Loan bombshell: Read the letter which could spark a late NRL player market frenzy

A spate of late-season injuries has forced the NRL to introduce an immediate transfer window between clubs that will shake up teams in the run to the finals.

Injuries have forced the NRL to introduce a transfer window for the rest of the season.

The NRL is planning to introduce a historic whole-of-game loan system as club‘s in lockdown struggle to find enough fit players to finish the season.

Officials have spent the past 24 hours finalising with club bosses their plan to introduce a similar player-loan rule to the one that saved the Warriors last year.

The players will be lent out for at least two games up until the end of the regular season.

With five weeks remaining in the regular season, there are a host of clubs in the Queensland hubs that due to the capped number of players that could travel north, are scrambling to fill weekly teams.

Jamayne Taunoa-Brown (centre) had a short stint with the Dragons cut short after the Warriors suffered a spate of injuries. Picture: Toby Zerna

The Daily Telegraph has obtained the email which was sent to football managers on Tuesday afternoon by salary cap auditor Matt Faulkner.

The criteria includes;

– Clubs can loan out no more than one player at a time.

– The loan agreement can be extended provided; the loanee club still has a player shortage at the end of the loan and there are no top 30 players outside of the loanee club’s current bubble who cover the loan player’s playing position and are willing and able to travel to Queensland, noting quarantine requirements

– The parent club will continue to pay the player as per the players contract (playing fee and match fees/bonuses earned). The parent club will then invoice the loanee club for the cost of the playing fee plus any match payments and/or bonuses earned while training or playing for the loanee club.

– The loan player can play against their parent club while on loan at the loanee club unless otherwise agreed.

– The parent club will get a credit on their salary cap for the period the player is loaned out with the value of the credit to be included in the loanee Club’s salary cap.

Parramatta’s George Jennings spent time with the Warriors last season under the transfer system. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Penrith, St George Illawarra, Cronulla and the Roosters are among the clubs who have been the hardest hit by unavailable players.

The Panthers lost Brian To’o and Tyrone May to join their growing list of unavailable players which includes James Fisher-Harris, Nathan Cleary and Api Koroisau and Isaah Yeo.

The Warriors could only name 20 – instead of a required 21 – players on Tuesday.

It is expected the loan system will be in place before kick-off of Thursday’s clash between the Roosters and Parramatta.

Players can be recalled at any time if their club is suddenly hit by an injury crisis of their own.

Club bosses were briefed on Monday before a follow-up meeting between each club’s head of football.

The plan has received widespread support and has gathered momentum in recent days.

Brian To'o’s injury is a shocking blow for the Panthers. Picture: NRL Photos

It will work similar to the system brought in last year to aid the Warriors who played away from home. New Zealand were able to bring in Jack Hetherington, George Jennings, Daniel Alvaro and Poasa Faamausili for varying stints last year.

The loan system was scrapped at the end of last year.

The Dragons borrowed Jamayne Tonua-Brown from the Warriors for the past two matches. Rather than a loan though, the Warriors had to terminate Tonua-Brown’s contract to allow him to join the Dragons. He was supposed to go for three games but Tonua-Brown returned a game early.

Clubs still have until Monday to sign players to a traditional contract before the mid-season trade window period ends.

Originally published as Loan bombshell: Read the letter which could spark a late NRL player market frenzy