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IT started in 1976 when a group of Kings Cross detectives nicknamed the "Darlo Desperates" introduced Nick Politis to NSW rugby league supremo John Quayle and Eastern Suburbs Roosters CEO Ron Jones.
For his first foray into rugby league, budding business tycoon Politis brokered a three-year $150,000 deal to have his City Ford car dealership emblazoned on the front of the Roosters jersey as major sponsor.
Looking back, it was small biscuits.
In almost 40 years, Politis has been the central figure in some of the biggest deals in the 105-year history of the code
Go through them. Names like Phil Gould, Brad Fittler, Wayne Bennett, Kerry Packer, James Packer, Jack Gibson and most recently Sonny Bill Williams have all negotiated with the Roosters king pin. And most have been a roaring success at Bondi.
In his 22-year tenure as Roosters chairman, Politis has developed into one of rugby league's most influential and well-connected figures backed by a hand-picked, blue-chip board room.
Here, The Sunday Telegraph grills Politis about his biggest calls at the helm, fallouts and friendships, his unwavering passion to win another premiership, how the Roosters have transformed the club's culture and the youth policy that has delivered rookie coach Trent Robinson one of the best up-and-coming rosters in the NRL for 2013.
The Greatest Coup
.
Picture: Phil HillyardSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
SIGNING SBW - MANY argue that convincing Sonny Bill Williams to return to rugby league is an even bigger coup than when the Roosters signed a 24-year-old Fittler from Penrith in 1996. Considering Fittler led the club to a premiership in 2002 it's a big call.
"Given what he's achieved in both codes and the impact he can have on our club as a champion athlete, I think signing Sonny could be one of our most important moves ever,'' Politis said. "Time will tell. It took a lot of hard work to get him and we're very proud to say he's one of us.''
BEST PACKAGE DEAL
.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
.
PHIL GOULD AND BRAD FITTLER FROM PENRITH - NO question, the signings of Gould and Fittler laid the foundations for the Roosters to make the grand final in 2000 and then eventually win the premiership in 2002.
"Gus was the best young coach in the business at the time. He'd won a premiership at the Bulldogs aged 28 and then had success at Penrith. We needed him,'' Politis said. "Without him, we could never have got Freddy. And we all saw what he did for us. To this day, he's a Roosters ambassador and a member of our team of the century.''
WINNING 2002 CROWN
.
Picture: Gregg PorteousSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
THE GOLDEN GENERATION - WHEN the Roosters won their first title for 27 seasons in 2002, Politis had Brad Fittler's blood on his suit during the celebrations. With Fittler and rookie coach Ricky Stuart at the helm as star player and head coach, the Roosters developed into the NRL's benchmark team for the next three seasons. "Three grand finals in a row, the record speaks for itself,'' Politis said. "Ricky was very good for us. He added that hard edge that we'd been missing and the results speak for themselves.''
BIG ARTIE
.
Picture: Mark EvansSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
BIG ARTIE, QUAYLE and SUPER LEAGUE - DURING the dirty tricks campaign of the Super League war, Politis spent long periods overseas attending to other business interests. At the time, his mobile phone would go off at all hours of the night with executives from News Limited, publisher of The Sunday Telegraph, attempting to lure the Roosters from the ARL side of the fence. Had Politis, Gould, Ken Arthurson and John Quayle not stuck solid, the ARL may have been doomed. When Roosters legend Artie Beetson fell on hard times, Jack Gibson arranged a testimonial dinner. With the $400,000 raised, they bought him a house in Newtown.
THE SACKINGS
.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
.
GRAHAM MURRAY, CHRIS ANDERSON AND BRIAN SMITH - HAVING cut his teeth managing and growing a business empire with a turnover of $4 billion, Politis has never been afraid to make a hardline call. Former coaches Graham Murray, Ricky Stuart, Chris Anderson and Brian Smith can all attest to that. "It's never personal, it's business,'' Politis said. "If things don't work out, you move on.''
THE BACKFLIP
.
Picture: Liam DriverSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
WAYNE BENNETT - IN 2006, Politis negotiated one of the Roosters' biggest coups when he secured a handshake agreement with Wayne Bennett to replace Stuart as head coach for the 2007 season. But when news of the deal leaked, all bets were off.
