A bold plan to introduce a rookie draft to equalise talent as the competition expands will soon be delivered to the NRL and its clubs.
A Pathways Steering Committee (PSC) is finalising a list of recommendations relating to the flow of junior talent into the elite level. They include the introduction of a national under-21s competition, regulations relating to when youngsters can engage an agent, and an accreditation scheme for junior coaches.
However, the topic that will spark most interest is the prospect of implementing a rookie draft, which would signal a radical change in the way promising prospects graduate to the NRL. While the AFL has had a draft for top talent since 1986, attempts to introduce the system to rugby league were short-lived.
There hasn’t been a draft in rugby league since 1991, when Terry Hill led a successful legal action by 127 players against the NSWRL that resulted in it being abolished. However, the PSC, which includes Roosters coach Trent Robinson, NRL executive Brock Schaefer, Storm general manager Frank Ponissi, Queensland Rugby League chief executive Ben Ikin and Panthers rugby league chief Matt Cameron, is assessing how player movement is regulated at a time when the NRL is looking to eventually expand to a 20-team competition.
The Penrith Panthers celebrate their fourth straight grand final triumph. Would a rookie draft help equalise talent in the NRL and bring them back to the field?Credit: Getty Images
While the salary cap has long been hailed as a successful talent equalisation measure, the divide between the stronger and weaker clubs has never been greater. There have been only three different premiers during the past eight seasons, while Wests Tigers will next year aim to avoid a fourth consecutive wooden spoon and haven’t played a finals game since 2011.
The PSC met last week and is finalising its recommendations. It will deliver its recommendations at the next meeting of club chief executives with a view to then passing them on for the consideration of the ARL Commission before Christmas. While members of the PSC declined to be quoted while the process was ongoing, this masthead has been told a rookie draft is a key plank in the plan.
There are a number of different models being floated. Some of the solutions look at tweaks to the contracting model that could equalise talent without introducing a draft. However, a draft remains a primary consideration, one that could lead the NRL to transform it into an event that is commercialised and promoted like several major sporting organisations overseas, particularly in the US.
Wests Tigers have collected three straight wooden spoons and are short odds to make it four in a row in 2025.Credit: NRL Photos
Given that a draft would require a teenager to potentially move interstate and overseas, the stakeholders – including the Rugby League Players Association – would want assurances that each club would provide the facilities and support required for them to successfully make the transition. The issue is more relevant than ever given the NRL is looking at introducing new franchises in Papua New Guinea and Perth.
In a bid to level out the competition, the draft would allow clubs to make a pick from the emerging talent pool: teams at the bottom of the ladder would get the first choice and so on until the premiers made their pick. In a bid to reward clubs that develop players – Penrith are considered to have the best junior nursery in the country – one option is to allow every club to quarantine their best junior from the draft process.
Another consideration in dispersing talent is putting a cap on how many players can be contracted to any club academy, as well as limiting how much juniors can be paid at each age group. The measure would prevent the strong development clubs from stockpiling players, resulting in them finishing their footballing apprenticeship at another franchise if they are surplus to requirements.
The other big-ticket item is the potential introduction of a national under-21s competition. It would mark the first such venture since the controversial National Youth Competition (NYC) for under-20s players, which began in 2008 but was disbanded a decade later.
The under-21s teams would be aligned with NRL clubs and would probably play each other once. However, to keep costs down, it would not mirror the home-and-away NRL draw or necessarily act as a curtain-raiser to first grade matches.
The Pacific Championships is Live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.