Steve ‘Chimes’ Gillis – NRL Agent to the Stars

In this Chiming In special, veteran NRL player agent and host Steve “Chimes” Gillis swaps seats with Fanatics boss Warren Livingstone to recount his path from a flunking Randwick schoolboy to a rugby league powerhouse managing legends like Laurie Daley and stars such as Adam Reynolds. He pulls back the curtain on the agent’s life—Super League chaos, courtroom battles and the gritty reality of being an “ambulance driver and life coach” for athletes.​

From ‘busy’ fullback to failing the HSC

Growing up in a big working‑class family in Randwick, Gillis earned his nickname “Chimes” as a junior fullback—not for speed, but for “chiming” noisily into the backline, shouting his arrival to the annoyance of coaches. Childhood mate and Bulldogs great Joe Thomas dubbed his style simply “busy”—hustling everywhere without excelling at attack or defence.​

Academic woes followed: Gillis failed his HSC, including English and Religion, distracted by late nights at illegal Bondi Junction gambling dens with mentors instead of hitting the books.​

The journalism years: luck and lying

Despite the grades, sheer grit landed Gillis a News Limited gig. He sacrificed a schoolies trip to start a midnight police radio shift and dodged disaster when his boss demanded HSC results—buying time as glandular fever sidelined the man for months. By recovery, Gillis had notched 30 published stories, cementing his place in the newsroom.​

Becoming an agent: the Keith Blackett story

Gillis’s pivot to management came abruptly via persistent Bathurst player Keith Blackett, who cold‑called declaring Gillis his new agent despite zero experience. A meeting with Parramatta CEO Denis Fitzgerald followed, and within 48 hours, Gillis quit high‑paying journalism for the leap of faith on one client promising Wally Lewis‑level stardom.​

His break exploded a week later when Laurie Daley—then the world’s top player—jokingly signed on at the pub, launching a decades‑long partnership that gave Gillis instant credibility.

War stories: Super League and secret meetings

Gillis was ringside for the Super League war, juggling 30 clients amid recruitment frenzy. Young gun Adam Ritson’s contract clause—voidable if his manager wasn’t happy—gave the ARL leverage, sparking a James Packer summit and a monster counter‑offer.​

In a sly media play, he once “papped” Brian Fletcher in a staged “secret” Sydney restaurant meeting with an English club, igniting a bidding war that had Wigan scrambling to re‑sign him within 24 hours.​

The reality of management: “ambulance driver and life coach”

Beyond the big deals, Gillis calls himself a stand‑in lawyer and counsellor, with “lawyers and mental health workers on speed dial” for jail stints or substance struggles—“the bad days” of the job. Red flags? Players constantly swapping phone numbers to dodge troubles.​

He vents frustration over the NRL’s “no‑fault stand‑down” policy, spotlighting Jack de Belin’s ordeal, which cost him financially and career‑wise before clearance.

Looking ahead: expansion and the future

Retirement isn’t on the horizon for Gillis, who partners with ex‑player Clinton Schifcosfke. He eyes challenges in roster‑building for a potential PNG expansion side, targeting heritage talents like Alex Johnston or Xavier Coates. A passionate NRLW advocate, he predicts every NRL club will soon field a women’s team as skills soar.​

Catch the full interview on Fanatics TV.