Under fire from the Broncos, super coach Bennett initially got a message to Politis, stating: "Tell the chairman to stay strong.'' But Bennett ultimately reneged on the Roosters deal, causing a domino effect that has taken Politis and the club until now to totally rectify. Bennett and Politis have not spoken since.
MY GREAT MATE
.
Picture: Noel KesselSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
FALLING OUT - AFTER the collapse of the Bennett deal, the Roosters were forced to appoint Chris Anderson as head coach. It proved a spectacular failure, with the board opting to sack him in the first year of his contract.
Fittler was rushed into the head coaching role with immediate success. But it eventually went sour in 2009, when Politis showed tremendous loyalty not to sack him. "Anyone else we would have got rid of them. But it was Freddy and we wanted to pay him the respect of seeing out the contract he had signed. When it got out that we were going to get someone else in the following season, he was upset. It was fair enough. We're great friends again now.''
MICHAEL JENNINGS
.
Picture: Gregg PorteousSource:
.
THE KEY RECRUITS - DURING the 1990s, the Roosters were often called the transit lounge - a club that simply splashed out top-dollar to recruit the best talent in the game, often with mixed results.
But in the past 13 seasons, the club has devised a new strategy. Last season, they did not recruit one player. Their strategy now is to invest in youth, develop and foster young talent and then add quality signings when necessary, such as James Maloney. To get the Jennings deal over the line, major sponsor Steggles delivered a $100,000 marquee player allowance. "In 2000, Craig Fitzgibbon was very important and he's still with us as a coach. Adrian Morley and Craig Wing won a premiership with us in 2002. And now we've got Michael Jennings''
Boyd Cordner
.
Picture: Mark EvansSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
CLUB'S FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH - ONE of the biggest points of criticism when it comes to the Roosters is their supposed cafe latte culture. And when they announced the signature of Michael Jennings last Tuesday, the overwhelming reaction among rival NRL clubs was how could they possibly afford him?
But a cursory look at all the players the club has let go in the past two seasons _ Todd Carney, Nate Myles, Braith Anasta, BJ Leilua, Jason Ryles, Sam Perrett, Phil Graham, Justin Carney and Mose Masoe - has given the club vital breathing room to re-build their roster under the increased $5.85thmillion salary cap. Do the numbers from the players the Roosters used last season and you discover that 17 of the top 25 played their first NRL game for the Tricolours, vindicating the club's decision to recruit teenage talent and develop them. Jake Friend, Mitchell Pearce and Boyd Cordner qlare all prime examples of the club's shift in recruitment philosophy.
THE SUPREMO
.
Picture: Mark EvansSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
THE DARLO DESPERATES, RON JONES AND THE FIRST DEAL - IN the beginning, Politis had the doors to rugby league opened by a group of Kings Cross detectives known as the "Darlo Desperates'' - they were responsible for keeping one of the toughest beats in Sydney crime-free.
Ironically, one of them was South Sydney legend Jack Rayner, who captained the club that the Roosters now proudly love to hate.
Initially, NSW Rugby League boss Kevin Humphreys rejected Politis' proposal to sponsor the Eastern Suburbs Roosters with City Ford in 1975. But by 1977, St George, Manly, Cronulla and every club in Sydney was brokering deals to tap into the new revenue stream. Essentially, Politis paved the way for the birth of sponsorship in rugby league and generated millions of dollars for generations to come, moving away from the days of clubs relying on chook raffles and poker machines. From there, he was pushed to assume control from the previous regime of Ron Jones, and the Roosters have never been in better shape.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226557337453
Its better you press the link. you can see pictures and please acknowledge James Hooper. He is a quality journalists, one of the few along with Josh Massoud who are decent at the Telucrap.
Ive got a grudge against Rothfield.
I actually think RL should thank Politis he brought in sponsorship and saved the ARL. I think that we should honour him with a statue at Roosters HQ. He has put his heart & soul into the club. Without him I dont know if we would be in good financial shape. Hes propped up the Leagues club so it aint reliant on him.
He picks us up when were down unlike Crapamatta who just get worse every season. I take my hats off to him and so should most NRL fans. Its not his wealth that gets him respect of NRL big guns but the fact that hes so professional at what he does.
