KEY POINTS:
Three weeks ago, few people had heard of Andrew Chalmers. He was a largely unknown member of the NZRL board who primarily focused on the commercial aspects of rugby league in this country.
Nathan Fien and his great-grandmother changed all that and now Chalmers finds himself acting chairman of an organisation struggling for credibility.
Depending on who you talk to, Chalmers is the man who will make the game a better place for everyone or an adroit individual out for his own ends. One suggestion is that he's merely using his time in rugby league to forge a political career.
"It's all just speculation," Chalmers says in his laconic way at NZRL House in the shadows of Mt Smart Stadium. "I'm in a political environment now. This is politics. Beyond March [when elections for the board are held at the AGM], I'm not sure."
The 39-year-old stresses that he will step down as acting chairman and a director on the board in March but hasn't decided, or won't disclose, whether he will seek re-election.
Depending, of course, what happens between now and then, it's difficult to see Chalmers walking away. He's ambitious, confident and self-assured. He has the persona of a politician, often slipping into jargon but there's no denying he moved smartly recently.
Faced with the prospect of an Auckland-led mutiny and cries of derision from a dumbfounded public, Chalmers called a special meeting of the districts and affiliates in Wellington last weekend before the Kiwis' test against Great Britain. It was largely successful and might have staved off the wolves for the time being.
He hasn't yet, however, repaired league's damaged image among a public who have often hit below the belt.
"What's hurtful is the perception that the board members and administrators of league are all dummies who don't know what we're doing," Chalmers says. "I didn't spend 10 years at university to be called a dummy.
"We have put some very important strategies in position. That's not saying the organisation is delivering. What has happened has given us an opportunity to make positive change. I like to think that, in my temporary role, we can mend an enormous number of fences but also make big strides in what we want to achieve and to provide a better platform to build rugby league in this country."
Although his generous frame belies it now, Chalmers was a handy fullback in his time.
He won the Lion Red Cup with Wainuiomata in 1991, played for New Zealand Universities at the universities world cup (and was selected for the world XIII) and played reserve grade for Manly and Balmain in the Winfield Cup.
He was also part of the Dolphins bid team led by Ken Laban and John Morrison that put in a submission in 1992 to join the Winfield Cup and was the front man for the Southern Orcas' unsuccessful bid to join the expanded NRL in 2007.
He joined the NZRL board as an independent in 2003 and, in more recent times, stepped in to negotiate the sale of the NZRL's shareholding in the Warriors.
He also helped smooth the waters with the international fraternity following Selwyn Bennett's ill-advised comments over Fien's eligibility and found himself acting chairman despite the fact Peter Douglas was in line to occupy the chair.
He's put his extensive business interests on hold to commit himself full-time to the NZRL. What those business interests are, he won't divulge, but he explains he took former business, travel enterprise Pacific International, from $9 million and 18 staff in 1996 to one worth $280 million and 550 staff as group managing director.
"I'm just a guardian here," he says of his role at the NZRL. "I'm a caretaker with some specific goals and objectives. One of the biggest challenges is to reassure everyone you are capable."
In today's environment, that's no easy task.
