ACT Brumbies urged to find unity as players dragged into board-room drama

There is growing speculation that the Brumbies board and chief executive Michael Jones have been able to finalise an agreement to mutually part ways after marathon negotiations on Friday night.

But the players have been dragged into the war, with co-captain Stephen Moore and Scott Fardy named in a report that said Jones was considering potential workplace investigation into their actions.

Fairfax Media understands an email was circulated within the organisation last week, detailing allegations against Moore and Fardy that have caused a divide in the ranks.

Fardy is on the Brumbies' board as the players' representative while Moore is the team's senior leader.

Jones agreed to the board's request of formal mediation and it is believed the parties were close to settling on a payout that could be announced in the coming days.

However, the ugly stoush that has dragged on for more than a month and through the ACT Supreme Court has caused friction and former Brumbies president Larkham said the club had lost its "family feel".

Larkham was the Brumbies' president for more than a decade and was involved in setting up the club at the start of Super Rugby in 1996.

"When we first started it was like a big family, the kids who were playing were all foreign to one another and the next thing they came together with their parents and players," Larkham said.

"The board was involved in that ... we've lost that family feel now, and that's a shame. There's still unity within the players and with their families, but it's not the family that it was.

"It's terribly sad to sit here and watch it crumble. A lot of people put a lot of effort in to bond the club together and link Canberra rugby together to be one big family. Now it's hard to watch."

Larkham resigned at the end of last year believing he was walking away with the Brumbies in a strong position after almost 20 years of service. He was replaced as president by Bob Brown.

The Brumbies played the Otago Highlanders on Saturday night just hours after learning of potential workplace action against Fardy and Moore.

It was the first time the playing squad had been directly dragged into what has largely been a boardroom battle, and it has muddied the waters of how the club can move forward.

The board attempted to stand down Jones on March 21, but Jones took the matter to court and gained an injunction under whistleblower protection.

The source of angst has been a KPMG report, which was commissioned by the Brumbies and the ARU, into transactions at the club between 2009 and 2013 relating to the $11.375 million sale of its Griffith headquarters and move to the University of Canberra.

ACT Supreme Court Justice Richard Refshauge ruled that Jones' public interest disclosures were the "dominant factor" in the board's decision to stand him down, and allowed him to keep his position.

But the relationship between all parties has been strained beyond repair and has filtered into the team for the first time.

It's believed no workplace investigation has been formally lodged and it is unlikely to go ahead if Jones takes a payout in the coming days.

But Brumbies insiders were frustrated that the players were thrust into a bitter dispute that has engulfed the organisation, believing it had crossed the line in one of the most turbulent periods in the club's rich history.

The players' role in the board will come under scrutiny with Fardy being put in a compromising position with his role.

Any changes in management could trigger boardroom governance changes as well as a review of the Brumbies' constitution to change the set-up to a more professional board.

The dark period has left some fans disenchanted with the organisation as they try to support a team capable of challenging for the Super Rugby title.

But Larkham believes all is not lost and urged the members to rally.

"We seem to have lost the plot a little bit. But there is definitely a way back, there needs to be some changes but there is light," Larkham said.

"If we can rally the members, particularly the founding members, and get them back in, there's a way forward."