Knights boss to raise Snowden concerns with Tinkler

[Google News]

Knights boss to raise Snowden concerns with Tinkler
Robert Dillon
February 21, 2011

KNIGHTS chief executive Steve Burraston intends to query Nathan Tinkler today about the Kade Snowden fiasco to determine if the billionaire was involved.

Knights officials will meet Tinkler and his representatives to discuss the mining magnate's bid to privatise the NRL club, but the unresolved Snowden situation is also certain to be addressed.

Snowden baulked at signing a new two-year deal with Cronulla amid widespread allegations that Tinkler had promised him a more lucrative deal if he returned to Newcastle, where he launched his NRL career.

Yesterday there were reports that Tinkler has also approached Bulldogs centre Jamal Idris, and there is mounting speculation he has held talks with Dragons coach Wayne Bennett.

Burraston said it would be ''very disappointing'' if Tinkler had tried to recruit players to the Knights before his privatisation proposal had even been taken to the club's members for ratification. Burraston said he would seek some clarity today on the Snowden issue.

''I think we need to ask what was going on there,'' Burraston said. ''I don't know if we'll get any answers. It's probably something we need to know, if the Tinkler Group was involved or not, and if so, why?''

Burraston said it would be ''almost impossible'' for Tinkler to bring Snowden to Newcastle without placing pressure on the club's salary cap.

It has been reported the 24-year-old was offered between $400,000 and $500,00 a season for four years, despite Knights management withdrawing from negotiations when his asking price reached $300,000.

''I'm not aware of what sort of money is being offered and who offered it, but if that sort of money was offered, it would be almost impossible to fit him into the salary cap without letting other players go,'' Burraston said. ''That would cause complications for the coach and the team.

''I'm not sure where all these rumours are coming from and if they are correct, but if they are, it would place enormous stress on the Knights' salary cap. I'd go as far as say it probably couldn't be done.''

Burraston said the Knights had decided signing a top-dollar prop was not a priority, given that Dan Tolar, Evarn Tuimavave, Mark Taufua, Antonio Kaufusi, Joel Edwards, Chris Houston and Neville Costigan are already contracted for next year.

''We're acutely aware that we have a number of high-profile players coming off contract - Kurt Gidley being top of the list - and we couldn't put their futures in jeopardy by paying too much for one player,'' he said.

''We knew it [signing Snowden] was going to place strain on our salary cap and we didn't have the room, and we felt it more appropriate that we keep our players who are coming off contract.

''The other reason was that we knew Adam MacDougall was likely to retire at the end of the year and we'd be looking for an outside back.''

Idris is viewed as the ideal man to replace MacDougall, but Burraston denied reports yesterday that the Knights had made him a $1 million offer for the next three years.

''Not that I'm aware of,'' Burraston said. ''I understand that [recruitment officer] Keith Onslow has a good relationship with Jamal Idris from when Keith brought him to the Bulldogs, and I know that Jamal has expressed interest in possibly moving to Newcastle because it is closer to home [Forster].

''But certainly we haven't made an offer in those sort of numbers that are being talked about.''

Burraston suggested Tinkler was flirting with danger if he was already negotiating with players.

''The thing is the board and the management still run the club at this point in time,'' Burraston said. ''And we also have a salary cap and we also have players that are contracted this year, next year and the year after.

''All of those things have to fit into a very complicated salary cap. So it's almost impossible to put offers to people without knowing the intimate details of the salary cap and our contracting position as we go forward.''

Asked whether he expected a tense atmosphere at today's summit, Burraston replied: ''Certainly not from our point of view. We're still starting to work towards a final conclusion … I'm not aware of any ultimatum or being summonsed to a meeting or whatever has been reported.

''This meeting was always scheduled and all our meetings have been amicable to date, and hopefully they will continue that way. The important thing is the members have all the information documented so they can consider it because it is a critical decision - the most important decision made in our club's history. It's a very complex issue and it's very important that we don't rush it.''

Source:http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...ler-20110220-1b13e.html?from=brisbanetimes_sb

 

[Yahoo News]

Magnate admits he made call to Snowden

Magnate admits he made call to Snowden
James Gardiner
February 22, 2011

NATHAN TINKLER has admitted he approached Kade Snowden just hours before the former Newcastle prop was about to sign a new two-year deal with Cronulla.

