New Group Nine operations manager, Andrew Morton, says he’s looking forward to working with clubs and the board in a non-executive role.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Morton has replaced Peter Ryan but, in a departure from the previous position, will fill a purely administrative role.
“Basically I see the job as being a link between all clubs and the Group Nine board,” Morton said.
“I deliberately didn’t want to be a director or be seen to have any conflict of interest, not that I’m aligned with any club.
“But it’ll be good, I’m looking forward to it. There’s already a bit going on.”
Morton is the son of Group Nine president Jack Morton. A rugby league schoolboys coach, he was also manager of the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges representative team this year. He will fit the job around his teaching commitments as head of PE at Kildare Catholic College.
The first task was confirming the 2018 start date, with clubs voting for an April 7 kick-off, making for an almost identical timeline to last season and a September 8 grand final.
Group Nine president Jack Morton said a decision on the timing of a twilight or night grand final won’t be made until March, with clubs to discuss it internally.
“Everyone’s happy with Saturday but some seemed to think we’d need to start an hour earlier,” Morton senior said.
“The general consensus was to play it an hour earlier or an hour later because (at 5.30pm) you’re in the middle there and right in the twilight when it’s a bit hard under the lights.”
The grand final drew a $32,157 gate last year, up by nearly $5000 on the rain-affected 2016 decider but $500 down on 2015.
While Australian rules competitions will roll out a salary cap next season, Morton said Group Nine will watch with interest. But there’s no appetite from league clubs to explore a limit on payments, and a player-points scheme is also not in consideration.
He said poaching of players within the Group is more of an issue that clubs want stopped.
But Morton senior believes there’s genuine excitement for next season with former Queensland Origin player Dane Nielsen signing on as captain-coach at Junee, hot on the heels of the high-profile returns of Glen Buttriss (Cootamundra) and Adrian Purtell (Albury).
