‘Absolute joke’: Clubs threaten to leave NRL over funding negotiation stalemate

Rugby League World Cup plans have been cancelled after clubs made an extraordinary threat that could leave the NRL in ruins.

Disgruntled clubs have threatened to set up a breakaway rugby league competition as their funding stalemate with the NRL reaches crisis point. Pic: Getty

Disgruntled clubs have threatened to set up a breakaway rugby league competition as their funding stalemate with the NRL reaches crisis point.

Negotiations between the NRL and the clubs over funding have ground to a halt after months of painfully slow progress, leaving clubs not knowing what their salary cap is for next season and a host of NRL players without contract certainty as a result.

The Daily Telegraph has now revealed a number of clubs are floating the radical idea of breaking away from the NRL, given their lack of faith in reaching an appropriate agreement with the league.

The paper reports the licences of all 16 NRL clubs expires next season, meaning their threat is at least practicable, despite appearing extremely unlikely.

Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher is leading the charge despite his 20-year friendship with ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys, declaring the situation between clubs and the league is “deplorable”.

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Andrew Abdo the Chief Executive Officer of the National Rugby League and Peter V'landys the Chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission are in the crosshairs of clubs. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

“Peter has got to realise we need some answers and we need some transparency,” Fletcher told The Daily Telegraph.

“We’ve asked for a balance sheet from Magic Round.

“We put on the show but we never see anything. It’s actually deplorable. Show us the figures.

“It’s hard to support them when you think they are robbing you. The clubs are the shareholders.

“How much did they make out of the grand final? And why rob the people that put the game on.”

Fletcher specified the clubs want an extra $5m on top of the salary cap each year from the NRL.

“It’s peanuts when they’re skiting about making $50 million over two pages in the paper,” he said.

The Rugby League Players’ Association has called for the salary cap to increase to $10.4m in 2023 – up from $9.4m in 2022.

Penrith Panthers CEO Brian Fletcheris leading the charge against the NRL. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

A number of club bosses have blamed NRL CEO Andrew Abdo for the negotiation stalemate, indicating they are planning to go over his head and contact V’Landys directly about the situation.

The crisis has got so bad both Abdo and V’Landys have reportedly cancelled their plans to travel to England for the final stages of the Rugby League World Cup in order to focus on negotiations.

Former Raiders captain Simon Woolford responded to the breakaway league threat by calling on the NRL to get its act together.

“I think clubs and players just want closure,” Woolford wrote on Twitter.

“The fact the 2023 season has started and no final figures on salary cap etc are set - is an absolute joke.”

Sports reporter Bernie Coen slammed the disgruntled clubs for even suggesting a breakaway league.

“To even remotely hint at a breakaway comp from NRL is a bloody stupid thing to do and won’t endear anyway to fans,” Coen wrote.

Former Raiders captain Simon Woolford is fuming at the situation. (Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)

“Yes the NRL needs to sort out the salary cap mess among other things but reigniting a “war” is dumb.”

However Coen also labelled the NRL’s lack of action around funding as “absolutely unforgivable”.

“Andrew Abdo needs to fix this farce,” he said.

NRL fans were also fuming over the possibility of a breakaway league, with Shane Moran arguing it won’t happen given the positive relationship between the league and clubs in recent years.

“Rugby League has had its issues but has had 24 years of relative peace within the NRL structure after the Super League/ARL issues in the mid 1990s. I don’t think you will see rebel leagues, etc be formed,” Moran wrote.

The Super League war rocked Australian rugby league in the mid-1990s.

Playing groups and allegiances were split as the Super League ran alongside the Australian Rugby League competition in 1997, before the two leagues merged to form the NRL.