Another blow was delivered to one of the most scandal-plagued teams in NRL history after the NSW state government stepped in to remove the entire Parramatta Eels board on Tuesday. The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority decided there was enough evidence to justify axing the board and instead hand control over to Deputy Premier Troy Grant who will have the job of delivering some stability to the club following several simultaneous scandals."It is in the best interest of the club, the league and the fans of Parramatta Eels to draw a line under this saga and restore confidence in the club's administration," Mr Grant said of the decision.
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Eels chairman, Steve Sharp, saw the move coming and jumped before he was pushed, quitting over the weekend."Persons with improper motives will always seek to gain control of our great Club and will by any means necessary attack, blackmail, or smear those in power to do so," he wrote in a letter addressed to Eels members on Saturday evening in which he declared his decision to step down.The so-called "Gang Of Five" - chairman Steve Sharp, deputy chairman Tom Issa, director Peter Serrao and executives Daniel Anderson and John Boulous - were also deregistered as part of the sanctions.Deputy Premier Grant has since appointed Max Donnelly as the club's administrator. Donnelly has close to 40 years experience in corporate advisory and litigation and famously handled the bankruptcy cases of longtime fugitive, Christopher Skase and mafia-figure, Robert Trimbole, among others.Among the various scandals plaguing the club, the Eels have been found guilty of systematically rorting the salary cap as far back as the 2013 season. Police are also investigating the club over allegations of match-fixing, money-laundering and fraud. Their star player, Corey Norman was also convicted of drug possession last week after he was caught with MDMA capsules and muscle relaxants at a Sydney Casino in May. He was subsequently stood down ahead of Parramatta's do-or-die clash with Penrith on Sunday, a game which they narrowly lost despite holding a substantial early lead. The defeat means they cannot make the finals series this year. The Eels needed to win all eight of their remaining games after they were deducted 12 competition points due to the salary cap infringement.Norman, who was also the subject of a sex-tape being shopped around the media last week, remains sidelined by the club due to the drug conviction. He is expected to be banned for the rest of the season, either by the new Parramatta board or the NRL integrity unit.But Norman is just one of several Eels players who have found themselves embroiled in off-field controversies this year, ranging from pending domestic violence charges, to dinners with high-profile gangsters, prescription drug overdoses, multiple mid-season player walk-outs, and Kieren Foran's alleged two-hour $75k betting splurge.
The Eels announced on Friday they would fight some of the sanctions given to the club, including a $1 million fine and loss of 12 competition points. Prior to the sanctions, the club had been in the running to resign local junior and loyal Parramatta clubman, Jarryd Hayne, upon his return from the NFL and his failed bid to make the Fiji Sevens Olympic Team. Such a move would have given the embattled club and its remaining fans some hope for the next season. But Hayne was spotted for the second time leaving the headquarters of the NSW Waratahs Rugby Union franchise yesterday, stirring rumours he is set to sign a deal with them. A move that will put him alongside fellow rugby league convert, Israel Folau.