Harry Hockings has been released from the Reds after fight over pay cuts
Former Bowen Mudcrab Harry Hockings has been shown the door by the Queensland Reds after a bitter stand off with the club over a pay dispute.
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Former Bowen Mudcrab Harry Hockings has been shown the door by the Queensland Reds after a bitter stand off with the club over a pay dispute.
Hockings, along with Wallaby Izack Rodda and Isaac Lucas, made headlines during the week for being the only Australian Super Rugby players not satisfied with the proposed 60 per cent pay cut.
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The trio took the drastic step to terminate their Queensland Reds and Rugby Australia deals on Friday, claiming the Queensland Rugby Union had no legal grounds for standing them down.
The Reds confirmed in a statement on Saturday the three players had been released from their contracts.
“Rodda, Hockings, and Lucas were stood down after they declined to accept a reduction in pay and to nominate for the Australian Government’s JobKeeper subsidy, notwithstanding the interim pay agreement between Rugby Australia and RUPA,” the statement said.
Rugby Australia interim CEO Rob Clarke said everyone involved in the battling code needed to make sacrifices to ensure it’s survival.
“As everyone is aware the impacts of COVID-19 have been felt in every country, across every industry, and rugby is no exception,” Clarke said.
“As a result, the game collectively took the difficult but necessary action to stand down over 70 per cent of the entire rugby workforce, which equates to over 150 workers that are now receiving the JobKeeper subsidy.
“At the same time, 189 professional rugby players in Australia accepted reduced pay for an interim period to enable the game to navigate this unprecedented situation. The three Queensland players elected not to accept these terms.”
All three players are managed by Anthony Picone, who called out the code’s “parlous” financial state as the root cause of the issue.
He said the prospect of contracts not being honoured to their full amount, beyond September 30 when the pay cut period expires, had forced players to make very difficult decisions.
“This is their livelihood. It is only reasonable that talented players want to secure stable employment during these times,” Picone said.
Originally published as Harry Hockings has been released from the Reds after fight over pay cuts
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