Waldron jumps codes to Rebels
The Age
Tuesday January 12, 2010
BRIAN Waldron is quietly becoming Melbourne's man for all football codes.The former St Kilda chief executive yesterday quit his 5-year stint running Melbourne Storm to take the top job at its fledgling rugby union equivalent, the Melbourne Rebels.The high-profile Waldron was officially offered the job running the new Super 15 team last Friday and accepted it yesterday.A delighted Rebels chairman Harold Mitchell described his club's first significant off-field recruit as "one of the best sporting administrators in the country".Waldron said the ability to have a large say in the formation of the Rebels, rather than just its operation, was a "huge" factor in his decision to leave the reigning NRL premier."I've always believed that, since the day it was announced that there'd be a Super 15 team, there's plenty of room in the [Melbourne] market for another team," he said.While Waldron will technically not join the Rebels for another month, the Storm has already appointed his deputy, Matt Hanson, as its acting CEO.Mitchell also said an announcement on the Rebels' "senior coach and approach to coaching" was imminent.Former World Cup-winning Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen is likely to be involved, although not necessarily in the top job.Macqueen was an adviser to the Rebels when the first incarnation of the club played in the Australian Rugby Championship competition, which folded in 2007 after one season.He could take on the role of coaching director or a more hands-on involvement, depending on the structure the Rebels put in place.Meanwhile, reports in the Sydney media linking NRL superstar Johnathan Thurston to the Rebels were described by a source close to the Victorian side as "speculation" and unlikely to happen.The Queensland half-back's manager, Sam Ayoub, was quoted as saying: "I can confirm that there was an approach from someone representing Melbourne and I've put that to Johnathan."
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