Mollycoddled NRL players now hold too much power and must be told one word: NO

NRL clubs have become so reluctant, even frightened, to tell star players ‘no’ because players now carry way too much power, writes DEAN RITCHIE.

Now is the time for NRL clubs to reclaim control and tell players the one syllable, two-letter word they rarely hear: No.

Elite players contesting rival sports and unsanctioned tournaments during the off-season has to end.

It’s absurd.

NRL clubs have become so reluctant, even frightened, to tell their stars no because players carry too much power these days. Elite players now have more sway than some club chairmen.

Mollycoddled players have a certain swagger these days because no one has ever told them no – not since most entered the rugby league bubble aged 14 or 15.

Players must be told they don’t run the game. In this delicate, PC world, it seems even those in senior positions are too scared to offend or upset players so they do what they want, when they want.

I rang several CEOs seeking a quote for this column but no one wanted to talk on-the-record. Why? It’s simply too hard.

Josh Addo-Carr was concussed at the Koori Knockout. Picture: NRL Imagery

Telling players they cannot contest the Koori Knockout and Murri Carnival would be ultra-sensitive but we cannot have $1m-a-year players competing on suburban parks with minimal medical facilities.

Instructing players they can’t box in the off-season would also attract angst.

But you can’t have highly paid players being unmercifully belted during informal boxing cards, especially given the NRL’s stringent HIA concussion protocols.

On October 7, NRL players Jason Taumalolo, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Junior Paulo, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Jarrod Wallace contested a boxing event in Townsville called Battle on the Reef.

The punches flew.

Rugby league protects players from concussion so vigorously and meticulously throughout the season where stars are substituted for nothing more than a glancing blow.

Yet during the off-season players are allowed to be repeatedly punched in the head. Wallace got levelled by Asofa-Solomona in the opening few seconds.

If players want to box, fine, go box, but they can’t commit to both sports.

Who has got the balls to tell them no?

Players boxing has concerned NRL Physio, Brien Seeney, who posted: “It’s crazy to me that NRL clubs let their players engage in injury risky sports in the off-season. NRL players boxing in their off-season is a real talking point for mine.

NRL players boxing in their offseason is a real talking point for mine. The evidence keeps building that the overall load on the brain via head impacts (& not just solely concussions) has the most influence on brain health, & the RLPA & NRL are looking to monitor this. pic.twitter.com/ssFi0Gd7iE

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 8, 2023

“The evidence keeps building that the overall load on the brain via head impacts -and not just solely concussions – has the most influence on brain health and the RLPA and NRL are looking to monitor this.”

The Koori Knockout is pure passion for Indigenous players but look what happened earlier this month.

Indigenous star Josh Addo-Carr was concussed – and played on. St George Illawarra fullback Tyrell Sloan injured his ankle – and could miss 10 weeks – in a Koori Knockout game.

Addo-Carr confirmed he was “knocked out” and “put to sleep.” The NRL medical staff must have been mortified.

These elite players – who were paid to play – are being targeted at the Koori Knockout by opponents out to make names for themselves. What other sport in the world would allow their best players to contest what is essentially park football with a bounty on their heads?

Nelson Asofa-Solomona has been boxing in the off-season.

Speaking on SEN radio, former NRL player Joel Caine said: “If I’m paying a player $800k, $600k, $400k or even $1 million, they are not playing in the Koori Knockout.

“I’m not letting my players play in any amateur competitions. They are a target. There’s no way in the world I’d let them play. What if something seriously bad were to happen? How would that go down?

“If you’re a professional athlete, you are not playing park rugby or any amateur sport.”

In all four major American sports leagues, player contracts can include what is called a “physical activity clause” which restricts athletes from competing in rival sports or activities.

NFL contracts state players can’t “engage in any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of personal injury.”

NRL clubs are terrified a star player might walk out if told he cannot pursue an off-season dream.

And aren’t these the same players who told the RLPA they required a standard holiday period during the off-season to regenerate?

One NRL coach stood his ground last week when telling two players they couldn’t return to their home country to play a small-time footy event. Will other clubs have the gumption to follow?

Players are paid top-dollar to play rugby league and do it at peak fitness and health. Rest assured, this issue will be raised by some NRL officials at the next CEOs conference. It’s time for clubs to finally take back the power and tell players that dreaded word: NO.

Originally published as Mollycoddled NRL players now hold too much power and must be told one word: NO