From Bomb Threats to Boardrooms

While that would put the frightener up anyone, his anxiety was amplified given that Nick Politis was his boss and the Easts Chair traditionally conducted much of his work over a phone call.

“When he said to me on that Friday, come down to my office tomorrow at 11 o’clock I need to see you, I thought oh jeez this is a bit strange, something’s up here,” Scott tells the ClubLIFE Podcast in a new episode released today.

“I knew I was safe, he goes don’t worry it’s not you, it’s about footy… my mind is churning all night, what could it be, because this is out of the ordinary.”

In the background, there had been much media speculation as to which Sydney club was set to sign Cooper Cronk, the departing Melbourne Storm halfback who was on the move north. 

Scott dismissed the notion that the Saturday meeting would be about Cronk, given the Roosters had recently re-signed their long-term halfback Mitchell Pearce.

“He gets me in the office, he goes mate we’ve signed Cooper, you’ve got to put a letter together and sign it and get it back to me,” Scott tells the ClubLIFE Podcast.

“It’s the only time I’ve ever fan-girled him, — I went you’re amazing I don’t know how you’ve done that, well done.

“He goes — now I know it’s only me, Cooper, his manager and Robbo [Roosters coach Trent Robinson] who knows, now you, so if it gets out I know where it’s f***ing come from!”

Scott began his career in the NSW club industry at Randwick Rugby Club, before moving to the Hakoah Club in 1997 — a venue which had armed doormen and was the subject of several bomb threats during his time there as a duty manager, gaming manager and then assistant general manager.

In a wide-ranging interview on the ClubLIFE Podcast, Scott shares his early memories of the club industry, his stints working at two different faith-based clubs in Hakoah and Dooleys, navigating one of the most high-powered boards in Australia and his current focus at Revesby Workers’ Club to diversify profit centres in order to ensure long-term, sustainable success.

Click on the link below to hear the full interview with Scott Bennetts in the fifteenth episode of the ClubLIFE Podcast, which is also available via ClubLIFE.com.au, Apple, Spotify and wherever else you get your podcasts.

If you have a suggestion on who might make an interesting guest for a future ClubLIFE Podcast episode, get in touch with the team by emailing [email protected].