The Broncos new boss

ivanhungryjak · Dec 17, 2017

New Broncos chairman Karl Morris on working with Wayne Bennett and the club’s future
BEING Wayne Bennett’s boss and running the richest club in the NRL is nothing compared to the pressures of Karl Morris’ day job.
“I’ve got 566,000 members of QSuper who rely on me to give them a good retirement,” the new Brisbane Broncos chairman said. “That’s extremely serious.”
Morris, a highly successful stockbroker and finance expert, has replaced Dennis Watt as Broncos chairman.
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New Broncos chairman Karl Morris. Photo: Adam Armstrong
The 49-year-old was headhunted for the role by Watt, Broncos CEO Paul White and News Corporation, publishers of The Sunday Mail and major shareholders of the Brisbane Broncos.
Morris, a father-of-five, has stepped into the role with little experience in the unforgiving and highly scrutinised world of rugby league administration.
But he is clear in what his priority is with Brisbane stuck in the longest premiership drought in the club’s history.
“The one goal is to win a premiership — there is no other goal,” he said.
“While it might be slightly unrealistic to say we can win a premiership every year, it is certainly the board’s goal to win it every year. That’s our target.
“Everything falls away from that. The success of your sponsors and fans flows from there.
“The number one KPI for everyone within the Broncos is to win a premiership.”

A return to the glory days is the ultimate goal. Photo: David Kapernick.
STOCK MARKET TO FOOTY FIELD

Morris, executive chairman of finance juggernaut Ord Minnett and superannuation fund QSuper, was born in Townsville and raised in Brisbane.
On March 6, 1988, he was in the Lang Park crowd for the Broncos’ first ever premiership match against Manly, a resounding 44-10 victory.
A blossoming career took Morris to Sydney for two decades but he returned to Brisbane eight years ago with wife Louise.
Morris, also a member of catholic church boards, believes fresh ideas from outside the NRL sphere will help him succeed at the Broncos.

The jury is out on the Broncos’ premiership chances. Photo: Annette Dew
“If I went on to a finance board it’s pretty clear-cut what you’ve got to do — you’ve got to make a profit,” he said.
“This is different. You’re able to do good work in the community on the back of it.
“I’ve been involved in finance for 30 years so the attractiveness of it was to get into another part of the world and be fully immersed in what’s been an extremely successful national sporting enterprise.
“They were looking for some fresh ideas. The Broncos saw in me that I’m across a lot of fields.
“I come from a very competitive world of stock broking and investment banking but I’ve also been involved in membership organisations like RACQ (board member) and QSuper.
“I’m a fast learner. I am spending a lot of time talking to a range of people to get my knowledge and experience up.
“I’ve spent a fair bit of time talking to people about what’s different in rugby league that I’m not used to in my business world.”

Jack Bird’s injury was a big blow. Photo: Liam Kidston.
THIRST FOR SUCCESS

It has been 11 years since Brisbane’s last NRL title in 2006.
They came within seconds of claiming the club’s seventh premiership in the thrilling 2015 decider against the North Queensland Cowboys but ultimately fell short.
For a cashed-up club — the Broncos had revenue of $42 million last year — blessed with the advantage of being the only team in a rugby league-obsessed city of two million people, it is arguable that the Broncos should be winning competitions more often.
“My role is to provide the structure and governance to support Paul, the coach and people within the Broncos to field the best team and win a premiership,” Morris said.
“Peter Nolan (recruitment boss) and the coach are the ones in charge of making sure the players you lose are replaced by even better players.
“From what I’m told and what I’ve seen, I think they’re going to have an extraordinary year in 2018.
“There is a little bit of luck involved in players remaining healthy, but from what I’ve seen they’ll be extremely competitive in 2018. I expect nothing less.”

How long will Wayne Bennett stay on? Photo: Peter Wallis
THE BENNETT FACTOR

Bennett, 67, is entering the penultimate season of his current contract and whether the seven-time premiership winner coaches beyond 2019 remains to be seen.
He is the most powerful personality at Red Hill and Morris believes Brisbane’s future is bright with Bennett at the helm.
“I’ve met Wayne a few times,” Morris said. “It’s only one week into my role. I’ve had one board meeting. He makes a presentation to the board and we had that last week. It was extremely positive about what’s going to happen in 2018.
“What has amazed me is the passion people have for the Broncos. Everyone wants the team to be successful. Everyone has an opinion on the team and how they’re playing.
“I’m sure I’ll get lots of advice and I look forward to it.”
After four years as Broncos chairman, Watt this week assumed the newly created role of executive chairman at the Gold Coast Titans.