Top Cowboys administrator linked to Bulldogs move
By Christian Nicolussi
January 14, 2021 — 7.45pm
North Queensland's long-serving official Peter Parr has been identified as a recruitment target for Canterbury as they start the latest front-office rebuild following Andrew Hill's shock axing.
Parr won premierships at Brisbane and then the Cowboys, where he has spent the past 19 years, and would move into the head of football role vacated by Steve Price late last year.
A former chief executive who has spent most of his time in recent years in the football department and recruitment, Parr is seen as a perfect candidate to help new coach Trent Barrett.
Parr has since scaled back his commitments with the Cowboys and will move on to the club's board next month.
He has in recent years become a key member of Brad Fittler's NSW Origin team, and any potential move to Sydney would only work favourably if it allowed him to continue both roles.
Hill was dumped on Monday night by chairman John Khoury and several other board members, despite guiding the club through a torrid few years that featured three different boards, two sacked coaches and a string of high-profile players offloaded to help ease the club's salary-cap pressure.
Khoury has refused to give a reason for sacking Hill and referred the Herald's requests for comment to the club's press release that claimed Hill resigned.
Hill had only hours earlier announced the signing of gun fullback Corey Allan before he was given the tap.
Bulldogs great George Peponis was certainly unimpressed with the Hill dumping and told the Herald earlier this week: "I think he inherited a very difficult situation, he got them through it the past few years, and now when things look like they’ll improve they give him the arse. It’s disappointing.’’
A couple of early candidates for the CEO role is Aaron Warburton, who worked as the club's head of commercial a few years ago, and Anthony Elias, who has already put his name forward for the job on several previous occasions.
Parr's experience, media contacts and football knowledge would allow the new CEO to solely focus on the commercial side of things, not to mention shield a coach like Barrett from any boardroom in-fighting.
Meanwhile, Queensland Rugby League boss Bruce Hatcher has confirmed Wayne Bennett will not return as Maroons coach in 2021.
Hatcher said the next appointment would be for the 2021 series only, which would likely featured an experienced coach – the early favourite is Paul Green – with the likes of Maroons favourites including Billy Slater learning the ropes with an eye to a permanent role in the future.
By Christian Nicolussi
January 14, 2021 — 7.45pm
North Queensland's long-serving official Peter Parr has been identified as a recruitment target for Canterbury as they start the latest front-office rebuild following Andrew Hill's shock axing.
Parr won premierships at Brisbane and then the Cowboys, where he has spent the past 19 years, and would move into the head of football role vacated by Steve Price late last year.
A former chief executive who has spent most of his time in recent years in the football department and recruitment, Parr is seen as a perfect candidate to help new coach Trent Barrett.
Parr has since scaled back his commitments with the Cowboys and will move on to the club's board next month.
He has in recent years become a key member of Brad Fittler's NSW Origin team, and any potential move to Sydney would only work favourably if it allowed him to continue both roles.
Hill was dumped on Monday night by chairman John Khoury and several other board members, despite guiding the club through a torrid few years that featured three different boards, two sacked coaches and a string of high-profile players offloaded to help ease the club's salary-cap pressure.
Khoury has refused to give a reason for sacking Hill and referred the Herald's requests for comment to the club's press release that claimed Hill resigned.
Hill had only hours earlier announced the signing of gun fullback Corey Allan before he was given the tap.
Bulldogs great George Peponis was certainly unimpressed with the Hill dumping and told the Herald earlier this week: "I think he inherited a very difficult situation, he got them through it the past few years, and now when things look like they’ll improve they give him the arse. It’s disappointing.’’
A couple of early candidates for the CEO role is Aaron Warburton, who worked as the club's head of commercial a few years ago, and Anthony Elias, who has already put his name forward for the job on several previous occasions.
Parr's experience, media contacts and football knowledge would allow the new CEO to solely focus on the commercial side of things, not to mention shield a coach like Barrett from any boardroom in-fighting.
Meanwhile, Queensland Rugby League boss Bruce Hatcher has confirmed Wayne Bennett will not return as Maroons coach in 2021.
Hatcher said the next appointment would be for the 2021 series only, which would likely featured an experienced coach – the early favourite is Paul Green – with the likes of Maroons favourites including Billy Slater learning the ropes with an eye to a permanent role in the future.
