NRL trade window plans revealed in ARL Commission review
As the ARL Commission reviews the current state of rugby league, some of big NRL’s big players will come together to plot the best way to improvement player movement.
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The ARL Commission will on Thursday lobby some of the heaviest hitters in rugby league as they continue their push to bring in a trade window to regulate player movement between clubs.
The commission and club chairs are due to meet in Sydney and it is understood the trade window is among the more significant items on an agenda that also includes a review of the game’s finances, the cultural review being carried out by commissioner Megan Davis and an update from the Rugby League Players Association.
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The NRL has formed a working group to come up with a plan to overhaul the current contracting system, which allows players to sign with a rival club once they enter the final year of their existing deals.
It means players can sign with a rival club and then spend 12 months playing with their current club while they run down their existing contract.
The ARL Commission and NRL have already shared their plans with club chief executives and the players union. They will on Thursday share it with the most powerful figures in the game — chairs of the states and clubs — as they look to shore up support for a plan that has met early resistance from the RLPA.
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Under the plan discussed in the pre-meeting documents, one version of the trade window would feature three distinct contracting periods in the season.
There would be a pre-season window that opens after the grand final and closes prior to round one; a mid-season window that opens after the second game of the State of Origin series and closes three weeks later; and a third window, applying only to players in the final year of their contracts, which would open after the mid-season window and close on the Monday following the preliminary finals.
Players would be able to sign a new contract three to four months before their current contract expires rather than the 12 months under the existing system.
“A fundamental weakness with the current model is that a player can sign a contract with a rival club with a full season remaining on his contract with his existing club,” the briefing notes say.
“The game has in recent years seen examples of high-profile players announcing their departure for a rival club with most or all of an upcoming season left to play.
“Such situations can cause significant harm to clubs and their fans, and can be seen to reflect poorly on the professionalism of the league.
“Under the considered contracting window model, an incumbent club could continue to negotiate and retain their own players at any time of year however would be limited to negotiating with and contracting players from other clubs during the contracting windows.”
The clubs and states will also continue their discussion over constitutional reform at Thursday’s meeting, although it is understood a proposal by Queensland Rugby League chair Bruce Hatcher to revamp the commission has hit a brick wall.
Hatcher along with NSW Rugby League chair doctor George Peponis have asked the clubs to stay behind after the meeting to continue talks on the issue. It is understood a working group is likely to be formed to continue discussions as the clubs and states look to gain greater say over the appointment and removal of commissioners.
Peponis had tabled a proposal that would have resulted in commissioners requiring 75 per cent support from the clubs and states to be appointed and reappointed. However, it is believed that there is support for the threshold to be lowered to 50 per cent for the appointment of commissioners.
Under the existing rules, the clubs and states have no say over the appointment and reappointment of commissioners, those positions filled by the commission themselves.
It is understood some clubs may also raise concerns over the clandestine nature of the meeting this week that resulted in Peter V’landys being elected unanimously as the next chair of the commission, talking over from Peter Beattie at the end of October.
While it is understood the clubs believed V’landys is the right person for the role, some club bosses are concerned that the meeting and his elevation to the top job were conducted without their knowledge.
That decision and the way it was reached only served to reinforce the view in clubland that the commission needs to be more accountable for their actions.