Paul Kent: If there’s a problem in rugby league it might just be the union

Don’t believe the spin of an uncivil war between ARL Chairman Peter V’landys and rugby league’s players writes Paul Kent.

Daly Cherry-Evans has had a busy week as general president of the RLPA. Digital art: Boo Bailey

Rugby league has perfected the art of the small civil war.

This is only natural, you might say, for a game born out of a protest at authority. It broke away from rugby union and then doubled down on its need for civil unrest a year later when Balmain refused to play in the grand final because it was being used as the curtain raiser to an international game, and so South Sydney kicked off and won on forfeit.

The Rabbitohs still include that in their 21 premierships and the Tigers never forgot.

The liking for civil wars reached nuclear status in 1995 when the Super League war broke out and, unlike the one in European soccer earlier this year, which was over in less than a week, rugby league’s lasted three years and cost several clubs, many careers, and about $750 million.

The blood still bubbles today in certain places around the game.

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Daly Cherry-Evans has had his hands full this week as general president of the RLPA. Digital art: Boo Bailey

Another civil war has broken out in recent weeks between the NRL and the players, headed by the Rugby League Players Association.

It escalated last weekend with reports anonymous players were exploring ways to oust ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys, which they have no power to achieve, and which might not have been the intent anyway.

RLPA chief executive Clint Newton denied knowledge of the coup. In quick time, though, whispers turned into concrete allegations that Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans, the RLPA general president, was responsible for the quotes and driving the players agenda.

Meanwhile Newton distanced himself from the coup, claiming he has no individual control over the players who pay his wages.

This is fair and reasonable, of course, because it seems the players have no real idea what their association knows, or is even doing.

ARL Chairman Peter V'landys has conceded there should have been more consultation with players before the rule crackdown. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The great complaint from the players, which Newton is driving, is that the NRL is refusing to consult with players on changes they believe they should have a say in, and they ain’t happy about it.

It is not completely true.

As Cherry-Evans got pulled deeper into the mire this week the time came to pick up the phone and try to cut through the lies and propaganda that are poisoning the game.

Cherry-Evans, the RLPA general president, the player with the most senior position at the RLPA, was unaware that on May 18 NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo had offered the RLPA a meeting with the players.

Wednesday afternoon I told Cherry-Evans this, something repeated later that night on NRL360, saying that the NRL had not heard back about the meeting.

Why the RLPA has not organised this meeting with the players is unknown.

“That’s a shame,” Cherry-Evans said.

“If they have done that then that’s all they really had to do.”

Then Thursday the RLPA seemingly denied Abdo’s May 18 offer.

A statement was released “to address factually incorrect media reports”.

“The reports relate to a meeting invitation from the NRL on May 18 to the RLPA and player leaders following various issues that have arisen lately,” it said.

“The suggestion that this meeting request has not been responded to by the RLPA is false and misleading.

“The RLPA has been in contact with the NRL on several occasions regarding this meeting and other associated matters.”

So the RLPA was seemingly firing back at the NRL, and my comment to Cherry-Evans which I repeated Wednesday night on NRL360, that the RLPA had not responded to the offer, which frustrates the players.

Ah, but be careful.

The devil is in the detail.

The RLPA is not denying the offer at all. The wording, cleverly done, just says the RLPA denies that they have not responded to the offer. It is a clever piece of spin that most of the dolts, on Twitter, for example, missed, thinking the entire offer was made up by this idiot on NRL360.

V’landys has a text from the RLPA responding to the offer, which said to V’landys that the players asked the RLPA to talk through the items first and then, after the matters were resolved, they would like to meet.

It is mischievous work from the RLPA.

Players are at flashpoint, driven to frustration. They believe the NRL is blanket ignoring them, and if there is one thing a player does not like, it is to believe he is being disrespected.

Newton could argue he is protecting the players, waiting until the busy Origin period is over before involving them, which would explain why the most senior player in the game knows nothing of a meeting offer.

But to continually unload on the NRL for refusing to consult with the players, while it stalls the offer from the NRL for a consultation with the players, is dirty politics.

To continually criticise, while failing to address these “items” the players have supposedly requested be resolved, is dirty politics.

RLPA Chief executive Clint Newton denied knowledge of any ‘coup’ Picture: AAP Image/James Gourley

And to put out slippery press statements, which only inflame, and appear designed to mislead, when so much anger is already about because of a supposed lack of information, is also dirty politics.

And it unfairly ratchets up the pressure on the likes of Cherry-Evans, caught in the crossfire between his union and his game.

As the week went on Cherry-Evans emerged as the face of the disgruntled players trying to oust V’landys, an assumption he is trying to remove.

He called V’landys on Wednesday to deny he was leaking to the media or part of a coup.

“I said ‘If you think that’s me, that’s fine, but I’m sleeping at night knowing it wasn’t me’,” he said, which V’landys accepted.

The longer both sides fight, unable to resolve their differences, polluting the world with their propaganda and mistruths, the more what is at stake suffers.

In this case, the game.

This is the problem with civil wars; all you do is count the local cost.

SHORT SHOT

STATE of Origin will rediscover itself Wednesday night.

What that looks like nobody knows. Some are worried, some afraid, some enthusiastic.

But understand there is nowhere in the new rule crackdown that says players are not allowed to tackle their opponents as hard as they can.

But the feeling that the smash tackles will now go the way of the all-in brawl are somewhat misplaced.

Say what you like about the way Origin used to be played, and the lack of appetite for it nowadays, the fact is the brutality of those long ago games is what often drove the interest in new markets like Victoria.

It was simply unlike anything they had seen.

They might say they did not want to see it, but they did not want to look away, either.

But the game survived the ban on punching, ending the brawl, and ending the traditional softening up period.

Some forget, though, that, to be fair, the all-in brawl was on the way out anyway.

When Paul Gallen threw a jab and then a right hand at Nate Myles, the fact he led with a jab in what is effectively a street fight showed he either knew what he was doing in regards to fighting, which you could since argue he has proven, or that the blood wasn’t up like it should have been to start such an offensive.

For some, it seemed almost contrived, like it was being done because the crowd now expected it.

As for the head-high crackdown heading into Wednesday the truth is wrestling killed the regularity of big hits in Origin a long time ago.

Wednesday will not be too far removed from what we are used to seeing.

Originally published as Paul Kent: If there’s a problem in rugby league it might just be the union