Phil Gould will NOT be silenced by the NRL after Bulldogs boss slammed Newcastle Knights
Phil Gould will NOT be silenced by the NRL after the Bulldogs boss was criticized for lashing the Knights to Bali mid-season – with rivals claiming the top men are too scared to take on outspoken footy powerhouse
The NRL has worried the Canterbury Bulldogs about Phil Gould’s media responsibilities potentially benefiting the club he runs, but has insisted they will not silence the power broker.
Footy boss Andrew Abdo received complaints from NRL clubs after Gould – director of football at the Bulldogs – criticized the Knights’ mid-season trip to Bali earlier this week.
Newcastle counterpart Peter Parr said ‘people at other clubs should be concerned about their own club’ and the NRL has heard concerns about the possibility of a conflict of interest between Gould’s position with the Bulldogs and his influential role in the Nine network, while some have suggested the NRL is hesitant to hire him.
said Abdo News Corp that he met with Bulldogs bosses last week to discuss the subject, but stressed there would be no demand for Gould to be silenced by the NRL.
“This is definitely not about gagging someone in the media,” Abdo said.
Phil Gould will not be silenced by the NRL, footy boss Andrew Abdo has confirmed
The Bulldogs’ chief criticized Newcastle Knights for taking a trip to Bali this week
It is important that everyone has their opinion. You (the media) are doing a great job for us in telling the stories to the fans. This isn’t about not wanting criticism, this is just about the rules the NRL has for anyone accredited in the game.
There’s a reason club officials can’t comment when a case is live, because we don’t want the perception of that to influence decision makers.
“Obviously my conversation with the Bulldogs was about registered club officials not breaking the rules.
“If there is an issue that is live, for example a match rating or judiciary issue or an integrity issue, the rules do not allow players or officials accredited under those rules to discuss it openly.
“That’s what the conversation was about.”
When asked if he would talk to Gould about his role with the Bulldogs and the media, Abdo added: ‘I talk to Gus from time to time and am always open to meeting him. That is not necessary at this stage, although we do have an open dialogue and we will continue to do so.’
But despite claims of a conflict of interest, Abdo says he will not intervene
Some Knights players chose to take a holiday to Bali despite being beaten by Parramatta last week, a decision that infuriated Gould.
“It wouldn’t happen in my day,” Gould said in Six Tackles with Gus.
“I would always use the bye round… for me, that was always a time to go back and refresh, to look at some of the things that maybe we’re not doing as well as we would have liked, or maybe there are things we can add to our game, or maybe we need a refresher course.
“For me, the benefit of parting was not getting caught on the weekend, not going out. It gave you two weeks to prepare for your next game instead of a week.
“It just wouldn’t have happened in my day. For me it was two weeks to prepare for your next game, and you shouldn’t lose if you had the two weeks to prepare.’