Stalls in the code’s Collective Bargaining Agreement leaves whopping 250 players in contract limbo

MORE than 250 NRL stars are in limbo following revelations the code’s Collective Bargaining Agreement will not be finalised before the start of next year’s premiership.

Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston remains in a contract limbo.

MORE than 250 NRL stars, including Cowboys superstar Johnathan Thurston, are in limbo following revelations the code’s Collective Bargaining Agreement will not be finalised before the start of next year’s premiership.

The NRL has been plunged into contractual chaos as the code remains in the dark over club grants, the salary cap and critical details of the new CBA beyond next season.

A whopping 33 representative stars are off-contract next season, including Thurston, Darius Boyd, Billy Slater, Matt Scott, Jason Taumalolo, Mitchell Pearce, Dane Gagai and Dylan Napa.

But with the NRL stalling over the release of the game’s financials, clubs say it is impossible to broker big-money deals without knowing a salary-cap figure for 2018.

One long-serving chief executive said it is the most uncertain contractual terrain in the NRL’s 19-year history. Rugby League Players Association boss Ian Prendergast revealed yesterday the murky road ahead for unsigned NRL stars, saying: “Discussions will extend well into next year.”

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Underlining the mess, the Cowboys have suspended talks with their co-captains, Thurston and Scott, until the NRL officially announces a salary-cap figure.

Titans CEO Graham Annesley said clubs, players and agents were becoming increasingly frustrated with a CBA negotiation that could drag on for another six months.

“We want the situation resolved as soon as possible, but we are in the same boat as everyone else,” he said.

“The clubs and players want clarity around the salary-cap and CBA and hopefully it can be done as soon as possible.

“It’s a chicken-or-the-egg situation. We can’t determine what the salary cap is going to be until we know the grant figure (from the NRL) and you almost can’t determine the club grants until you know what the cap will be.

“No-one can determine how much the players will be paid until you determine what the grant is. This has been going on for months so who knows when it will end.”

The NRL defended its role in CBA talks, saying the salary cap had already been set for 2017. “The current CBA runs until the end of 2017 and negotiations have already begun on a new agreement,” the spokesman said. “In the meantime, clubs are signing players every week and will continue to do so.”

Leading player manager Steve Gillis slammed the NRL’s treatment of the code’s elite players.

“The players are the stars of the game. They deserve better communication and information,” he said.

“There is the possibility of an enormous backlash from players unless we get some answers.

“All we want is the NRL to give us some clarity. You can’t say it might be May or June or October. Tell us when the salary-cap will be sorted. Why is it secret service?

“If I was a high-profile player coming off contract, I’d be making some noise. This is their livelihoods.”

RLPA boss Prendergast added: “We’ve only had preliminary discussions with the NRL ... but people need to understand that these discussions will extend well into next year.

“There are a broad range of issues that will be addressed to improve various areas within the game in seeking to deliver a CBA that sets rugby league up for the future.”

Originally published as Stalls in the code’s Collective Bargaining Agreement leaves whopping 250 players in contract limbo