NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo resigns

Updated May 25, 2026 — 18:22,

Peter V’landys has left open the possibility of taking over as chairman of rugby league’s powerful executive board in a move that could end his two-decade reign in charge of Racing NSW.

The manager will become interim NRL chief executive in July after Andrew Abdo leaves the role to take up the coveted senior role at Tennis Australia.

News of Abdo’s expected departure rocked the sport on Monday, a day before broadcasters including Nine, which owns this imprint, were set to make pitches to the NRL as part of negotiations for the game’s next broadcast rights deal.

But as attention quickly turned to who would fill his shoes, V’landys refused to rule out the chairmanship of the board that would need to be created for him and would require the support of the NSW Rugby League, the Queensland Rugby League and all but one of the 17 NRL clubs.

“According to the law, this cannot be allowed.” [Australian Rugby League Commission] There is a constitution now, so the clubs need to change the constitution to make this happen,” V’landys said.

“But… today is about Andrew, it’s not about me. It’s about the huge loss we have today with Andrew leaving for Tennis Australia. The only really good thing is that he’s going to Melbourne.”

Andrew Abdo and Peter V’landys on the grand final day of 2025.Getty Images

The ARL Commission charter states that a director cannot also be an employee and that a certain majority is required to change this.

V’landys, who has been chairman of the ARL Commission since 2019, said he would take a four-month long service leave from his full-time role at Racing NSW to accommodate Abdo’s departure.

That would effectively make him chief executive temporarily, but if he were allowed to assume such a position permanently, it would allow him to exit the conflict-plagued race while retaining an annual salary of more than $1 million.

Asked if he would consider quitting racing altogether, he said: “I’m not going to go into those details at this stage. I’m still recovering from the fetal position when Andrew resigned. So until I can get myself out of that corner, out of that fetal position, I’ll start thinking about what the future holds.”

According to V’landys, Abdo will take over as South African Craig Tiley’s successor at TA in August but will be in talks with broadcasters until then.

Abdo and V’landys denied the suggestion that their relationship was strained, and Abdo was full of praise for his boss when asked if he would be made executive chairman.

“Well, that’s a decision for the commission and the board to make,” Abdo said. “But you’ve heard me say before how incredibly lucky we are and how fortunate we are in terms of the stability and continuity provided by Peter being able to move into executive responsibility in the short term.

“What the long-term decision is is a matter for Peter and of course the board, and it’s important to remember that this is a board, right? So the strength and diversity of the board was really important in getting us to where we are today, and you know that’s a matter for Peter and the board to decide.”

Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo were among the crowd at the men’s final of the Australian Open tennis event in January.Getty Images

V’landys and the ARL Commission were at war with the NSWRL and QRL over funding just two years ago but relations have improved.

Whether they muster enough to eliminate the separation between the board and management and effectively hand him the keys to the code is another matter.

The ARLC charter was drawn up when News Ltd relinquished ownership of the sport in 2011 and the bar for rewriting it was set deliberately high. But an impressive new broadcast deal wouldn’t hurt to convince clubs and states.

“I could see Peter becoming chairman of the board, I think it’s the perfect role for him,” Storm president Matt Tripp told this imprint. “But I still believe they need a CEO who will support Peter. Even though he’s a superhuman person, it’s a big ask for him to take on all the roles he’s currently taking on.”

V’landys said he had no chance of leaving the board to become CEO.

Abdo will leave one of the biggest jobs in Australian sport after a tenure in which rugby league enjoyed record attendance and TV ratings while also undertaking major expansion projects. Papua New Guinea and Perth and taking the games to Las Vegas.

V’landys said it would be extremely difficult to replace him.

“There’s no two ways about it. He’s irreplaceable. I mean, his conscientiousness, his professionalism, his loyalty, his mass intelligence… We’re going to need Superman and Jesus added together,” he said.

“So it’s going to be hard to replace him, but there’s a graveyard full of people, myself included, who think they’re irreplaceable, so we’re not going to rush. I’m not going to rush because it’s such an important time for the game and we want to make sure we get the right person for that position.”

Abdo, who was promoted to replace Todd Greenberg as the NRL’s commercial manager in 2020, described leading the NRL as “a privilege and the highlight of my career”.

“Together we have built a strong, innovative and resilient organization, expanding the reach of the game and positioning it for an exciting future,” he said.

“Rugby league has given me opportunities I could never have imagined, experiences beyond compare and I have made lifelong friends. It has been an honor to be a part of the rugby league family.”

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Chris Barrett is senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Southeast Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age newspapers.Connect with: X or email.