NRL v RLPA pay war: Rugby league on the verge of remarkable peace deal

After months of stalled negotiations, bitter disputes and player protests, the civil war gripping rugby league could be finally be over. Here’s how the fight was settled.

Peter V'landys. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Rugby league is on the verge of a remarkable peace deal.

After more than a year of fractious negotiations, public protests and bitter barbs, the ARL Commission and the Rugby League Players Association emerged from a meeting on Wednesday confident an agreement would be struck before the weekend.

“It was a very positive meeting,” ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys said.

“If that continues, which I’m confident it will, we should come to a resolution.”

The parties will meet again on Thursday afternoon with the hope an agreement could be done before the opening game of round 24 on Thursday night.

If not, there is a level of confidence it could be signed off by the end of the weekend, a stunning result when you consider the angst between the two sides in recent months.

It is understood the players held further meetings earlier this week where they discussed fresh protests over the slow progress of talks.

This masthead understands they had talked about standing together on the field and delaying kickoff in an attempt to get their point across.

Positive developments on the CBA front likely mean those protests will be postponed, although should the talks collapse on Thursday there could be a renewed push to delay kick-off in Thursday night’s game between Manly and Penrith at 4 Pines Park.

Peter V’landys said the meeting was “very positive”. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Talks had reached a stalemate until the RLPA extended an olive branch on Tuesday, requesting the resumption of talks.

It came amid a series of public protests by the playing group over the slow pace of talks – the players put a media boycott in place and covered the NRL logo on their jersey.

However, it is understood there are now barely a handful of items still to be agreed following a marathon meeting in Sydney on Wednesday that was attended by key figures from the NRL and RLPA.

V’landys, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo, RLPA chair Deidre Anderson, RLPA chief executive Clint Newton and South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly were among those at the meeting.