NRL clubs unite against cash crunch

NRL clubs will meet on Tuesday to form a united front on the game’s finances as Blake Green elects to stay in Newcastle.

Blake Green is staying at Newcastle rather than head to Canterbury. Picture: Getty Images

Rugby league’s financial uncertainty is set to reach another flashpoint on Tuesday as club bosses call a meeting to ensure they present a united front on the unresolved issues that continue to cast a pall over their respective futures.

It is understood the meeting has been called without the NRL’s knowledge as the clubs look to ensure they are on the same page when it comes to funding for next season, the salary cap and roster sizes.

The NRL has been locked in talks with the players union over myriad of issues and chief executive Andrew Abdo had hoped to make a breakthrough in negotiations before the new financial year began on November 1.

That didn’t happen. Clubs, meanwhile, have grown increasingly nervous. They still don’t know how much money they will receive this season — they have been guaranteed their existing funding but the NRL has indicated more money will be forthcoming depending on the financial success or failure of the State of Origin series.

Their funding will also revolve around the salary cap — talks with the Rugby League Players Association have been continuing for weeks but thus far the NRL has been unable to strike a deal.

The NRL wants the players to take a 10 per cent pay cut. The union wants a five per cent cut. The gulf between the two — about $500,000 per club and $8m in total — has proven insurmountable.

The clubs have at least receive some surety around squad numbers for next season — ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has guaranteed clubs will retain 30 players in their top squad.

The player market has been slow to ignite, although Newcastle landed a significant blow in their quest to reignite Mitchell Pearce on Monday when Blake Green confirmed he would stay at the club next season.

Green had agreed a deal to move to Canterbury but the Bulldogs released him from that agreement so he could stay at the Knights, where he will continue his playing career before moving into coaching.

The Knights have spent the initial weeks of the off-season attempting to find a half capable of easing the load on Pearce. They tried to extricate Jake Clifford from North Queensland, only to be told he was off limits by the Cowboys.

Green has emerged as a more experienced option, albeit one who is attempting to return from a knee problem at the age of 34. His deal will be for 2021 before Clifford is expected to join the Knights in 2022.

“Green and Canterbury-Bankstown have agreed not to activate a previous signed playing agreement for next year, enabling the experienced playmaker to remain a key part of the Knights playing roster,” Newcastle confirmed in a statement.

“Green has been working with Knights medical and high performance staff on his recovery from knee surgery, and is on track for a return early in the 2021 season.”

Pearce struggled at the back end of the year and there were two schools of thought over his future. One was that he was struggling after a long career in first grade. The other was that he needed someone to ease the burden he was carrying on his shoulders. Green will do that, albeit only when he returns from injury.

The Bulldogs have made Penrith five-eighth Matt Burton their priority but the Panthers are ready to dig in their heels and make sure he sees out the final year of his contract.