It had been rumoured for days that the multimillionaire mining tycoon was the mystery third party whose contact with Snowden forced the Sharks to cancel a news conference last Thursday announcing the NSW front-rower's retention 20 minutes after it was due to begin.

Tinkler, who yesterday withdrew his takeover bid for the Newcastle club, defended his actions, outraged the Knights had ''walked away'' from a home-grown potential Test player.

''I made that call - I don't need anyone's permission to make a phone call,'' Tinkler said yesterday. ''I picked up the phone and rung him and said, 'Do you want to come back to Newcastle - and if you do, you need to wait and let this stuff transpire'.

''Kade Snowden is going to be the best front-rower in the game. He is a special talent.

''He could hold off signing a contract until February next year and a club would still take him.

''All I see is a local player who is about to become an Australian representative and the Knights have walked away. There should be no one more important player for the club to sign than that bloke.''

Where Snowden stands after yesterday's Knights ownership developments is unclear.

He trained with the Sharks but officials indicated the situation had not advanced.

Knights chairman Rob Tew was alarmed by reports a third party had directly approached players to entice them to Newcastle.

''If true, these actions undermine the whole concept of fair play and professional conduct which both the NRL and clubs are strongly committed to,'' he said.

Knights chief executive Steve Burraston described that action and other rumoured approaches to Jamal Idris, Michael Ennis, Darius Boyd and coach Wayne Bennett as ''complete arrogance'' and ''unprofessional'' and showed disregard for salary-cap restrictions.

Tinkler said the ''club has to be upgraded''. ''Don't think I was coming on board to pay the existing squad to run between ninth and 12th every year,'' he said. ''Forget that. I was coming on board if we could make changes to make the club a top-four threat.''

Source:http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/rug...s-he-made-call-to-snowden-20110222-1b2pn.html

 

[Google News]

Tinkler walks: Offer a pale imitation

Tinkler walks: Offer a pale imitation
BY BRETT KEEBLE
22 Feb, 2011 04:00 AM

Knights' management will try to convince members the NRL club does not need Nathan Tinkler’s money, describing his reported 10-year, $100million takeover offer as a ‘‘mirage’’.

An extraordinary day of dramatic developments began yesterday when the racing and mining magnate withdrew his privatisation proposal less than five hours before he and his management team were due to attend a 2pm meeting with Knights chief executive Steve Burraston and chairman Rob Tew to complete details of his bid.

By last night, disgruntled Knights members had begun a petition demanding answers from club management but organiser Mark York said he was not trying to move a vote of no confidence in the board of directors.

‘‘We have been working on this for three months and we are still at the same point we were three months ago. It is just all too hard,’’ Mr Tinkler told the Newcastle Herald.

‘‘People say it has to be in community hands. Let me tell you, it is not a community club at the moment. It is in the hands of two men – Steve Burraston and Robbie Tew.’’

Mr Burraston and Mr Tew called a 2.30pm media conference to explain their reasons for scrutinising detail and baulking at the offer, and will put a ‘‘Plan B’’ patron’s trust financial model to members at a meeting on Monday.

‘‘While the Tinkler Group proposal was formally withdrawn this morning, the reality is that a number of key elements of the proposal initially tabled on the 17th of January have been withdrawn over the past few weeks to the point where the offer we were left with is a pale imitation of the original offer,’’ Mr Tew said yesterday.

‘‘Put simply, the much talked-about $100million offer turned out to be a mirage. The real value of the offer ultimately put on the table is a year-by-year commitment of between $0 and $10million paid over 10 years, with a maximum guarantee of two years ...’’

Mr Tew said Mr Tinkler’s revised offer, received last Wednesday, tried to change the definition of sponsorship revenue to include all revenue other than ticket sales and membership fees.

He said the Knights would receive more than $10million from sponsorship and NRL grants in the next two years, meaning the Tinkler Sports Group would not be required to top that up.

‘‘Despite our best efforts, there are still significant differences between the deal that was announced by the Tinkler Group last month and the offer we currently have on the table,’’ Mr Tew said.

Mr Tinkler responded last night in an email to media outlets, saying Mr Tew ‘‘did not understand the original offer’’ and had ‘‘sought to misrepresent our offer again’’.

‘‘We stand by the $10million per year commitment in sponsorship and corporate hospitality guaranteed over 10 years to the club as presented last month,’’ Mr Tinkler said.

