Canterbury Bulldogs send coaching staff home without pay, other NRL clubs expected to follow
Canterbury have responded to the NRL’s dire financial situation by standing down their entire coaching staff, including head coach Dean Pay – and more clubs are expected to follow suit soon.
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Canterbury have stood down their entire coaching staff including head coach Dean Pay and club legend Steve Price without pay as the club battles to stay afloat in the midst of the corona pandemic.
Pay and the rest of his coaching staff including assistants Steve Georgallis and Steve Antonelli have been stood down immediately without pay with no clear outline over when the NRL season will resume.
The Daily Telegraph has learnt a host other clubs are in the process of finalising similar situations arrangements with their coaching staff as clubs grapple with the task of staying viable without any on-field product.
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Penrith chief executive Brian Fletcher confirmed Ivan Cleary and his coaching staff had been told to take annual leave immediately.
At best, players and officials will be kept away for at least a month but the uncertainty is plaguing clubs. The Bulldogs have stripped back their office staff and are running at bare bones. Price, the club’s head of football, has also been stood down. Those within the club and coaching staff who are able too have been told to take their annual leave otherwise their time away will be unpaid.
The Bulldogs have been among the hardest clubs hit given their major backer – its leagues club – has been forced into temporary shut down because of new government legislations.
Canterbury chief executive Andrew Hill would not comment about the specifics of who had been stood down but said it was obviously an trying time for the club.
“Clearly there is no doubt what reality is now for not just the game but clubs and the community,” Hill said. “It has been an incredibly tough 48 hours for all clubs and especially for clubs like us with a leagues club. The total number would exceed more than 400 people who have been stood down in the past 48 hours.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure we are ready and able to respond when we can play again.”
Talks surrounding potential player pay cuts will ramp up on Wednesday. Club representatives including Hill, Blake Solly (Souths), Joe Kelly (Roosters) and Paul White (Brisbane) have joined a subcommittee who along with NRL boss Todd Greenberg and chief financial officer Tony Crawford will have an all important phone hook-up with the Rugby League Players Association.
The prospect of players taking an immediate pay cut will be raised.
A number of high-profile players including Moses Mbye, James Graham, Joel Thompson, Damien Cook, Cameron Smith and Luke Keary were part of a telephone hook-up with the RLPA with new chief executive Clint Newton describing the talks as “positive”.
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“We provided a general update on the current situation and an outline of the process we will need to work through with any reduction to player payments,” Newton said.
“It was a really successful call – it’s clear the players are incredibly engaged during a time of such uncertainty.
“It was important that they are on board and understand that this is a challenging time not only for them, but for everyone. Players couldn’t be more compassionate and understanding about that.
“We will seek further information on what the game’s financial position looks like, the position of the clubs and what reductions the players will need to share in.”
Originally published as Canterbury Bulldogs send coaching staff home without pay, other NRL clubs expected to follow