Phil Gould has turned his back on player management for clubland
Brent Read6:19PM August 7, 2020
Phil Gould is set to make a return to clubland nearly 18 months after stepping down as Penrith’s general manager. Picture: Toby Zerna
Phil Gould’s plan to become a player agent lasted one week. Seven days to be precise. It appears Limitless Management Pty Ltd quickly reached its limit.
Gould notified the NRL on Friday morning that he had decided against pushing ahead with his application to join the ranks of player management.
Instead, he appears focused on a consultancy position with the Warriors, an announcement expected over the weekend.
Gould has been a man in demand. As well as the Warriors, he has been in discussions with ARL Commission fair Peter V’landys over an ongoing role with the governing body. He was inundated with interest. Ultimately, he has chosen a return to club ranks over the internecine world of player management because he could not do both.
The Warriors role, which was first revealed by The Australian, precluded him becoming a player manager. Appendix one to the accreditation rules details the player agent code of conduct. Section 2.4 leaves no room ambiguity.
“Accredited Agents must not be employed, contracted or otherwise engaged to provide coaching, management, consultancy, advisory or administration services to any club or any rugby league team other than a school team for which the accredited agent is a member of staff or a team competing at district junior level,” it reads.
Funnily enough, there is ambiguity around whether Gould could be employed as a consultant by head office. There is no reference in the rules to the NRL when it comes to conflict of interest. That oversight could be corrected down the track.
The upshot is that Gould has been forced to choose between player management and the Warriors – and he chose the Warriors. Above all else, it says something about Gould’s belief in the club’s potential.
While his son Jack was originally a shareholder in Limitless Management, his shares along with those of Gould were eventually transferred to another company called Six Tackles Pty Ltd.
Gould is the only shareholder in that company. Weekend Read understands that Jack has not applied for accreditation, meaning it was Gould or bust for the company. The dream is over for the time being.
While he has turned his back on player management, Weekend Read understands two relatives of coach whisperer Joe Wehbe have applied. Wehbe’s nephew Jonathan and his cousin Jason have submitted applications to become accredited agents with Ignite Sports Pty Ltd.
Like every other agent who has applied, they will be forced to undergo an exacting process before they are given the green light by the accreditation body.
As well as an orientation day and examination, they face an interview before an NRL board comprising some heavy hitting legal figures.
The board is chaired by Andrew Coleman, who was retained by the Rugby League Players Association to provide advice to Cronulla players during the peptide scandal a few years back.
NRL legal counsel Eleni North is also on the panel along with former Warriors chief executive Jim Doyle.
Provided they make it through, one or both of Wehbe’s relatives could be charged with negotiating one of the most lucrative contracts in rugby league history.
Sydney Roosters star James Tedesco has become one of Wehbe’s clients. He is currently on about $1 million a year but is expected to receive a pay rise when he negotiates his next contract with the premiers.