Gold Coast chief executive Graham Annesley will quit the club at the end of the season to rejoin the NRL as head of its elite football programs.

Annesley will virtually take over the role of Brian Canavan as the right-hand man to NRL boss Todd Greenberg and oversee the running of the league and its refereeing ranks.

Canavan remains at Moore Park offices as head of its participation and pathways.

“It has become clear this year that the Head of Football role needs to be split into two areas – elite and participation programs,” Greenberg said on Monday.

“Brian Canavan will continue to oversee the participation and pathways programs which are crucial to the future of the game.

“Graham will take on all aspects of the elite competition – from running the Premiership to overseeing match officials and rule changes.”

Annesley, who was at the Titans for five years, returns to NRL headquarters for the first time since his role as chief operating officer, while he was also a former referee for 15 years.

He is also credited for introducing the video refereeing system in 1996.

“It means we will have someone with enormous experience in the game – from refereeing at the top level to running a club – focused solely on the Telstra Premiership,” Greenberg said.

The NRL had been heavily criticised for its penalty crackdown earlier this year, while the salary cap mess at Manly has dragged on for over a year.

Annesley said he is focused on improving the game’s rising crowd figures and television ratings.

“The game is already in great shape … in fact rugby league is one of the few sports which has seen a lift in both crowds and ratings this year,” Annesley said.

“But I have no doubt it can be even better for players and fans and that will be my focus from November 1.”

Canavan was head of football for just over two years.