No stranger to facing the music, Graham Annesley has promised greater transparency in his return to the NRL head office after quitting his post on the Gold Coast.
The Titans' chief executive will leave the club at the end of the season to rejoin the NRL as head of its elite football programs.
Annesley will virtually take over the role of Brian Canavan as the right-hand man to NRL boss Todd Greenberg and oversee the running of the league and its refereeing ranks.
The former NRL referee and chief operating officer has piloted the Titans from the brink of collapse in five dramatic years that included a cocaine scandal, NRL takeover and recent acquisition.
Credited for introducing the video refereeing system in 1996, Annesley also spent nearly three years as NSW Sports Minister before moving to the Gold Coast.
Annesley wore his heart on his sleeve during Titans games and says it will be tough to return south of the border with the team on the cusp of on and off-field success.
But he said his background could help a league heavily criticised for its penalty crackdown earlier this year and still dealing with Manly's drawn-out salary cap mess.
"I tried politics ... I guess I'm trying to work my way through the most unpopular jobs in the country and I'm getting there bit by bit," he joked.
Annesley hinted weekly media briefings from the NRL could become the norm under his watch.
"There are plenty of things that tick you off over the course of a rugby league season ... (but) we are not going to be able to stop mistakes," he said.
"Whether we've had an ordinary weekend or a good weekend ... we need to be transparent and address it warts and all."
Canavan, who was head of football for two years, remains at the Moore Park offices as head of its participation and pathways.
"It has become clear this year that the Head of Football role needs to be split into two areas - elite and participation programs," NRL boss Todd Greenberg said on Monday.
Titans executive chairman Dennis Watt said Annesley had the temperament to make a difference in his new posting.
"He's the guy that you want in your camp when you're doing it tough," he said.
"Graham's got that rare brand of courage that's so needed in public life ... there's never been a time he hasn't fronted up and been accountable."
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