Hugh McGahan: CEO deserves accolades for keeping club afloat

Wayne Scurrah. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Warriors are a viable business entity and in good financial shape with strong revenue streams, because of Wayne Scurrah.

No matter what opinion the public or even long-suffering fans have of the chief executive, Scurrah has built a base strong enough to withstand all forms of difficulty.

We have all seen and heard the best and worst about this club and, despite those troubles, the organisation continues to thrive in a harsh and dynamic sports market.

The organisation will only survive if financial stability is secured and maintained, regardless of the quality of the staff.

Discounting the grand final appearance of 2011, we've witnessed a poorly-performing team, a revolving door with coaches, social media mishaps and ownership bloodletting.

Yet this club survives.

It can't be assumed that, because millionaires own the club, it will always survive. Astute businesspeople won't keep pouring good money after bad.

Very little money has been handed over by entities of co-owner Eric Watson to keep them afloat. The business keeps itself.

There has been a significant injection of funds to improve the football department's equipment and resources over the past 18 months.

Scurrah has attracted a lot of criticism because of the team's results, but that's not his doing. Yes, he may have employed the coach, but not everyone gets the right call every time.

The head of an organisation is not there to be everyone's friend or be the nice guy to stakeholders. Their job is to sustainably drive the organisation toward success.

It's arguable what success is. Is it premierships or financial viability?

The owners want both, the fans want the former and the NRL want the latter.

Finding the balance is the job of the CEO and not every boss of sports organisations or franchises has success in both.

A lot of Warriors fans have vented their anger at Scurrah and a large number jumped on that wagon without any knowledge of the business. He has been unfairly targeted.

I'm not saying he's been perfect, but he has made decisions which will never be popular. The fans need to be grateful the club is still around for them to support.

One person who will be grateful will be the incoming chief executive Jim Doyle.

He will not need to build from the ground up as he did when NZRL chief executive. He will drive it his own way, which will have a significant impact and with methods we will not see.

We all hope he delivers the premiership the club desire.

The team have plenty of time in the season to make the top eight. Wayne Scurrah might still receive the best leaving present an employee could want.