has coaching experience as Billy Slater's Queensland assistant in 2022 and 2023. Kevin Walters is also considered an option, after briefly meeting with the NRL as they searched for the Perth Bears' first coach. Walters is keen to get back into the coaching game, after being sacked by the Broncos at the end of last season. Meninga was forced to end his nine-year tenure at the helm of the Kangaroos in early June, after taking on the head coach job at the Bears. Appointing a new Kangaroos coach is a top priority for the ARLC, with an end-of-season Ashes tour of England looming. A full-time Jillaroos coach must also be appointed, after Brad Donald's exit earlier this year. His former assistant Jess Skinner took over on an interim basis for Australia's Test against England in Las Vegas in March, which the Jillaroos won 90-4. Brad Fittler has withdrawn from the race to take over as Kangaroos coach, after opting to focus on his television commitments. Fittler has told the ARL Commission he is no longer eyeing off the Australian Test job, after having been the initial favourite to replace Mal Meninga. The former NSW mentor's decision leaves Cameron Smith as the front-runner for the role, having also emerged as a genuine contender. Smith only retired from representative football eight years ago, but has coaching experience as Billy Slater's Queensland assistant in 2022 and 2023. Kevin Walters is also considered an option, after briefly meeting with the NRL as they searched for the Perth Bears' first coach. Walters is keen to get back into the coaching game, after being sacked by the Broncos at the end of last season. Meninga was forced to end his nine-year tenure at the helm of the Kangaroos in early June, after taking on the head coach job at the Bears. Appointing a new Kangaroos coach is a top priority for the ARLC, with an end-of-season Ashes tour of England looming. A full-time Jillaroos coach must also be appointed, after Brad Donald's exit earlier this year. His former assistant Jess Skinner took over on an interim basis for Australia's Test against England in Las Vegas in March, which the Jillaroos won 90-4. Brad Fittler has withdrawn from the race to take over as Kangaroos coach, after opting to focus on his television commitments. Fittler has told the ARL Commission he is no longer eyeing off the Australian Test job, after having been the initial favourite to replace Mal Meninga. The former NSW mentor's decision leaves Cameron Smith as the front-runner for the role, having also emerged as a genuine contender. Smith only retired from representative football eight years ago, but has coaching experience as Billy Slater's Queensland assistant in 2022 and 2023. Kevin Walters is also considered an option, after briefly meeting with the NRL as they searched for the Perth Bears' first coach. Walters is keen to get back into the coaching game, after being sacked by the Broncos at the end of last season. Meninga was forced to end his nine-year tenure at the helm of the Kangaroos in early June, after taking on the head coach job at the Bears. Appointing a new Kangaroos coach is a top priority for the ARLC, with an end-of-season Ashes tour of England looming. A full-time Jillaroos coach must also be appointed, after Brad Donald's exit earlier this year. His former assistant Jess Skinner took over on an interim basis for Australia's Test against England in Las Vegas in March, which the Jillaroos won 90-4.
7NEWS
30-06-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Brad Fittler withdraws from process to take over as Australian Kangaroos coaching job
Brad Fittler has withdrawn from the race to take over as Kangaroos coach, after opting to focus on his television commitments. Fittler has told the ARL Commission he is no longer eyeing off the Australian Test job, after having been the initial favourite to replace Mal Meninga. The former NSW mentor's decision leaves Cameron Smith as the front-runner for the role, having also emerged as a genuine contender. Smith only retired from representative football eight years ago, but has coaching experience as Billy Slater's Queensland assistant in 2022 and 2023. Kevin Walters is also considered an option, after briefly meeting with the NRL as they searched for the Perth Bears' first coach. Walters is keen to get back into the coaching game, after being sacked by the Broncos at the end of last season. Meninga was forced to end his nine-year tenure at the helm of the Kangaroos in early June, after taking on the head coach job at the Bears. Appointing a new Kangaroos coach is a top priority for the ARLC, with an end-of-season Ashes tour of England looming. A full-time Jillaroos coach must also be appointed, after Brad Donald's exit earlier this year. His former assistant Jess Skinner took over on an interim basis for Australia's Test against England in Las Vegas in March, which the Jillaroos won 90-4.