‘‘There have been no material variations to the offer and it is now clear that Mr Tew did not understand the original offer.

‘‘As we presented to the board, the Tinkler Sports Group were prepared to underwrite the difference between the annual sponsorship of the club each year and the $10million. Our offer and guarantee make no mention of membership or ticketing revenue.

‘‘It is indeed unfortunate Mr Tew has sought to misrepresent our offer again and indicates he is not interested or capable of determining the value of our proposed commitment.’’

In a vitriolic email sent to Mr Burraston, Mr Tew and Knights directors at 9.13am yesterday, Mr Tinkler withdrew his offer and was ‘‘disappointed for the community’’ it had not been embraced.

‘‘I still believe it was a very generous one and you will never again see anyone else offer to guarantee the club $10million a year and operate it as a not-for-profit organisation returning all profits to the club for development, never,’’ Mr Tinkler wrote.

‘‘As directors of the club the blame for this lies firmly with yourselves and your comments of last night show the lack of commercial understanding that you really have of the deal.

‘‘The goalposts have not moved and I think the greatest problem you have is that you are poorly advised ... I wish you and the Knights the best for the season. This community deserves better than it has been getting and I hope you can all apply as much energy to moving it forward to deliver better outcomes as you have to holding it back in this process ...

‘‘Tew and Burro rejoice, you keep YOUR club!’’

Mr Tew said the patron’s trust model involved three, and potentially five, benefactors who have guaranteed between $6million and $10million for the next four years. It would be explained in more detail at a members’ information meeting next Monday night.

Mr Burraston said the board did not need a 75per cent majority of members to approve this as it did not require a change to the constitution or business structure, and the club would remain ‘‘a community-owned company through membership’’.

At a meeting at a Lambton hotel last night, 55 Knights members signed a petition calling for the club’s board to explain why negotiations with Mr Tinkler broke down and the deal was withdrawn.

The petition requires 100 signatories to call an extraordinary general meeting.

‘‘It’s my opinion and certainly that of many that I have canvassed that this proposal has been driven away without being taken to the members and I don’t believe that is a satisfactory situation,’’ Lambton businessman Mark York, who organised the meeting, said.

NRL chief executive David Gallop said the issue was for the Knights and Mr Tinkler to resolve, but that the league was not concerned about the Knights’ long-term financial viability.

‘‘I’m not sure if it’s off the tracks for good,’’ Mr Gallop said.

‘‘I understand that it’s very much an issue for the board. They have to go through a process, and clearly the talks have broken down. It’s not really our place to take sides at this stage.’’

‘‘What I can say is we accept that it was an issue that the board needed to look carefully at ...

‘‘The Knights are going into a new stadium and they are a big part of the community up there.

‘‘This isn’t something where we would be suggesting that this has put them in financial trouble, but it was obviously a deal that they needed to look carefully at and may well still look at.’’

Earlier at the media conference, Mr Tew expressed concerns about Mr Tinkler’s reported intervention in player negotiations. Mr Tinkler admitted yesterday he contacted Cronulla and former Knights player Kade Snowden with a view to seeing the NSW prop return to his junior club.

Mr Tew said Mr Tinkler’s offer ‘‘failed to allow members to fairly buy back the club if something were to go wrong’’.

Mr Tinkler responded through Tinkler Sports Group executive chairman Ken Edwards, saying: ‘‘There is a mechanism for the club to require enforcement by the company which holds the NRL licence.’’

Mr Burraston said at the media conference that the club’s accumulated losses since they kicked off in 1988 were about $2.3million, and that since recording a $1.3million operating loss in 2007, the Knights had experienced three years of financial improvement.

Source:http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...ler-walks-offer-a-pale-imitation/2082606.aspx

 

[Google News]

Legend Joey backs Tinkler and hits out at directors

Legend Joey backs Tinkler and hits out at directors
Barry Toohey and Dean Ritchie
February 23, 2011

NATHAN Tinkler last night gained a powerful ally in his push to take over the Knights when the club's greatest player, Andrew Johns, took aim at Newcastle's directors.

Having missed this week's dramatic showdown in Newcastle while on a surfing holiday in Fiji, Johns said he could not believe passionate Knights fan Tinkler was not already on board as club owner given what his financial clout would mean to the cash-strapped club.

