NRL to meet with player agents in ‘workshop’ to discuss changes to their role in game
FEAR among agents that they could be blocked from being allowed to manage both coaches and players will be raised at a mass-meeting of accredited agents and the NRL, on Thursday.
NRL
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FEAR among agents that they could be blocked from being allowed to manage both coaches and players will be raised at a mass-meeting of accredited agents and the NRL, on Thursday.
A blanket rule on all agents signing a player before they’ve turned 17-years-old and a two-year cap on all contracts between agents and players, in a bid to negate contract disputes and player poaching among agents, is also set to be discussed.
Described as a “workshop’ organised by the NRL and Rugby League Players Association (RLPA), the 10am meeting at St George Leagues Club has been called ahead of a plan to regulate the game’s most influential movers and shakers.
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As revealed recently in The Sunday Telegraph, respected administrator Jim Doyle is in charge of an agent accreditation overhaul which will ensure player agents face sanctions and bans the same as any player, coach or official.
It’s anticipated the new scheme will be in vogue by November 1.
Thursday’s meeting will see a large portion of the 113 accredited agents listen to an address from the NRL’s chief operating officer Nick Weeks.
RLPA boss Ian Prendergast will also brief the room on the newly proposed accreditation scheme.
In a letter sent to agent’s prior to Thursday’s meeting, the NRL said the scheme doesn’t intend to stop them acting on behalf of coaches.
However, there is a concern among some agents, that given the upheaval generated by the current merry-go-round of coaches, the NRL - once they have the agent’s bound by their rules - can change the rule, at any time.
Such a rule change would eradicate, what has caused major issues at clubs, where the agent of a coach at a respective NRL club, aligns the majority of his clients with that same club.
It would eliminate the perception from many within the game that there is an unintentional conflict of interest associated with an agent who manage both coaches and players.
The agent’s will also seek to ensure their commercial viability isn’t restricted by the new NRL code of which they’ll be bound under by seeking confirmation from Weeks that the number of clients they represent, won’t be capped.
The NRL is pushing for a rule that would allow agents to sign players to maximum two-year contracts.
Contract disputes between player and agents are frequent within the game, effecting the process of which a club can sign or retain a player.
The majority of agents are supportive of the new accreditation scheme which NRL CEO Todd Greenberg has described as necessary for the code.
“In the past the NRL has had no powers in relation to agents and this has led to unsatisfactory outcomes in several cases,” Greenberg said.
“Agents acting professionally have nothing to fear from the revised scheme but it will give us the scope to deal appropriately with those who do not act in the best interests of the players and the game.”