The Sir Alex Ferguson of the NRL. Thank you Uncle Nick. Where would we be without you.
For his first foray into rugby league, budding business tycoon Politis brokered a three-year $150,000 deal to have his City Ford car dealership emblazoned on the front of the Roosters jersey as major sponsor.
Looking back, it was small biscuits.
In almost 40 years, Politis has been the central figure in some of the biggest deals in the 105-year history of the code
Go through them. Names like Phil Gould, Brad Fittler, Wayne Bennett, Kerry Packer, James Packer, Jack Gibson and most recently Sonny Bill Williams have all negotiated with the Roosters king pin. And most have been a roaring success at Bondi.
In his 22-year tenure as Roosters chairman, Politis has developed into one of rugby league's most influential and well-connected figures backed by a hand-picked, blue-chip board room.
Here, The Sunday Telegraph grills Politis about his biggest calls at the helm, fallouts and friendships, his unwavering passion to win another premiership, how the Roosters have transformed the club's culture and the youth policy that has delivered rookie coach Trent Robinson one of the best up-and-coming rosters in the NRL for 2013.
The Greatest Coup
.
Picture: Phil HillyardSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
SIGNING SBW - MANY argue that convincing Sonny Bill Williams to return to rugby league is an even bigger coup than when the Roosters signed a 24-year-old Fittler from Penrith in 1996. Considering Fittler led the club to a premiership in 2002 it's a big call.
"Given what he's achieved in both codes and the impact he can have on our club as a champion athlete, I think signing Sonny could be one of our most important moves ever,'' Politis said. "Time will tell. It took a lot of hard work to get him and we're very proud to say he's one of us.''
BEST PACKAGE DEAL
.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
.
PHIL GOULD AND BRAD FITTLER FROM PENRITH - NO question, the signings of Gould and Fittler laid the foundations for the Roosters to make the grand final in 2000 and then eventually win the premiership in 2002.
"Gus was the best young coach in the business at the time. He'd won a premiership at the Bulldogs aged 28 and then had success at Penrith. We needed him,'' Politis said. "Without him, we could never have got Freddy. And we all saw what he did for us. To this day, he's a Roosters ambassador and a member of our team of the century.''
WINNING 2002 CROWN
.
Picture: Gregg PorteousSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
THE GOLDEN GENERATION - WHEN the Roosters won their first title for 27 seasons in 2002, Politis had Brad Fittler's blood on his suit during the celebrations. With Fittler and rookie coach Ricky Stuart at the helm as star player and head coach, the Roosters developed into the NRL's benchmark team for the next three seasons. "Three grand finals in a row, the record speaks for itself,'' Politis said. "Ricky was very good for us. He added that hard edge that we'd been missing and the results speak for themselves.''
BIG ARTIE
.
Picture: Mark EvansSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
BIG ARTIE, QUAYLE and SUPER LEAGUE - DURING the dirty tricks campaign of the Super League war, Politis spent long periods overseas attending to other business interests. At the time, his mobile phone would go off at all hours of the night with executives from News Limited, publisher of The Sunday Telegraph, attempting to lure the Roosters from the ARL side of the fence. Had Politis, Gould, Ken Arthurson and John Quayle not stuck solid, the ARL may have been doomed. When Roosters legend Artie Beetson fell on hard times, Jack Gibson arranged a testimonial dinner. With the $400,000 raised, they bought him a house in Newtown.
THE SACKINGS
.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
.
GRAHAM MURRAY, CHRIS ANDERSON AND BRIAN SMITH - HAVING cut his teeth managing and growing a business empire with a turnover of $4 billion, Politis has never been afraid to make a hardline call. Former coaches Graham Murray, Ricky Stuart, Chris Anderson and Brian Smith can all attest to that. "It's never personal, it's business,'' Politis said. "If things don't work out, you move on.''
THE BACKFLIP
.
Picture: Liam DriverSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
WAYNE BENNETT - IN 2006, Politis negotiated one of the Roosters' biggest coups when he secured a handshake agreement with Wayne Bennett to replace Stuart as head coach for the 2007 season. But when news of the deal leaked, all bets were off.
