Nigel Wood ‘not the answer’ says Jon Wilkin as passionate Peter V’landys link made
Sky Sports' Jon Wilkin says is he is not sure the return of Nigel Wood (inset) is the answer for rugby league's issues.
Jon Wilkin has said that he is not sure the return of Nigel Wood to the boardrooms of rugby league is ‘the answer’ to solve the sport’s issues.
Wood returned to the Rugby Football League as interim chair earlier this year but in a remarkable turn of events, has now been installed as the chair of RL Commercial after Frank Slevin’s departure.
That gives Wood an increasing amount of authority in key decisions within rugby league, with his return backed by the boards of both Super League and the RFL.
And speaking pre-match on Sky Sports ahead of Leeds’ clash with Leigh, Wilkin passionately called out clubs obsessed with their own individual agendas before making his feelings on Wood’s return clear, too.
He said: “The inertia we’ve had in our game has largely been created by disharmony and a political narrative that suits all of the individual agendas of the clubs.
“We’ve lacked strong leadership and there’s a sense Nigel is a safe pair of hands. He negotiated a deal when the TV rights space was very different to what it is now.
“I’m not sure that he’s the answer.”
Wilkin then drew comparisons with the success of the NRL on Peter V’landys’ watch as to how Super League is languishing behind on a global scale – calling for the sport in this country to deliver a ‘mission’ and stick to it.
“We need a vision. We need a mission,” he said.
“Look at Peter V’landys and contrast our governance to theirs. Peter V’landys came in with a mission and gathers people behind him in a direction and gets people behind it. We’ve lacked that.
“There’s disunity and the clubs can behave their own ways and not galvanise behind a strategy towards growth. Are we expanding, are we contracting?
“Are we staying in the M62. Are we playing in London? Are we playing in Toronto? All of these things can be clarified by a mission statement that is clear.”
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