The changing of the guard at the NRL continues, with premiership winner and former Test centre Mark Gasnier brought in by executive chairman Peter V’landys.
The 45-year-old, the bearer of one of the most famous surnames in the game’s history, is understood to have been hired in a senior role with a focus on driving participation.
Gasnier retired in 2011, the year after winning a drought-breaking title with St George Illawarra, and later developed Tri Tag Rugby, a non-contact variation of rugby union, and licensed it to Rugby Australia.
A spokesman said the NRL did not comment on internal appointments.
But the former cross-code star is the latest recruitment of the V’landys era following an exodus of executives from the governing body’s head office at Moore Park.
Among them were John Wilson, the former Parramatta and Wests Tigers centre and ex-France international, who was executive general manager of participation and social impact and a 17-year veteran of the NRL before quitting to become chief executive of Australian OzTag.
Gasnier also formerly worked for OzTag and more recently had a small role on the coaching staff of Parramatta’s Jason Ryles, a long-time teammate of his at the Dragons.
According to Gasnier’s LinkedIn page, he last year founded sports technology app Let’s Play, a platform to assist sports streamline registrations and interactions with participants, before selling it.
He retains a small stake and is on the company’s board, but the majority shareholder is investment fund manager Salter Brothers.
Gasnier also had designs on acquiring the rights to flag football – a non-contact form of American football – in Australia.
He attended the Super Bowl in California this year with Salter Partners portfolio manager Gregg Taylor, a former Cronulla Sharks board member.
The nephew of late rugby league Immortal Reg Gasnier, he played 15 Tests for Australia and 12 State of Origin games for NSW in a decade-long career broken up by two seasons in French rugby with Stade Francais.
After hanging up the boots, he spent seven years commentating for Fox Sports. Gasnier was also briefly registered as an NRL player agent.
There has long been speculation that the NRL would buy OzTag, a move that would allow rugby league to claim more than 200,000 additional participants, but it has never materialised.
The NRL and OzTag do, however, have a partnership in place for programs such as development in schools.
V’landys is putting his stamp firmly on the NRL after becoming full-time executive chairman, an all-powerful post which places him in charge of both the board and the day-to-day operations of the sport.
He took over after Andrew Abdo left in July to become CEO of Tennis Australia.
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