Rugby Football League set to appoint Tony Sutton as permanent chief executive

Sutton took the reins on a temporary basis in December following Rimmer's decision to stand down.

The Yorkshire Post understands the Cottingham native has convinced the governing body that he is the man to take the sport forward after overseeing the transition to Rugby League Commercial.

Sutton has been with the RFL since January 2017, initially as director of finance and facilities before stepping up to the role of chief operating officer two years later.

Prior to joining the governing body, Sutton spent 13 years at Hull FC in various roles, including COO.

He also enjoyed two and a half years as Hull College Group's group finance director.

Sutton immediately set about putting his stamp on the RFL after assuming control.

"That was my first question: does it come with the full responsibility?" he told the YP in December. "That might be quite short term but hopefully not.

"You want to perform the role with full responsibility and full authority. I don't just want to keep the seat warm; I want to act as if it's permanent within reason by starting to make decisions and changes."