News.com.au
24-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Wayne Bennett linked with bombshell PNG coaching move
Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett's coaching future is clouded in uncertainty after the super coach was approached by the ARL Commission to sound out his interest in building the NRL's newest franchise. According to Code Sports, the ARL Commission wants Bennett to play a prominent role in the set-up of the NRL's 19th team, PNG, which will enter the competition in 2028. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. Bennett was the foundation coach of the Broncos in 1998 and the Dolphins in 2023 and with a wealth of experience it is no surprise a poaching bid is on the cards. Bennett confirmed the ARL Commission's approach to him on PNG but played down any speculation about his future beyond 2027. 'Yes, we've talked about it (the PNG team),' Bennett said on Tuesday. 'We'll just see where I am in a couple of years. 'I will see where I'm at and where PNG is at. 'I've got to sort myself out. 'I have great respect for Peter V'landys and I'll help the game out if I can, but I'm not going to do anything right now. 'I'm still contracted for a few years here at Souths, so I've got to do my time here and we'll see what happens.' Bennett is contracted to South Sydney until the end of 2027 and it is understood the 75-year-old will hold talks with the Bunnies at the end of the season in regards to his future plans. But ARLC boss Peter V'landys hopes the seven-time premiership-winning coach can be part of the PNG project. 'Wayne Bennett is a genius. He is one of the greatest minds we have in rugby league,' V'landys said. 'He has always been the best of the best in these sort of areas (with expansion teams). 'He's proven that with the Broncos and the Dolphins. He's an extraordinary individual to say the least and he may not necessarily be the coach, but we hope he has some major involvement with PNG. 'We respect that Wayne is giving his best right now to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, but that's not to say in the future, he can't have some major role with a PNG team.'
The Australian
21-06-2025
- Business
- The Australian
NRL's Pacific plan to pummel AFL in broadcast bonanza
ARL Commission boss Peter V'landys says rugby league's next TV rights deal could span up to 10 years, revealing a Pacific goldmine that will deliver broadcast billions to the NRL. V'landys plans to kick off broadcast negotiations in July after the State of Origin decider and the ARLC chairman says the inclusion of Papua New Guinea will help the code clinch the richest TV rights deal in rugby league history. V'landys will arrive in PNG this Tuesday to ramp-up the NRL's reconnaissance for the 19th team in 2028 and the next step is thrashing out a Pacific-infused broadcast deal that can blow their AFL rivals out of the water. A third network has contacted the ARL Commission to formally express interest. Up to five or six bidders are tipped to enter negotiations as current rights holders Fox and Channel 9 face billion-dollar competition for the most watched code in Australian sport. The NRL's last five-year TV rights deal was worth around $2 billion, including media rights in New Zealand, but V'landys has revealed the sport's next broadcast arrangement may be brokered for a longer term. The NRL's current TV rights deal ends in 2027. The next cycle was tipped to run from 2028-32, but V'landys says he wants to formalise rugby league's new broadcast deal by season's end in a package that could deliver a decade of certainty. That scenario would see the NRL smash their current broadcast haul with a potential fiscal TV rights bonanza of between $3 to $4 billion. 'It could be longer than five years, absolutely,' V'landys said. Asked if the next TV rights deal could be seven to 10 years in duration, he said: 'Yes, it could be. 'We're having some off-the-record talks at the moment, but we plan to start very soon and it will certainly heat up in the next couple of months. 'I definitely want it finalised this year. 'Hopefully that's the case and it's certainly our ambition to do it. 'We want certainty and we know our clubs want certainty. 'Players also want certainty, because if you do a three-or-four year deal or even longer, you know what your revenues are. 'We haven't got to that level of detail yet, but this will be a record deal. 'We have a much more valuable product now, much more valuable.' There are several variables that give V'landys confidence of broking the most lucrative broadcast deal in the code's 117-year history. One factor is the emergence of new media streaming giants, with global tentacles, such as Netflix, Amazon and Paramount. DAZN completed a $3.4 billion purchase of Foxtel in April and V'landys confirmed the world's leading sports entertainment platform will be a major player in upcoming TV rights negotiations. 