By Adam Pengilly and Dan Walsh
A reform of the controversial player transfer system that would push back the date players can sign with a new club from November 1 to June 30 is one of the last remaining hurdles for the NRL and RLPA to clear before finalising a new collective bargaining agreement before the 2023 season kick-off.
With the opening game of the competition only days away, both parties remain optimistic an agreement will be struck as early as Wednesday night - 24 hours before the opening game between the Eels and Storm.
It will finally put to bed months of tension between the parties and threats of industrial action from players including delaying kick-off times in pre-season matches, covering NRL logos and refusing all media requests.
According to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity because the talks are confidential, the transfer model, how players outside the top 30 are employed and several NRLW conditions outside the salary cap remain on the agenda this week.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and players’ union boss Clint Newton will resume talks today.
It’s unlikely they will reach a consensus this week on the parameters for how players can move clubs, but it won’t stop an in-principle CBA being struck on the eve of the competition. The long-form agreement could take weeks, or even months, to be signed.
Penrith Panthers centre Stephen Crichton, Newcastle Knights winger Dominic Young and Brisbane Broncos centre Herbie Farnworth.
A day after Brisbane forward Tom Flegler confirmed he will join the Dolphins in 2024 before even starting this season with the Broncos, debate over the signing system is about to reignite.
The NRL has flagged delaying the period in which players can pen a contract with another team by eight months.
Penrith star Stephen Crichton (Bulldogs), Newcastle’s Dominic Young (Roosters) as well as Flegler’s Brisbane teammates Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins) and Keenan Palasia (Titans) will all play for their current clubs in 2023 despite having already agreed to leave next year.
Under the current rules they are allowed to sign for another club from November 1, but the NRL has argued for a major overhaul preventing any movement for the following year until June 30.
It will mean 17 rounds will be played before players can commit their futures elsewhere for the next season.
The RLPA has long opposed a major overhaul of how the player transfer system works, arguing its members should have as long as possible to decide their futures in one of the most brutal contact sports in the world.
For example, 21-year-old Young has secured a monster four-year contract from the Roosters, but might not have the same offer if he had to wait until June 30 and suffered a long-term injury in the opening rounds of the season.
While the NRL and RLPA might struggle to reach a consensus on the transfer model this week, they remain buoyed by settling a number of differences last week.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo.Credit: Oscar Colman
The pay talks have dragged to the brink of the new season, despite the last CBA expiring in November.
Another impasse needing to be solved this week is details around the NRLW competition after some clubs opposed the in-principle agreements and conditions between head office and the RLPA for the women’s game.
In an email sent to NRLW players on the weekend, seen by the Herald, the players’ union said they had “a genuine commitment to resolve these matters together this week” after discussing the situation with Abdo.
“We were of the understanding that these matters were mostly resolved, however once the positions were taken back to clubs it became evident that there was opposition to the position that had been negotiated between the NRL and RLPA,” the email said.
Eels hooker and RLPA director Josh Hodgson said there was a “bit to go” until an agreement could be finalised.
“I was in a call on Friday and there was a bit of work still to be done with development players and train and trial players,” Hodgson said. “What it looks like in terms of how much they get, how much notice they get with their contracts, how long they’re involved at a club.
“We’ve got to make sure players are protected, and especially those guys that fit into that category because those deals aren’t something you can live off, it’s an opportunity and they need to be protected.
“There’s the big ticket items that need ticking off and then a hell of a lot of detail underneath that. It’s a five-year deal and you’ve got to make sure you get every single thing right. There’s a bit to go, but there’s certainly been some progress too which is good.”
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