The unlikely players going into battle over NRL’s $1.3b wage deal

Samantha Hutchinson and Mark Di Stefano

Jan 27, 2023 – 5.55pm

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A spat over a record-breaking $1.35 billion NRL wage deal has emerged as one of the country’s biggest industrial disputes as the sport’s administrators square off against a union made up of investment bankers, company directors and Harvard-educated players.

The unlikely group of negotiators make up the Rugby League Players Association, demanding private health insurance for mens and womens players, more say on drug testing and a bigger retirement fund, especially for past players struggling with long-term injuries.

Samantha Hutchinson is the AFR's National Reporter. Most recently, she was CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Before that, she covered Victorian and NSW politics and business for The Australian, the AFR and BRW Magazine.

Mark Di Stefano is Rear Window columnist, based in the Sydney newsroom. He previously worked at BuzzFeed, the Financial Times and The Information before joining the Financial Review as a media and tech correspondent.