By Dan Walsh and Adrian Proszenko
One of rugby league’s most powerful player agents, Mario Tartak, has been hit with a proposed 12-month suspension and $25,000 fine for improper conduct by the NRL.
The NRL on Thursday issued a breach notice to Tartak, who manages Dragons skipper Damien Cook, Eels flyer Josh Addo-Carr and Manly’s Haumole Olakau’atu, and fellow agent Matthew Desira, who is facing a six-month ban and $10,000 fine.
Tartak is alleged to have breached accredited agent rules by allegedly approaching an underage player without a parent or legal guardian present.
Under current rules, player agents are not allowed to approach players before the year in which they turn 15. A parent or legal guardian must typically be present in any discussions with an agent until the age of 17.
Player agents and clubs approaching teenagers, some as young as 12 or 13, has long been an issue in the game.
An NRL pathways committee that included Roosters coach Trent Robinson, Storm general manager Frank Ponissi and Panthers CEO Matt Cameron recently recommended a crackdown on what has been described as predatory behaviour by some agents.
NRL player agent Mario Tartak.Credit: Meredith Schofield
According to an NRL statement, Tartak is also alleged to have “entered into a commercial arrangement with two NRL clubs”, which is also in contravention of accreditation rules given the potential conflict of interest.
Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity have told this masthead that the “commercial arrangement” relates to club sponsorships by companies affiliated with Tartak. It is not known which clubs these commercial arrangements are held with.
Tartak’s proposed penalty took into consideration a previous breach for not advising the NRL of bankruptcy proceedings in 2019.
Desira’s breach notice “relates to non-reporting and dishonesty following police charges and court proceedings which were brought against Mr Desira”, according to the governing body.
Canterbury centre Bronson Xerri is a star client of Matt Desira.Credit: Getty Images
Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall is the most notable client of Aria Sports Management Group, of which Desira is managing director. Titans playmaker Jayden Campbell, Bulldogs centre Bronson Xerri and NRLW star Taliah Fuimaono are also clients of the company.
Desira pleaded guilty to cocaine possession in May last year and no conviction was recorded after he was originally arrested at Kings Cross nightclub Sussudio.
The NRL’s breach notice relates to Desira’s initial claims to police and the Agents Accreditation Scheme that he had not been arrested on April 5, and that a person known to him was allegedly using his identity and in possession of a white substance in a small white bag – later found to be cocaine.
Magistrate Scott Nash described Desira’s offence as “on the lower end of seriousness. It’s out of character based on his record. He pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.”
Both agents have five business days to respond to the NRL’s show-cause notice.
Nick Ghabar, a leading lawyer who represents some of the game’s biggest names at judiciary hearings, will act on Tartak’s behalf.
“This is a matter that directly involves my client’s livelihood and as such my client intends to respond to the NRL’s show-cause notice as is appropriate,” Ghabar said in a statement. “To be clear, he does not accept any assertion that he knowingly contravened the Player Agent Rules. His response will come in the fullness of time and it would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this time.”
Tartak and Desira were approached for comment.
Tartak’s proposed suspension could make life difficult for his clients - with Addo-Carr, Cook, Nathan Brown and Luciano Leilua among those off contract in 2026, while Danny Levi and Josh Schuster headline his list of players with deals expiring this year.
Rugby league officials and commentators have repeatedly called for an overhaul of the NRL’s player agency and accreditation rules in recent seasons.
The practice of managers acting for both coaches and players is a particular bone of contention given the potential for club rosters to be manipulated with an agent’s clients.
The effectiveness of banning managers for improper conduct has also been questioned, given previous individual suspensions have resulted in clients simply being picked up by other managers from the same company.
If the bans against Tartak and Desira are upheld, their clients can still be managed by other agents operating out of the same companies.
The NRL will continue to monitor the legal proceedings in veteran agent Sam Ayoub’s ongoing lawsuit that involves a former employee who has accused Ayoub of serious sexual misconduct, as revealed by this masthead on Thursday.
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