"I'm stunned the deal hasn't already been done," Johns said.

"What the hell are they doing? We don't want Greg Bird playing for Gold Coast. We don't want Kade Snowden at Cronulla. We don't want Dane Tilse playing for Canberra.

"They're our boys and they should be playing for the Knights.

"As far as I can tell, that's what Nathan Tinkler wants to do. Bring as many locals home as he can.

"He's doing this for the community, for Newcastle and the Hunter. Why is it so hard to believe?"

Johns' comments came as former Newcastle premiership-winning coach Michael Hagan said he feared for the club's future unless Tinkler's bid was accepted. It appears a group of angry Knights members could have enough signatures by tonight to force an extraordinary general meeting, which could overthrow the current board.

The Daily Telegraph also understands several more former Newcastle stars will come forward to publicly support Tinkler. Mining magnate Tinkler has told friends he is "hurt" that his honesty has been questioned by Newcastle management.

Former Knights coach Hagan said he hoped members would be given an opportunity to make up their own minds about Tinkler's offer, saying the Newcastle board had an obligation to take the deal to a members meeting.

"I don't think the process has been handled particularly well and to allow someone like Nathan Tinkler to walk away without giving the members an opportunity to hear what he has to say is pretty disappointing," Hagan said.

"To pass up the size and nature of the offer that's been talked about and continue with a model that we've had for 22 years and which is not going to sustain the club into the future is not the right path.

"If the board is concerned about the shortcomings in the deal, they should be pointing them out to the members at a meeting."

High-profile Newcastle fan Jack Newton weighed into the debate again last night, saying: "It's not the Steve Burraston and Robbie Tew show. This has dragged on and on.

"It's about time they went to the members and they make the decision, not them [the two officials]."

Source:http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...out-at-directors/story-e6frexnr-1226010361767

 

[Google News]

Tinkler leaves mess for others to clean



Tinkler leaves mess for others to clean
[SIZE=-1]The Australian[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Last week, members of the Tinkler Group went on the defensive over claims the mining and racing magnate had contacted Cronulla prop Kade Snowden and convinced him to back out of a contract extension with the Sharks. At the time, chief executive Ken ...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&ned=us&ncl=dxY5Reboc60LFKM[/SIZE]


Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...-others-to-clean/story-e6frg7t6-1226010377872

 

[Google News]

Johns backs Tinkler takeover



Johns backs Tinkler takeover
[SIZE=-1]Fox Sports[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]We don't want Kade Snowden at Cronulla. We don't want Dane Tilse playing for Canberra. "They're our boys and they should be playing for the Knights. "As far as I can tell, that's what Nathan Tinkler wants to do. Bring as many locals home as he can. ...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&ned=us&ncl=dGxfjTcOw12LsCM[/SIZE]


Source:http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...akeover-the-club/story-fn2mcuj6-1226010523121

 

[gando2230]

Yeah cause A. Johns wants the $$$$$$.

 

[Mark^Bastard]

They only want Snowden because we made him good. I don't see them knocking down the door for Morris.

 

[Nicholas2230]

Sign Snowden now, if we wait he is gone, the Tinkler takeover is going to happen and of we don't out snow on paper within the next 7 days he is gone. Mark my words

 

[PMQ_Tony]

Get me on Tinklers payroll and I'll back him too !!!!!!

 

[ben]

I called this 2 days ago - celebrity influence on the public. I also heard Jack Newton made some supportive noises. Its all bull.

 

[Google News]

Why the Knights took the fight to Tinkler



Why the Knights took the fight to Tinkler
[SIZE=-1]Herald Sun[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]We don't want Kade Snowden at Cronulla. We don't want Dane Tilse playing for Canberra," Johns said. Tinkler's wallet wouldn't have saved any of them. Bird left for Cronulla at the end of 2001. It was the year the Knights won the premiership and spent ...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]http://news.google.com/news/more?pz=1&ned=us&ncl=d-cEnD3LFGbS1PM[/SIZE]


Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=...fight-to-tinkler/story-e6frfgbo-1226010984983

 

[Yahoo News]

Why the Knights took the fight to Tinkler

NRL boss David Gallop has supported Newcastle's reluctance to sell the Knights to mining magnate Nathan Tinkler under the current terms.

Source:http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp.../story-e6frexnr-1226010984983?from=public_rss