NRL: Peter V’landys raises hope of league deal breakthrough

Rugby league’s ugly civil war is on the brink of resolution following Peter V’landys’ intervention.

Peter V’landys. The conflict between the NRL and the players union is expected to be over by the end of the week. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Rugby league finally appears on the brink of peace after the intervention of ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys on Monday raised hopes that the NRL and players union could reach an agreement by the end of the week.

Sources close to the negotiations told News Corp that the gap between the players and head office had been significantly closed, leaving officials confident that they were on the verge of resolving two of the more contentious issues around the players having agreement rights and autonomy.

V’landys has played only a minor role in talks between the Rugby League Players Association and the NRL but took a seat at the table on Monday and is expected to be front and centre for the remainder of the week as the parties attempt to thrash out a final deal.

Melbourne Storm front rower Christian Welch and Brisbane back rower Kurt Capewell were also involved in the talks along with RLPA chief executive Clint Newton and chair doctor Deidre Anderson.

Sources told News Corp that it would be a surprise if the big ticket items were not agreed by the end of the week, a result which would come as a relief to all involved given the incendiary nature of talks.

Peter V’landys. The conflict between the NRL and the players union is expected to be over by the end of the week. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The two sides have traded barbs for months amid talk that the players could take industrial action unless their demands are met. At its worst, there was talk that the pre-season could be interrupted and fears that the season launch could be cancelled as the NRL and players struggled to thrash out a deal.

It now seems that the parties will finalise an agreement in time to protect the opening round of the premiership, which begins in less than a fortnight.

News Corp was told that both parties had made reasonable and sensible concessions on Monday and then would head into Tuesday’s talks with the wind in their sails.

There is a chance the clubs could be involved in talks as soon as Tuesday, an indication that negotiations between the NRL and RLPA are heading in the right direction.

Rugby League Players Association CEO Clint Newton. Picture: AAP/James Gourley

There is a belief that the clubs should be involved as the talks edge towards their conclusion given they are major stakeholders in the game.

Their potential involvement shapes as another positive sign that the talks are edging towards their conclusion. The positive progress comes less than a week after News Corp revealed a deal had been struck for the women’s game, allowing the RLPA and NRL to turn their attention to the men’s agreement.

The NRL has offered the richest deal in the game’s history but money aside, the major stumbling blocks centered around the players having more say in how the game is run and more control over their own funding.

It appears some of the impediments on both fronts were removed on Monday, raising hope that a deal was imminent.

Originally published as NRL: Peter V’landys raises hope of league deal breakthrough