Anger in NRL at collective bargaining agreement that favours big name players

A CLASS divide between players has emerged as the finishing touches are put on the long-awaited collective bargaining agreement.

Jarryd Hayne, Cameron Smith, Michael Crocker, Johnathan Thurston, Clint Newton and Tim Mannah

A CLASS divide between players has emerged as the finishing touches are put on the long-awaited collective bargaining agreement.

News Limited understands several players have expressed their anger at recent meetings between clubs and the Rugby League Players Association.

There are deep concerns the proposed five-year agreement benefits elite and representative stars too much.

"The agreement is meant to benefit the average player, but it doesn't whatsoever," said one player, who did not want to be named.

"The rep players will benefit the most, and they are the ones who are driving this agreement to be signed off on."

Under the new deal, the salary cap will increase from $4.4 million to $5.85 million, but that includes an increase of the marquee player allowance from $300,000 to $550,000.

Rich clubs stand to benefit from that rise because the poorer clubs simply do not have the money to pay their elite players more.

While the minimum wage will increase to $80,000 per season, representative players stand to be the biggest winners from the new agreement with Origin payments increasing to $30,000 per match.

Those players spoken to last night did not begrudge the game's superstars earning more - but there was concern the average footballer wasn't receiving a fair slice of the NRL's $1 billion television windfall.

The Warriors are the last club to vote on the proposed CBA, with RLPA boss David Garnsey meeting them in Auckland tomorrow.

Asked if the game's elite stood to benefit too much from the proposed agreement, Garnsey said: "We wouldn't have recommended the agreement if we didn't think it was a good deal for all players. There is no suggestion other than it will be strongly supported. A lot of the issues that have been raised have been satisfactorily addressed in the meetings. It would be inappropriate for me to go into what they are."