Michael Greenfield (rugby league)

Michael Greenfield

Personal information
Full name	Michael Greenfield
Born	(1985-09-13) 13 September 1985 (age 39) Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
Playing information
Height	191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Weight	112 kg (17 st 9 lb)
Position	Prop
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2004 Cronulla Sharks 1 0 0 0 0 2006–09 South Sydney 24 1 0 0 4 2010–11 St. George Illawarra 13 0 0 0 0 2012 Melbourne Storm 1 0 0 0 0 Total 39 1 0 0 4
Source: [1]

Michael Greenfield (born 13 September 1985) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played 2000s and 2010s. He played at club level for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the St George Illawarra Dragons, and the Melbourne Storm, in the National Rugby League (NRL), as a prop or second-row. He was a member of the Dragons' 2011 World Club Challenge-winning team.

Early life

Greenfield was born in Liverpool, New South Wales Australia. He was educated at Westfields Sports High School, where he represented 2003 Australian Schoolboys. ^[2] He started playing rugby league relatively late in his life, having previously played basketball. ^[3]

Michael played his junior football for Ingleburn Bulldogs.

Playing career

Greenfield started his first-grade career with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, for whom he played one NRL match in 2004. He then moved to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, playing in 24 NRL matches over four seasons. He signed for the St George Illawarra Dragons from the 2010 season, and later extended his contract through the 2011 season. ^[4]

Greenfield was selected to play in the 2011 World Club Challenge on 27 February 2011 at DW Stadium against the 2010 Super League premiers, Wigan Warriors. St George Illawarra Dragons went on to win the game 21–15. At the end of the 2011 season, he was released from his contract with St George and signed with Melbourne Storm. ^[5]

He made his Melbourne Storm debut in round 12 of the 2012 NRL season against the Broncos. During his time at Melbourne, he suffered an injury from a shoulder charge which was bad enough to prevent him from continuing to play. ^[6]

CFMEU Career

Following his retirement from rugby, Greenfield became a prominent figure within the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) NSW branch, holding the position of assistant secretary. His involvement in the union has been marked by significant events and controversies. ^[7]

As the assistant secretary of the CFMEU NSW, Greenfield played a key role in the union’s operations. His responsibilities included negotiating on behalf of the union members, advocating for workers’ rights, and participating in high-stakes discussions with construction companies and other industry stakeholders despite not having a previous career in the construction industry.

Legal issues

Greenfield pleaded guilty to drug possession charges in 2019. ^[8] He was arrested earlier that year along with two union organisers Nicholas Rekes and Simon Gutierrez during a police operation targeting drug distribution in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. ^[9] He was accused of possessing cocaine, which he bought from his own officials. ^[10]

In 2021, Greenfield and his father, Darren Greenfield, who at that time served as the CFMEU NSW secretary, were arrested and charged with bribery. ^[11] The charges stemmed from an investigation by the trade union taskforce involving the Australian Federal Police and NSW Police. The Greenfields were accused of soliciting and accepting $5,000 kickbacks from the owner of Lin Betty Building Group, a Chinese construction company, in return for preferential treatment on building sites.

Darren Greenfield was charged with four counts of receiving a corrupting benefit, ^[12] while Michael Greenfield faced charges of making a false declaration and two counts of receiving a corrupting benefit. The alleged bribery took place between 2018 and 2020. The Greenfields were granted bail with strict conditions, including surrendering their passports, curfews, and daily reporting to their local police stations.

In September 2021, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) suspended Michael and Darren Greenfield from the NSW CFMEU following these bribery allegations. This action was enforced by Chris Minns, the leader of the NSW Labor Party, to distance the party from the controversy and uphold its integrity. ^[13] On July 15, 2024, Premier Chris Minns has declared that Darren Greenfield should be removed as the union’s boss while facing charges before the courts. Despite being suspended from the ALP, Darren Greenfield remains the state boss of the CFMEU. Acting Opposition Leader Damien Tudehope has urged Premier Minns to sever ties with the CFMEU. Premier Minns has stated that Labor will not take donations from the CFMEU other than affiliation fees and mentioned that further action would be taken if new information arises about the CFMEU’s NSW branch. ^[14]

Greenfield resigned from his position on 12 August 2024 amid the allegations of bribery and corruption that were followed by media scrutiny. ^[15]

December 2024 it was announced that the investigator for the CFMEU administration, Geoffrey Watson, SC, is looking into $30,000 a month in so far unaccounted payments that the NSW branch transferred directly to the accounts of former secretary and assistant secretary Darren and Michael Greenfield from 2021 to 2023. he payments were discovered as part of a broader investigation into union board resolutions to pay the Greenfields’ “reasonable legal expenses” in defending criminal charges over alleged corruption.

The monies sent directly to the Greenfields totalled about $900,000 and were on top of the $559,000 the branch paid to the Greenfields’ lawyers in 2022-23 and a further $3.15 million paid to their lawyers in July this year. Administrator Mark Irving, SC clawed back the latter payment after he took over the union in August.

In a letter sent to former members of the CFMEU branch committee of management (BCOM) this month, seen by The Australian Financial Review, Mr Watson said he was investigating the circumstances behind the $3.15 million payment, who approved it, and its purpose. ^[16]

1. "Michael Greenfield - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
2. "SportingPulse Homepage for Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League". SportingPulse. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
3. "South Sydney Rabbitohs". Sydney Morning Herald . 8 March 2005. Archived from the original on 26 August 2005. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
4. "Green & Greenfield re-sign with Dragons". The Dragons. 31 August 2010. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011.
5. "Dragons Re-Sign Trio". www.dragons.com.au. 15 November 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
6. "Sudden retirement a lesson for all players".
7. McClymont, Fergus Hunter, Kate (23 September 2021). "'Union bosses are in the palm of our hands': Alleged corruption at the top of CFMEU". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
8. "CFMEU deputy pleads guilty to drug charges". Australian Financial Review. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
9. Baker, Nick McKenzie, Richard (5 June 2019). "Construction union trio snared in Sydney cocaine bust". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
10. Rawsthorne, Sally (14 June 2019). "Union organisers charged with supplying cocaine front court". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
11. "CFMEU NSW boss and son charged over bribery claims". Australian Financial Review. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
12. Bonyhady, Nick; Fergus, Hunter; Kate, McClymont (17 September 2021). "Top NSW CFMEU officials charged after allegedly accepting bribes from construction company". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
13. Smith, Alexandra (20 September 2021). "Minns forces ALP to suspend NSW CFMEU officials". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
14. O'Doherty, James (15 July 2024). "Labor pockets fees from CFMEU while boss faces bribery charges". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
15. "Son of embattled NSW CFMEU boss resigns amid corruption allegations". ABC News. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
16. https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/workplace/cfmeu-investigator-looks-into-30k-a-month-payments-to-greenfield-duo-20241213-p5ky5a

External links

• (archived by web.archive.org) Dragons profile
• NRL profile ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
• (archived by web.archive.org) NRL stats