'Of course they'll be keen,' he said. 'We're the number one sport in Australia. Why wouldn't they be keen? 'I can confirm we've had genuine interest. We are confident there are several parties in the marketplace and I'm confident there will be more to come when we begin talks. 'We will get a lot more dollars now than we have ever gotten because of the hard work done by the players, the clubs and the NRL.' Another significant factor is the expansion drive that will trigger the admission of the Perth Bears to the NRL in 2027 before Papua New Guinea's entry in 2028. V'landys says PNG will not only represent a fresh spectator market, but open a broadcasting gateway that could see the Pacific eventually usurp Australia as the NRL's most lucrative TV rights powerhouse. The NRL is exploring a cut-price Pacific subscription service to monetise the NRL's 19th team and the 10 million-plus Papua New Guinea fans who will back the franchise with unmatched tribalism. 'Papua New Guinea could end up, in 10 or 15 years, to be worth more in broadcast revenue than Australia,' he said. 'With PNG coming in, that is a massive arm that we have never tapped into, not to mention Perth. 'We're the most-watched sport in Australia, so we now should attract substantial offers. 'Our data shows 1.8 million people streamed the Papua New Guinea game against Australia's Prime Ministers XIII, which was an extraordinary number. 'By having a cheap subscription to watch (PNG and NRL games), we could attract millions of new subscribers in the Pacific. 'We're very mindful of pricepoint. We don't want to make it too expensive for rugby league fans to watch and support the game. 'We definitely want to get the most revenue, but at the same time, we don't want to make it unaffordable for our wonderful fans. 'The game has never been in a better place. 'This has been a planned strategy - and it will pay off big time.' Peter Badel Chief Rugby League Writer Peter Badel is a six-time award winning journalist who began as a sports reporter in 1998. A best-selling author, 'Bomber' has covered five Australian cricket tours and has specialised in rugby league for more than two decades. NRL Selwyn Cobbo flew to Sydney for preliminary talks earlier this month in the strongest sign yet that the powerhouse back is on the verge of quitting the Broncos. See which clubs are interested. NRL The might of New Zealand Rugby wants what the NRL has, with Warriors boss Cameron George approached to jump codes to become their next CEO, reveals David Riccio.
West Australian
04-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Mal Meninga to lead Perth Bears, steps down as Kangaroos coach
Mal Meninga is set to be named the Perth Bears' foundation coach by Friday, a move that will see him resign as Kangaroos coach. The ARL Commission is preparing to announce the Bears' historic first coach after an extensive search that saw Brad Arthur and Sam Burgess eliminated from contention. This clears the way for Meninga, who will lead the NRL's 18th team as they enter the competition in 2027, according to The Daily Telegraph. The NRL, which owns the Perth licence, has finalised financial terms with Meninga, and his representatives have discussed relocation clauses, strong signs that the NRL Immortal is on the verge of taking the job. ARL Commission boss Peter V'landys is expected to confirm the appointment within 24 hours. If confirmed, the decision will require a new Test coach for Australia's Ashes campaign, as the ARLC will not allow Meninga to hold both roles. Meninga, who signed a new deal last year to stay with the Kangaroos through the 2026 World Cup, will step away after a nine-year reign to take on the Perth challenge. He could initially remain in Canberra to oversee player recruitment before the Bears are allowed to sign players from November 1. 'I am certainly interested in helping out in any way I can,' Meninga told The Daily Telegraph last week. 'It would be great to be part of an expansion team, whether that's Perth or PNG, as both regions have great potential if we get the pathways right.' NRL figures have praised the move, with North Sydney legend Billy Moore saying, 'I think Mal could be very important… Having Mal as your figurehead coach is a great thing because he is your brand. You know him. He has credibility. And he is also a good coach because of what he has done for Queensland and Australia.' Wayne Bennett added, 'Mal would be great for Perth. Mal is a legend of our game, he's an Immortal. He would be great from a promotional point of view, too, giving the game some profile over there.' The ARLC is now expected to move quickly to appoint a new Kangaroos coach ahead of this year's Ashes series. More to come.
