High Steaks: Anthony De Ceglie talks about leaving Seven and his plans for Perth Bears
The newly appointed boss of the Perth Bears NRL franchise talks to Buzz Rothfield about his tumultuous departure from Channel 7 – and the bitter media pile-on that followed.
Some excerpts
“I learnt a long time ago to ignore the noise. At the end of the day, I’ve always been the sort of person to take bold steps, take risks and swing for home runs,” De Ceglie says.
“It would be pretty ironic if I was to complain about criticism when I’ve been an editor of a tabloid newspaper.
“I don’t think I’d do anything differently. You’ve got to take chances and you’ve got to be prepared to fail.”
He insists has no regrets.
“Not at all,” he said. “I had 6½ years at Seven West Media and cherished every minute of it.
“The opportunity in the NRL came at the right time in my life – that why I left.”
The whispering campaign against him has been vicious, with his decision to introduce horoscopes and satire into the nightly news bulletins brought up as examples of a leader who was out of his depth rather than innovative.
If De Ceglie is hurt by the criticism he is not showing it. He’s upbeat, buoyant and confident as we sit down for a steak in the (Norths Leagues) club bistro.