Todd Greenberg expected to be announced as new Cricket Australia CEO to replace Nick Hockley

Todd Greenberg is set to head up a major sporting league for the second time, with the former NRL CEO expected to be unveiled as the Cricket Australia chief executive.

Greenberg, who was in charge of the Canterbury Bulldogs before taking on the top job in the NRL in 2016, stepped down from that job in 2020 after a falling out with broadcaster Channel 9.

He will replace Nick Hockley at the top of the Cricket Australia tree, according to the SMH, after Hockley announced he was quitting in August but would stay on in the role until the end of the cricket season in March.

Greenberg’s latest role has been as the head of the cricket players’ union, and he worked closely with Cricket Australia Chair Mike Baird when the latter was NSW Premier from 2014 to 2019.

He has also worked for Cricket NSW in the 1990s and was General Manager of Stadium Australia from 2001 to 2008.

Greenberg had a tumultuous time as NRL CEO, during which he was forced to introduce the no-fault stand down policy in 2019 after a slew of players faced serious sexual assault and domestic violence charges among a raft of off-field scandals.

He also had to navigate the league through the COVID pandemic in 2020 and is credited for introducing the Bunker video referee system to the league.

Greenberg takes over Cricket Australia at a time when the cricketing schedule is under fire over the lack of preparation it provides the Test squad as the game continues to skew towards more T20 matches.

Hockley said four months ago the decision to resign had been “difficult.”

“However, following what promises to be a blockbuster summer and with our five-year strategic plan well progressed, this is the right time to pursue another challenge,” he said.

“This is not the time for goodbyes, as I remain completely focused on the season ahead and supporting the board on succession and a smooth transition.”

Hockley’s legacy is likely to remain the way he steered Australian cricket through the COVID-19 crisis and remained at the helm for the dramatic years that followed.

He went from Twenty20 World Cup CEO to CA’s interim leader when former CA boss Kevin Roberts paid the price for the sport’s response to the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020.