Late last week, the coaches, captains, chairmen and chief executives of the league gathered in Sydney and unanimously voted to end the rule of the Australian Rugby League and News Limited in favor of an independent commission.

Richardson said that there are changes in the rules of the game that must be enacted quickly in order to serve what the fans want. He added that an agreement can be drafted faster between ARL and News Limited.

The chief executive stressed that the new independent commission can be set into place before this year’s season starts.

Richardson said that true independence means putting the public’s interest first rather than certain vested interests.