NRL | Knights CEO Phil Gardner answers criticism that he botched the handling of Nathan Brown's exit from the club

The Knights CEO has faced a barrage of criticism following Brown's decision last week to fall on his sword with suggestions the coach had been undermined by those in the club who were plotting to get rid of him.

Gardner admitted officials were doing due diligence on potential replacements for Brown should a review at the end of the season call for a change of coach.

But he said claims player list manager Troy Pezet had met with Sydney Roosters assistant coach Adam O'Brien and his manager Isaac Moses several weeks ago to discuss the coaching position were not true.

"There was no meeting with Pezzy," Gardner said.

"He's in charge of player recruitment, not coach recruitment. That's my job along with the board.

"I've seen a lot of things reported in the media in the last week or so and very little of it is true."

Gardner opened up to the Herald on:

Nathan Brown

"If I made one mistake with Nathan as his employer and boss, it was I got too close to him. He is just such a good person and his family are special people. It's a tremendously emotional thing. What he did [in resigning] was all about making the decision easier for me. The plan was always to do a review at the end of the season where everyone's job comes under scrutiny.

We had to do the right thing because we owe it to the town. Four years as coach is a long period and when we put him on the contract he's on, we had the understanding it would come to an end at some point or he would transition into a technical director - one or the other. That's where it was going. That was the discussion at the time we re-signed him."

The resignation

"I was blindsided when he came in and resigned. We had a long discussion about what was best for the club and where did we go. My view of all of that was that everyone felt about him, the way I felt about him. I thought that after the announcement, they [the players] would play for him and we'd win the three games and make the semifinals and it would be a great way for everyone to go out heads held high. Unfortunately, we got the result that we got on Saturday and he quickly came to the conclusion we needed a segue to drive change and that was the coach going. Nathan came to me on Sunday and said I need to go. I said we'd agreed we would muscle up and stand shoulder to shoulder and get through this. But on Monday, he said to me again he couldn't do it so after talking with my board we made the decision today [Tuesday].

Joey's criticism

Knights legend Andrew Johns said the club's finals hopes had been sabotaged by the way Brown departed. Gardner said he could not have handled it any differently.

"I wasn't given an opportunity to do anything other than what we did. Nathan had told his coaching staff what he was doing and also told some players [Mitchell Pearce and Tim Glasby] before he told me. Certainly, once the players were told, we had nowhere else to go. There was no other option. It would have been much simpler and much easier for me to keep it under wraps until the end of the season. But like I said, the coaches and players knew before I knew and once he'd told them, there was no coming back. There was no keeping it under wraps until the season was over. Since then, it's been a real challenge with the players. But that's who Nathan is. He is a very honest, upright person and he acts, sometimes to his own detriment and sometimes to the detriment of others. But that's who he is. I would have much rather have been able to say to him in that Monday meeting, okay this is where we are but let's at least wait for three weeks and make the call then. I didn't have that option."

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Troy Pezet's role

"Pezzy's in charge of player recruitment, not coach recruitment. That's my job along with the board. There was no meeting [with Adam O'Brien]. I have asked him that question and he has told me he hasn't. As we do with everything, we knew there would be a review and we were looking at every single coach in the game, every single assistant coach and we have them all rated. We have a spreadsheet on them all. It's due diligence and every competent CEO would be doing the same thing. If we were going to make a change at the end of the year, we had to go up - get better. The question was who are the coaches and where do they sit because if you can't go up, you have to stay where you are. That was the process we were talking about. The reality is there is no discussion with coaches unless it is with me and up until the Monday when Nathan made his decision, there had been no discussion.

Kalyn Ponga

Gardner says the "strawberry thickshake interview" involving Ponga was unfortunate and was a by-product of Nathan Brown telling the playing group not to feel sorry for him and not to stick up for him.

"He's a free spirit who would never say anything to hurt Nathan. They have a great relationship and certainly his mother was very distraught and Kalyn was very distraught about it. He has apologised to Nathan. He's a 21-year-old young man."

Gardner scoffed at suggestions he is refusing to discuss a contract extension with Ponga and his family until he gets rid of his manager Wade Rushton.

"I would upgrade and extend Kalyn in a heartbeat if I could but that's a decision for KP and his family to come to. The reason he is in Newcastle is because of his mum and dad and if he goes, it will be because of his mum and dad. That's where it sits. They have advisers but Andre and Adine, they make the decisions with KP and no-one has his best interests at heart more than them. It won't be about money as people have been suggesting. If Kalyn doesn't stay with us,it's because he doesn't see the opportunity to be successful here. We as a club have to be successful to have the best players playing here. KP wants success, he wants premierships and he wants to play for Australia and that's what his family wants for him. If we are going to keep him, we are going to do it on the back of a successful club otherwise he won't stay."

Adam O'Brien

The Sydney Roosters coach is the on the verge of taking the Knights top job but Gardner insists a deal is not yet done.

"I haven't had a meeting with Adam O'Brien yet and like I have been saying, unless they are talking to me, the coaches haven't spoken to the club. It's that simple. Pezzy talks to all the managers. I can't manage the managers. Because they have coaches and players on their books, god knows what is going on out there. There has not been a decision made as yet and the final decision won't be made until my board rubber-stamps it. Until then, it's not done."

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