Former Tennis Australia boss departs on bumper pay packet

Tennis Australia’s erstwhile chief executive Craig Tiley may have moved on to bigger and better things when he left the Australian tennis body to run its US counterpart earlier this year.

But if a fresh tax return filed by Tennis Australia is any indicator, Tiley left the organisation as one of the best-paid executives in the country. He pocketed $US2.5 million ($3.5 million), the biggest of his compensation packages disclosed by TA to the US Internal Revenue Service of at least the last five years. The year before, Tiley made $US1.2 million ($1.7 million).

The figure was reported in what’s known as a 990 filing in the United States, where Tennis Australia is registered as a non-profit and is required to report to the IRS annually. The latest filing covers the 12 months to September 30 last year and includes a level of detail TA doesn’t include in its annual report.

Tennis Australia, though, insists the figures don’t offer an accurate picture of its financials. Particularly, once you factor in variances in reporting periods between Australia and the US, foreign currency fluctuations and other accounting quirks, like bonuses and other payments falling between reporting cycles.

But if the figures are good enough for the US tax authorities, they’re good enough for us!

Tennis Australia’s chief commercial officer Cedric Cornelis, meanwhile, made $US812,027 ($1.1 million) last year, and the sporting body’s chief strategy and performance officer, Timothy Jolley, took home $US561,337 ($782,678) for the same period.

TA’s chief operating officer Thomas Larner made $US506,282 ($705,914), while Katrina Blair, the organisation’s chief financial officer, made $US694,816 ($968,789). US Open and Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, who is also Tennis Australia’s Davis Cup captain, took in $US264,547 ($368,860), while US Open champion Samantha Stosur, also Tennis Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup captain, made $US268,975 ($375,034).

Tennis Australia announced Tiley’s resignation in February, before announcing former NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo as the organisation’s new boss in May. But when reached over the weekend, the tennis peak body would not be drawn on whether we could expect to see Abdo making the same kind of money.

At least we won’t have to wait too long to find out.

Roger Goodell’s private box of power at the MCG

The concept of the best seat in the house is liberally thrown around these days, but at the showdown between the LA Rams and the San Francisco 49ers at the MCG on Friday, real power and serious influence converged in the NFL boss Roger Goodell’s private suite.

Entrée into Goodell’s orbit, he has been commissioner of America’s National Football League for the past 20 years, was the most exclusive invitation at the ground, which saw 100,021 fans flock to Melbourne’s sporting colosseum.

Goodell’s suite, actually three suites at the MCG which were turned into one for the day, hosted the likes of News Corp chair and Fox Corporation boss Lachlan Murdoch and his wife Sarah, Tourism Australia chair Penny Fowler, deputy prime minister and defence minister Richard Marles, federal Sports Minister Anika Wells, Victorian Premier Ben Carroll and various state ministers, AFL commissioner Craig Drummond and chief executive Andrew Dillon, rugby league chief Peter V’landys, Visit Victoria board members Eddie McGuire and Andy Penn and chief executive Brendan McClements, and Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece.

Rob Placek, senior advisor for sports diplomacy with the US Department of State was there, as was Robert Koepcke, chargé d’affaires with the US embassy in Canberra and Colin Crosby, the US consul general in Melbourne.

Also making the list, CBD was reliably informed, were Andrew Liveris, Brisbane Olympic Games organising committee president, Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president for international events, Australian Sports Commission chief Kieren Perkins, Gerry Cardinale, the founder of RedBird Capital Partners, and Hostplus boss David Elia.

Governor of Victoria Margaret Gardner and her husband Glyn Davis were there too.

The suite, we are told, held about 60 people with CBD hearing of many significant business identities dropping in throughout the match from other corporate areas to say hello.

All up, it was very much a case of diplomacy, power and sport at play at the first NFL regular season game to be staged Down Under.

The exodus from the ’G started at half-time with the AFL contingent leaving to make it to the Fremantle v Geelong elimination final at Optus Stadium in Perth that evening.

The NRL contingent left straight after the game to get back to Sydney for the Rabbitohs v Knights elimination final and Goodell himself flew out of Melbourne on Friday night, as did both US teams.

Cate Sayers’ Gimlet victory toast

Cate Sayers made a powerful statement to media outside the Supreme Court on Friday after she and her ex-husband Luke Sayers finally hammered out a confidential settlement in their bitter lewd photo defamation stoush, but it was not the only statement she made that day.

Her choice of CBD restaurant Gimlet as the location for her post settlement victory lunch did not escape notice of those who know.

Gimlet, Andrew McConnell’s lauded dining establishment, is one of Luke Sayer’s favourite – if not his favourite – inner city dining spot.

Surely, Cate selecting the posh noshery for a celebratory meal with singer Anthony Callea and his husband Tim Campbell was not a coincidence.

Cate’s lawyer Rebekah Giles was also at the table but left the gathering early, spotted leaving the venue with a suitcase possibly on her way back to Sydney.

Luke is thought to still be in Europe with his girlfriend Alexandra Elms.

Cate launched defamation action against Luke in January this year claiming he had falsely blamed her for publishing a photograph of his penis on his X account in January 2025.

Gillon v Dillon in battle of CEOs on footy field

It was the ‘Battle of the CEOs’ on Saturday afternoon in the VAFA at Elsternwick Oval where Gill McLachlan’s Uni Blues smashed Andrew Dillon’s Old Xavs in the A-grade semi-final by 51 points.

McLachlan was there – you can’t miss him – sporting a crisp new NFL top.

The TAB boss and former AFL chief clearly enjoyed the American football carnival that took over Melbourne and the MCG on Friday.

Dillon was unfortunately missing from the VAFA match.

His AFL duties required he be elsewhere at another semi-final – in the stands at the Gabba in Brisbane to watch the Lions smash Adelaide.

It was about as close at the Gabba as it was at Elsternwick, with the Lions posting a 53 point victory.