Australia, June 24 -- New South Wales Land and Environment Court issued text of the following judgement on May 23:

1. HIS HONOUR: Rugby league in Australia is a community-based sport with a rich history dating back to 1908. [1] Operating from 2012, the controlling body for rugby league in Australia is the Australian Rugby League Commission. It "has responsibilities for fostering, developing and funding the game from the junior to the elite levels" and organises various competitions including relevantly the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Women's Premiership competitions, the State of Origin and Australian representative matches. [2]

2. Generally, there is a close connection between "leagues clubs" such as the defendant (Club), which are social recreational bodies for the benefit of members and which derive income in various forms, and "football clubs" devoted to the pursuit of rugby league football, conducting matches under the auspices of the NRL. The precise connection between such clubs has varied both over time and within the NRL and its predecessors. Historically, leagues clubs provided much of the funding for football clubs, together with advertising and other financial sponsorships. [3]

3. Sadly, the Club has been marked to some degree in recent years by what has been described as a toxic relationship at the Board level. [4]

4. Within football clubs, each aspect of the organisation impacts others and may well have wider effects. The great rugby league coach Jack Gibson famously said: [5]

To have the front office right is the whole thing in football. If you haven't got that, your football team will crumble away. Nothing surer.

5. Several variations of Gibson's quote have been coined and attributed to him, including "Winning starts in the front office". The truism of Gibson's observation as to parts of a football club affecting other parts is no less true of the operations of leagues clubs such as the Club.

6. The full ramifications of the present dispute on the Club are presently hard to gauge and will remain to be seen.

7. On 24 March 2025, I heard an urgent application relating to the affairs of the Club arising out of a dispute between the plaintiff (Mr Wayde) and the Club as to whether Mr Wayde has been validly removed as being a director of the Club.

*Rest of the document can be viewed at: (https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/196f4965b2b46f9cc0e05661)

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.