Go_The_Doggies
12-11-06, 09:13 AM
12 November 2006
By STEVE KILGALLON
The evidence suggests ARL chief executive Geoff Carr was keeping Nathan Fien's non-eligibility as an ace up his sleeve in case Australia lost in Melbourne.
Australian Rugby League chief executive Geoff Carr knew Nathan Fien couldn't play for the Kiwis but kept quiet until after he wore the black jersey, documents obtained by the Sunday Star-Times suggest.
Carr even warned the Kiwis about Fien - but didn't share all his evidence, and failed to follow the right disciplinary procedures to stop the Australian-born hooker from playing for New Zealand, which led to the "Grannygate" fallout.
While last night Carr said he would not change any of his actions - "I couldn't do any more: there was no dispute and no avenue to take things further" - that didn't tally with angry sources within the NZRL or with former chairman Selwyn Bennett, who said Carr should have shared his records which showed Fien's grandparents were of European and Australian origin.
The Star-Times has a copy of a fax sent by Carr to Bennett on October 19 questioning Fien's eligibility and saying ARL registration records showed Fien didn't qualify for New Zealand. That was two days before Fien debuted for the Kiwis in Melbourne.
One source suggested to the the Star-Times that the Australians were "keeping their options open" depending on the result of the Melbourne game, won in the last seconds by Australia. If the Kiwis had won they could then have been stripped of their points.
The Star-Times also has a copy of Bennett's reply, saying Fien was qualified to play because of his Wanganui-born grandmother, suggesting the Kiwis didn't know Fien's claims were actually a generation older until at least late on October 19.
It's likely Fien filled out papers on his heritage when he played for Queensland in 2001 and the NRL also conducted a player audit last year where all first graders had to report the birth places of all their grandparents. Carr consulted those records in relation to a journalist's enquiry back in August.
But Carr said describing those records as evidence was a "bit extreme" as the system wasn't the best. "People write down what they think. We are going to tighten that up and make sure what they do put down is verified," he explained.
"We accepted it when he (Bennett) said Nathan had now double-checked and had New Zealand heritage. Footballers sit around filling it in and put down what they think."
According to the International Federation constitution, Carr could have avoided the whole debacle by reporting his doubts to the federation executive, which would have been bound to make a decision before Fien pulled on a Kiwis jersey.
But Carr rejected that, saying Bennett convinced him Fien was eligible and he trusted Bennett's word. "In the constitution, it says there has to be a dispute, and once we got confirmation from New Zealand there was no dispute," he said.
"We received an answer and there was no need to pursue it further. I was quite certain that Sel wasn't lying to me and I don't think he was, he genuinely believed it."
While the birth certificate showed Irene Lilian Maude Lett would be 100 if still alive, Carr said he "didn't click with the age" because his own grandmother had seven children, the last of them at the age of 40, so the age gap had seemed conceivable. But one NZRL source said Carr's failure to go to the international body was as bad as cricket's infamous underarm bowling incident back in 1981.
And the ousted Bennett said several people had said to him that Carr's role in "Grannygate" should be investigated. "Not only Geoff Carr, but the secretary at the ARL looked into it, the only one who didn't know anything seemed to be me," Bennett told the Star-Times last night.
He said Carr had rushed him into making a decision on Fien on October 19 instead of following correct procedure by referring the debate to the federation.
"I believe what I did was right, but when you think about it I had five minutes to make my mind up,"' said Bennett.
"We had no evidence at all, all we had was the birth certificate and we didn't have the luxury of what he had."
He said it would have been "very helpful" to have seen Carr's records.
"They always seem to be keen to shaft us - we never ever come off well in any negotiations with them," Bennett said.
Sections from the letter from Carr to Bennett - dated October 19, two days before Fien's debut for the Kiwis in Melbourne - are reprinted at right.
Bennett's response, faxed the same day, encloses the birth certificate of Irene Lilian Maude Lett, and describes her as Fien's grandmother.
"Thank you for your question in this regard and I trust this now clarify (sic) the matter in respect to your concerns over Nathan's eligibility," Bennett's letter concludes.
The Star-Times now understands it was later that day that Bennett learned the truth about Fien's family tree.
But it seems clear from the federation's constitution that Carr had an escape route that might have averted the entire incident. Section 3.3.6 reads: "In the event of the eligibility of a player to play for a country being uncertain or in dispute, upon the written request of any Member, Affiliate, or Honorary Member to the Chairman it shall be referred to the Executive Committee or a panel of three persons appointed by the Executive Committee."
That seems especially pertinent when it seems clear that for several months Carr was aware he had written evidence on Fien's eligibility and had been alerted to his possible selection.
In the August 6 Sunday News, he said his records showed Fien's grandparents were not from New Zealand.
The Sunday News referred in more detail to that last week when it said Carr and a staff member had checked the file while on the phone to reporter Neil Reid.
The NZRL's acting chairman, Andrew Chalmers, declined to comment on the new revelations about Grannygate, saying he would not talk about anything relating to the affair until a full review of the incident has been conducted. The gagging order extends to all NZRL staff, including coach Brian McClennan.
