NRL 2024: RLPA launch investigation into Ronald Volkman contract saga
RLPA CEO Clint Newton is urging the league to stand up for players following youngster Ronald Volkman being left in contract and insurance limbo.
NRL
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RLPA CEO Clint Newton has urged the NRL to hold clubs “accountable” if any wrongdoing has occurred in the Ronald Volkman contract saga that has left the youngster’s immediate future in limbo.
Volkman, who has been left without a contract after St George Illawarra walked away from a one-year deal, is preparing to have an operation in the coming weeks to fix the same shoulder that needed surgery in 2022.
He had received a release from the final two years of his deal with the New Zealand Warriors on December 24 to join the Dragons this year.
The Dragons announced the signing not long after but before they had registered his contract with the NRL.
A medical at the Dragons revealed Volkman had a shoulder injury that would sideline the 21-year-old long-term and the Dragons scrapped the deal.
The “unique” situation also means Volkman isn’t insured because he has no deal registered with the NRL.
It has raised the question of who will foot the bill for his operation and rehab.
The RLPA is looking into the matter to determine what injury protections are available to Volkman through the CBA.
Newton said NRL clubs had an obligation to ensure unregistered players did not take the training field to protect them from injury while uninsured.
“If there are breaches, people need to be accountable,” Newton said. “We’ll continue to thoroughly investigate this unique situation and do our due diligence.”
It’s believed the Dragons received a medical report from the Warriors this month that said Volkman had sustained a contact injury in the middle of last month. Scans then ordered by the Dragons showed screws placed during the previous operation had been displaced.
While Volkman has been left without an NRL deal, the Warriors have paid out a portion of the remaining two years he had on his deal with the club.
Originally published as NRL 2024: RLPA launch investigation into Ronald Volkman contract saga
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