NRL Player Poll: Shocking data reveals footy stars’ $15m fears

Our exclusive NRL player poll shows only half of players trust their agents – a huge problem considering how influential they are in the industry. SEE THE NUMBERS

Brisbane Broncos prop Payne Haas. Picture: NRL Photos

RLPA chief executive Clint Newtown has expressed concern that less than half of NRL players fully trusted their agents.

An exclusive News Corp poll, conducted in partnership with the Rugby League Players Association, found that only 48 per cent — had extreme trust in their agent.

An industry average of 82 per cent of players agreed that they trusted their agent at some level.

“When you consider how much of a player’s salary an agent receives every month, we believe far more than half of our players should be very trusting of their agent, considering the important role they play in our industry,” Newton said.

“Agents collectively will receive more than $15m per season from players’ salary packages. We also know that almost a third of players have had a bad experience with their agents.

NRL PLAYER POLL: Shocking rates of abuse revealed in player poll

Broncos prop Payne Haas. Picture: NRL Photos

“With an agent review on our agenda with the NRL, we believe prioritising that and implementing our recommendations will go a long way to rewarding the good agents and stopping the minority of agents giving the rest a bad name.”

Brisbane Broncos star Payne Haas’ protracted legal battle with his former agent is a prime example, with their case due to be back in court on October 1 over their bitter falling out.

The poll of more than 450 players, by far the most extensive ever undertaken by the RLPA, also found that:

• Four players, on average, from every club were subject to targeted racist or abusive attacks;

• Less than half of all NRL players are very or extremely trusting of their agent;

• Two out of every five players believe the media is positive about the performance of players;

• Only 23 per cent of players believe the media positively report about the personal lives of players;

• Only 40 per cent of players believed the NRL prioritises investigating club breaches as highly as it does player breaches.

The survey also found that financial benefit was not the only reason for players changing clubs, with just 30 per cent saying their move was motivated by money.

“What our survey does show is that financial reasons are not the primary driver for players changing clubs,” Newton said.

“Players are more often leaving their previous club in search of a club that provides them with superior ‘non-financial’ opportunities, including stronger club culture, improved high-performance environments, and preferable coaching setups.”

See the full poll results here.

Originally published as NRL Player Poll: Shocking data reveals footy stars’ $15m fears