Under fire from the Broncos, super coach Bennett initially got a message to Politis, stating: "Tell the chairman to stay strong.'' But Bennett ultimately reneged on the Roosters deal, causing a domino effect that has taken Politis and the club until now to totally rectify. Bennett and Politis have not spoken since.
MY GREAT MATE
.
Picture: Noel KesselSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
FALLING OUT - AFTER the collapse of the Bennett deal, the Roosters were forced to appoint Chris Anderson as head coach. It proved a spectacular failure, with the board opting to sack him in the first year of his contract.
Fittler was rushed into the head coaching role with immediate success. But it eventually went sour in 2009, when Politis showed tremendous loyalty not to sack him. "Anyone else we would have got rid of them. But it was Freddy and we wanted to pay him the respect of seeing out the contract he had signed. When it got out that we were going to get someone else in the following season, he was upset. It was fair enough. We're great friends again now.''
MICHAEL JENNINGS
.
Picture: Gregg PorteousSource:
.
THE KEY RECRUITS - DURING the 1990s, the Roosters were often called the transit lounge - a club that simply splashed out top-dollar to recruit the best talent in the game, often with mixed results.
But in the past 13 seasons, the club has devised a new strategy. Last season, they did not recruit one player. Their strategy now is to invest in youth, develop and foster young talent and then add quality signings when necessary, such as James Maloney. To get the Jennings deal over the line, major sponsor Steggles delivered a $100,000 marquee player allowance. "In 2000, Craig Fitzgibbon was very important and he's still with us as a coach. Adrian Morley and Craig Wing won a premiership with us in 2002. And now we've got Michael Jennings''
Boyd Cordner
.
Picture: Mark EvansSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
CLUB'S FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH - ONE of the biggest points of criticism when it comes to the Roosters is their supposed cafe latte culture. And when they announced the signature of Michael Jennings last Tuesday, the overwhelming reaction among rival NRL clubs was how could they possibly afford him?
But a cursory look at all the players the club has let go in the past two seasons _ Todd Carney, Nate Myles, Braith Anasta, BJ Leilua, Jason Ryles, Sam Perrett, Phil Graham, Justin Carney and Mose Masoe - has given the club vital breathing room to re-build their roster under the increased $5.85thmillion salary cap. Do the numbers from the players the Roosters used last season and you discover that 17 of the top 25 played their first NRL game for the Tricolours, vindicating the club's decision to recruit teenage talent and develop them. Jake Friend, Mitchell Pearce and Boyd Cordner qlare all prime examples of the club's shift in recruitment philosophy.
THE SUPREMO
.
Picture: Mark EvansSource: The Daily Telegraph
.
THE DARLO DESPERATES, RON JONES AND THE FIRST DEAL - IN the beginning, Politis had the doors to rugby league opened by a group of Kings Cross detectives known as the "Darlo Desperates'' - they were responsible for keeping one of the toughest beats in Sydney crime-free.
Ironically, one of them was South Sydney legend Jack Rayner, who captained the club that the Roosters now proudly love to hate.
Initially, NSW Rugby League boss Kevin Humphreys rejected Politis' proposal to sponsor the Eastern Suburbs Roosters with City Ford in 1975. But by 1977, St George, Manly, Cronulla and every club in Sydney was brokering deals to tap into the new revenue stream. Essentially, Politis paved the way for the birth of sponsorship in rugby league and generated millions of dollars for generations to come, moving away from the days of clubs relying on chook raffles and poker machines. From there, he was pushed to assume control from the previous regime of Ron Jones, and the Roosters have never been in better shape.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1226557337453
Its better you press the link. you can see pictures and please acknowledge James Hooper. He is a quality journalists, one of the few along with Josh Massoud who are decent at the Telucrap.
Ive got a grudge against Rothfield.
I actually think RL should thank Politis he brought in sponsorship and saved the ARL. I think that we should honour him with a statue at Roosters HQ. He has put his heart & soul into the club. Without him I dont know if we would be in good financial shape. Hes propped up the Leagues club so it aint reliant on him.
He picks us up when were down unlike Crapamatta who just get worse every season. I take my hats off to him and so should most NRL fans. Its not his wealth that gets him respect of NRL big guns but the fact that hes so professional at what he does.
The Sir Alex Ferguson of the NRL. Thank you Uncle Nick. Where would we be without you.
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