By STEVE KILGALLON
The evidence suggests ARL chief executive Geoff Carr was keeping Nathan Fien's non-eligibility as an ace up his sleeve in case Australia lost in Melbourne.
Australian Rugby League chief executive Geoff Carr knew Nathan Fien couldn't play for the Kiwis but kept quiet until after he wore the black jersey, documents obtained by the Sunday Star-Times suggest.
Carr even warned the Kiwis about Fien - but didn't share all his evidence, and failed to follow the right disciplinary procedures to stop the Australian-born hooker from playing for New Zealand, which led to the "Grannygate" fallout.
While last night Carr said he would not change any of his actions - "I couldn't do any more: there was no dispute and no avenue to take things further" - that didn't tally with angry sources within the NZRL or with former chairman Selwyn Bennett, who said Carr should have shared his records which showed Fien's grandparents were of European and Australian origin.
The Star-Times has a copy of a fax sent by Carr to Bennett on October 19 questioning Fien's eligibility and saying ARL registration records showed Fien didn't qualify for New Zealand. That was two days before Fien debuted for the Kiwis in Melbourne.
One source suggested to the the Star-Times that the Australians were "keeping their options open" depending on the result of the Melbourne game, won in the last seconds by Australia. If the Kiwis had won they could then have been stripped of their points.
The Star-Times also has a copy of Bennett's reply, saying Fien was qualified to play because of his Wanganui-born grandmother, suggesting the Kiwis didn't know Fien's claims were actually a generation older until at least late on October 19.
It's likely Fien filled out papers on his heritage when he played for Queensland in 2001 and the NRL also conducted a player audit last year where all first graders had to report the birth places of all their grandparents. Carr consulted those records in relation to a journalist's enquiry back in August.
But Carr said describing those records as evidence was a "bit extreme" as the system wasn't the best. "People write down what they think. We are going to tighten that up and make sure what they do put down is verified," he explained.
"We accepted it when he (Bennett) said Nathan had now double-checked and had New Zealand heritage. Footballers sit around filling it in and put down what they think."
According to the International Federation constitution, Carr could have avoided the whole debacle by reporting his doubts to the federation executive, which would have been bound to make a decision before Fien pulled on a Kiwis jersey.
But Carr rejected that, saying Bennett convinced him Fien was eligible and he trusted Bennett's word. "In the constitution, it says there has to be a dispute, and once we got confirmation from New Zealand there was no dispute," he said.
"We received an answer and there was no need to pursue it further. I was quite certain that Sel wasn't lying to me and I don't think he was, he genuinely believed it."
While the birth certificate showed Irene Lilian Maude Lett would be 100 if still alive, Carr said he "didn't click with the age" because his own grandmother had seven children, the last of them at the age of 40, so the age gap had seemed conceivable. But one NZRL source said Carr's failure to go to the international body was as bad as cricket's infamous underarm bowling incident back in 1981.
And the ousted Bennett said several people had said to him that Carr's role in "Grannygate" should be investigated. "Not only Geoff Carr, but the secretary at the ARL looked into it, the only one who didn't know anything seemed to be me," Bennett told the Star-Times last night.
He said Carr had rushed him into making a decision on Fien on October 19 instead of following correct procedure by referring the debate to the federation.
"I believe what I did was right, but when you think about it I had five minutes to make my mind up,"' said Bennett.
"We had no evidence at all, all we had was the birth certificate and we didn't have the luxury of what he had."
He said it would have been "very helpful" to have seen Carr's records.
"They always seem to be keen to shaft us - we never ever come off well in any negotiations with them," Bennett said.
Sections from the letter from Carr to Bennett - dated October 19, two days before Fien's debut for the Kiwis in Melbourne - are reprinted at right.
Bennett's response, faxed the same day, encloses the birth certificate of Irene Lilian Maude Lett, and describes her as Fien's grandmother.
"Thank you for your question in this regard and I trust this now clarify (sic) the matter in respect to your concerns over Nathan's eligibility," Bennett's letter concludes.
The Star-Times now understands it was later that day that Bennett learned the truth about Fien's family tree.
But it seems clear from the federation's constitution that Carr had an escape route that might have averted the entire incident. Section 3.3.6 reads: "In the event of the eligibility of a player to play for a country being uncertain or in dispute, upon the written request of any Member, Affiliate, or Honorary Member to the Chairman it shall be referred to the Executive Committee or a panel of three persons appointed by the Executive Committee."
That seems especially pertinent when it seems clear that for several months Carr was aware he had written evidence on Fien's eligibility and had been alerted to his possible selection.
In the August 6 Sunday News, he said his records showed Fien's grandparents were not from New Zealand.
The Sunday News referred in more detail to that last week when it said Carr and a staff member had checked the file while on the phone to reporter Neil Reid.
The NZRL's acting chairman, Andrew Chalmers, declined to comment on the new revelations about Grannygate, saying he would not talk about anything relating to the affair until a full review of the incident has been conducted. The gagging order extends to all NZRL staff, including coach Brian McClennan.