mt.wellington
Warriors Orange Peeler
INTRO: There’ll be no lengthy holiday for Chief Operating Officer for the NRL, Jim Doyle, before he starts as CEO of the NZ Warriors in November. In fact, he’s already having to manage his time carefully in Sydney to allow him to plan ahead to his role back in New Zealand - as he explains in this Q and A with John Deaker.
Q) Jim, when do you actually get your feet under the desk working at the Warriors HQ?
A) November the 10th will be my first day on the job.
Q) Some coaches and CEO’s feel hamstrung by previous recruitments made at clubs before they’ve even arrived. Are you able to have involvement or influence on important decisions like player recruitment before that November 10th date?
A) One of the things that happened was when I agreed to take on the role I spoke with Wayne, Bill Wavish and Eric – and we agreed that there’d be no staff appointments until I get there. We’ve put off some staff appointments recently until I get there so we can make sure we have the right people from a staff point-of-view. Then from a playing
perspective the good thing being in Australia at the moment is that there’s a few hours ahead of the day when you can talk to New Zealand. So I spend a bit of time talking to
‘Cappy’ early in the morning to talk to him about player rosters and what’s happening. So I have a little bit of input but it’s very limited.
Q) So when do you actually move across the Tasman when that communicating with ‘Cappy’ prior to November the 10th could at least become easier?
A) We actually move on November the 8th. My last day with the NRL is November the 7th – we fly out on November the 8th - and I start work on November the 10th.
Q) You’re very aware of the strengths and weaknesses of all NRL clubs – What NRL club’s systems and structures would you like the Warriors to model themselves on more than any other club - and why?
A) To be honest I wouldn’t actually use just one in particular. As you go across the clubs there’s some clubs better than others at certain things – whether that be football, commercial, marketing or membership . So I would use a combination of different clubs - not just one in particular.
Q) Having been the CEO of the NZRL, how much potential do you think is there for you to improve the relationship between the Warriors and the NZRL?
A) When at the NZRL I had a good relationship with Wayne (Scurrah). There’s no doubt that a strong Warriors will have a positive impact for the game of rugby league right across the country. At the same time a strong NZRL will have a strong impact on the Warriors so it’s important that they work together.
Q) How confident are you that you’ll be trusted with the power you want at the Warriors without interference from the board or the owners?
A) I’m very confident. I think at the end of the day we’ll all be working together. We all want the same outcome for the Warriors - to be very consistent on and off the field - and be very professional. That’s exactly what the board want and what the owners want. We’re all in it together - so we’ll all be using collective skills, knowledge and experience to make sure that we get the success.
Q) The future of the Under 20’s Holden Cup competition is apparently under threat. This could be a huge loss for the Warriors. How hard will you try in your current role - and when you arrive at the Warriors - to retain this competition?
A) There’s been a lot of speculation out there – and I’m not sure what the speculation is based on. I think everybody in the game knows that to develop talent for the future you have to have pathways. Those pathways start at 16’s and 18’s – and it includes the 20’s. It also includes the State Cups like the NSW Cup and Queensland Cup. No one disagrees that those are the right pathways - so I’m not sure why people are speculating about the demise of the Holden Cup.
Q) You’ve talked in the past in the media about the family reasons associated with wanting to return to New Zealand. How is your immediate family progressing back here in New Zealand?
A) My eldest daughter is 26 and she’s a schoolteacher – and the other one is 22 and works for Westpac. They’re living in our house in Auckland at the moment. When we came here we knew we were only here for 2 or 3 years. But when the opportunity came up at the Warriors it became an ideal time to stay involved with the game by moving back home to spend more time with the kids – so that was really the plan.
OUTRO: Jim Doyle may not be about to score tries or make tackles. However it will be fascinating to see what influence he can make on the Warriors team in the next few years when critics have often highlighted them “not getting the front office right” as a key reason for the Warriors never getting close to realising the clubs huge potential.
Q) Jim, when do you actually get your feet under the desk working at the Warriors HQ?
A) November the 10th will be my first day on the job.
Q) Some coaches and CEO’s feel hamstrung by previous recruitments made at clubs before they’ve even arrived. Are you able to have involvement or influence on important decisions like player recruitment before that November 10th date?
A) One of the things that happened was when I agreed to take on the role I spoke with Wayne, Bill Wavish and Eric – and we agreed that there’d be no staff appointments until I get there. We’ve put off some staff appointments recently until I get there so we can make sure we have the right people from a staff point-of-view. Then from a playing
perspective the good thing being in Australia at the moment is that there’s a few hours ahead of the day when you can talk to New Zealand. So I spend a bit of time talking to
‘Cappy’ early in the morning to talk to him about player rosters and what’s happening. So I have a little bit of input but it’s very limited.
Q) So when do you actually move across the Tasman when that communicating with ‘Cappy’ prior to November the 10th could at least become easier?
A) We actually move on November the 8th. My last day with the NRL is November the 7th – we fly out on November the 8th - and I start work on November the 10th.
Q) You’re very aware of the strengths and weaknesses of all NRL clubs – What NRL club’s systems and structures would you like the Warriors to model themselves on more than any other club - and why?
A) To be honest I wouldn’t actually use just one in particular. As you go across the clubs there’s some clubs better than others at certain things – whether that be football, commercial, marketing or membership . So I would use a combination of different clubs - not just one in particular.
Q) Having been the CEO of the NZRL, how much potential do you think is there for you to improve the relationship between the Warriors and the NZRL?
A) When at the NZRL I had a good relationship with Wayne (Scurrah). There’s no doubt that a strong Warriors will have a positive impact for the game of rugby league right across the country. At the same time a strong NZRL will have a strong impact on the Warriors so it’s important that they work together.
Q) How confident are you that you’ll be trusted with the power you want at the Warriors without interference from the board or the owners?
A) I’m very confident. I think at the end of the day we’ll all be working together. We all want the same outcome for the Warriors - to be very consistent on and off the field - and be very professional. That’s exactly what the board want and what the owners want. We’re all in it together - so we’ll all be using collective skills, knowledge and experience to make sure that we get the success.
Q) The future of the Under 20’s Holden Cup competition is apparently under threat. This could be a huge loss for the Warriors. How hard will you try in your current role - and when you arrive at the Warriors - to retain this competition?
A) There’s been a lot of speculation out there – and I’m not sure what the speculation is based on. I think everybody in the game knows that to develop talent for the future you have to have pathways. Those pathways start at 16’s and 18’s – and it includes the 20’s. It also includes the State Cups like the NSW Cup and Queensland Cup. No one disagrees that those are the right pathways - so I’m not sure why people are speculating about the demise of the Holden Cup.
Q) You’ve talked in the past in the media about the family reasons associated with wanting to return to New Zealand. How is your immediate family progressing back here in New Zealand?
A) My eldest daughter is 26 and she’s a schoolteacher – and the other one is 22 and works for Westpac. They’re living in our house in Auckland at the moment. When we came here we knew we were only here for 2 or 3 years. But when the opportunity came up at the Warriors it became an ideal time to stay involved with the game by moving back home to spend more time with the kids – so that was really the plan.
OUTRO: Jim Doyle may not be about to score tries or make tackles. However it will be fascinating to see what influence he can make on the Warriors team in the next few years when critics have often highlighted them “not getting the front office right” as a key reason for the Warriors never getting close to realising the clubs huge potential.
early October cause I've decided I need a mad Monday then head out to the airport yell like a person from the 60's seeing the Beatles when my team comes home.
