Harry Grant fires shot at NRL as funding negotiations grind to a halt

Harry Grant has fired a shot at the NRL over the pay dispute that’s tearing the game apart – declaring many players would be better off quitting.

Harry Grant has hit out at the NRL over its failed funding negotiations. Pic: Getty

NRL superstar Harry Grant has fired a shot at the NRL over the funding dispute that’s threatening to tear the game apart.

Speaking from Kangaroos camp in England, the dynamic hooker declared the NRL’s negotiators were “low-balling” both the clubs and playing group.

“For us as players, it’s our livelihood,” Grant said.

“We just need to get something sorted for everyone’s sake. We’ve put enough into this game, for what we get out of it they are low-balling us at the moment the NRL.

“As players we want to get it sorted. The RLPA does a great job for players and they’re negotiating pretty fair with the NRL.

“It is a little mad. I’m not heavily involved, but as a player I’d like to know it’s secure.

“Everyone is going out there to put their body on the line to bring this great spectacle to the game.”

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Harry Grant wants more from the NRL at the negotiation table. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

The 24-year-old is one of the game’s top earners, especially when payments for representative appearances for both Queensland and Australia are taken into account.

However he made sure to highlight the financial predicament facing a huge percentage of NRL players who often struggle to make ends meet.

The minimum wage for the top 30 players in NRL squads is $120,000, while development players earn as little as $60,000 per year.

Grant said the current financial situation meant a lot of players on the fringes of NRL squads were better off becoming tradies.

“It’s our future (as players). At the end of the day we are going out there to put our bodies on the line. We don’t know what our future is going to look like in the game,” Grant said.

“The sooner we can get it sorted, the better for the game. You’ve got a lot of expenses along the way, you have to move out of home to chase your dreams. I think a development contract is $60,000.

“Some blokes are better off getting on the tools and doing whatever. At the end of the day you’re chasing a dream. I think a lot of people don’t realise what we put ourselves through.

“It’s not always that financially rewarding. You can’t really complain, we get to play footy for a living, but it is tough at times.”

Andrew Abdo, CEO of the NRL, Peter V'landys, chairman of the NRL, and Kate Jones commissioner of the NRL. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Former Nine CEO Hugh Marks could return to help negotiations. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

Grant’s comments come as News Corp reports former Nine Network boss Hugh Marks has offered to return to the funding negotiations between the NRL, clubs and the Rugby League Players Association.

Marks had formerly been involved in the talks during the middle of the year but reportedly grew exhausted by the pace of progress between the parties.

The breakdown in discussion has left the negotiations on the brink of collapse, with extraordinary threats now being made by NRL clubs to force the game’s powerbrokers to offer greater funding.

The dire situation has left 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 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”.

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

Penrith Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher wants to see the numbers. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

“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.

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.”

Harry Grant is one of the game’s top earners. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

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.

“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.