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FIFA World Cup 2026 poster'Crucial junction': NRL begins era-defining CEO search
Jasper Bruce, AAP •  May 25th, 2026 8:00 pm
Andrew Abdo | Photo: AAP
Peter V'landys says only "Superman and Jesus added together" could possibly replace Andrew Abdo as the NRL begins an era-defining search for its next chief executive.
Abdo shocked the NRL world in announcing his resignation on Monday after six years at the helm, having been hired as Tennis Australia's new CEO.
"Today's a pretty emotional day for me," Abdo said at a snap press conference in Sydney on Monday.
"I've loved every aspect of being part of this sport.
"Rugby league is just getting started on its growth potential ... I will be cheering from the side."
Abdo's last day will be July 15, after which Australian Rugby League Commission chair V'landys will take charge in an interim capacity.
At that time, V'landys will take four months of leave from his post as Racing NSW boss, but the league's constitution would need to be changed if he wanted to serve as both ARLC chair and CEO beyond then.
Warriors boss Cam George on NRL CEO Andrew Abdo's resignation | Sport Nation
V'landys, synonymous with the game's recent expansion and financial growth, would not be drawn on his aspirations to take the CEO job full time.
"Today's about Andrew. I haven't really given it much thought at all," he said.
"I'm still recovering from the foetal position when Andrew resigned."
Previously the NRL's chief commercial officer, Abdo took over as CEO in April 2020 and was tasked with helping resuscitate the league following its COVID-enforced shutdown.
Under Abdo's leadership, the NRL became the first Australian sporting code to resume in May 2020, doing so to a spike in broadcast ratings and, ultimately, finances.
Since then, the league has secured a $2 billion (NZ$2.43b) broadcast deal, posted record-breaking $845.6 million ($NZ1.05b) revenue last season, introduced new expansion side the Dolphins and executed ambitious plans to open its season in Las Vegas.
Radical changes to the sport's rule book have polarised fans and pundits during Abdo's tenure, particularly the introduction of the set-restart rule.
But V'landys on Monday described Abdo as "by far the best CEO" the NRL has had.
"He's irreplaceable. His conscientiousness, his professionalism, his loyalty, his mass intelligence," V'landys said. "We're going to need Superman and Jesus added together."
Andrew Abdo and Peter V'Landys | Photo: AAP
V'landys acknowledged the NRL was at a "crucial junction" in the game's history and faced a "very, very important" decision on its next chief executive.
Across the next 24 months, the NRL will finalise its most daring expansion project since the competition's inception in 1908.
More than just rugby league is at stake on the PNG Chiefs' arrival in 2028, with the team propped up by millions in government funding from Canberra in the hope it can act as a diplomatic tool.
With the Perth Bears' entry in 2027, the NRL is making an ambitious play to infiltrate diehard AFL territory for the first time this century.
The biggest broadcast deal in the game's history also needs finalising, though V'landys was hopeful that could be achieved by the time of Abdo's departure.
The next CEO will also be tasked with helping broker a new collective bargaining agreement with the players' union for 2028 and beyond, and overseeing ongoing plans for the NRL's global round.
"We'll get the person that's best and we have the ability to do the job. It doesn't have to be (from) within the NRL," V'landys said.
"We'll take our time. I'm not going to rush it, because it's a very, very important decision. We're at a crucial junction in the game with everything that's occurring.
"We want to make sure that the next person is at least 80 per cent as good as Andrew."
