‘Glaring issue’ the NRL must urgently address

NRL players have never earnt more money, they’ve never had better work conditions and let’s not forget; in the middle of a pandemic when everyday Australians were losing their jobs, the league continued the competition and housed the players and their families in Queensland.

Spare me the sob story and this desire to want more.

How much more do you want?

I don’t begrudge the RLPA wanting the best deal possible for its members, however they need to be flexible when it comes to trade windows and a draft in these ongoing negotiations with the NRL over a new collective bargaining agreement.

It needs to happen NOW, otherwise this laughable situation where players are signing with clubs 12 months in advance will continue for another five years.

Phil Gould has been banging on about the need for a change to the system for years.

On Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus podcast last week, the premiership winning coach said “the movement of players between NRL clubs has been flawed throughout history. We have never negotiated this back with the players’ association.

“We’ve done four or five CBAs in a row now and have never once tried to negotiate what is in the best long-term interests of the game, which is a draft system or at least trade windows.”

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The powerbrokers at head office need to stand their ground and prevent the RLPA from continuing a system that treats the diehard supporters of the game like mugs.

I remember saying at the time of Ben Hunt signing from Brisbane to St George Illawarra, how is it fair on the fans to sit in the stands at Suncorp Stadium and cheer on the playmaker knowing in a few months he’ll be wearing the Red V?

It’s the same with Jack Wighton and the Canberra Raiders. Ricky Stuart is a professional and will do whatever it takes to ensure the Green Machine wins as many games as possible in season 2023, but where is the fairness in losing someone who they’ve been loyal to?

Kevin Walters added his voice to the need for transparency by suggesting, “there should be a timeframe when players can negotiate for next year if they’re not already re-signed at that club. Definitely … it’s tough for the Raiders, tough for Ricky, tough for Jack Wighton as well. Nobody wins there really.

“I would have thought in the off-season, from October through until whenever, that’s when you can negotiate with other clubs … that just makes sense to me.

“It’s not a great look for the club, not a great look for the fans … nobody wins.”

So, what’s the answer?

What would work best for the players and the longevity of the game?

In my view, the NRL has an opportunity to create some excitement with a transfer window eight weeks into the competition and a second in between State of Origin and the finals when there is usually a lull in the competition.

Imagine the headlines and the speculation over those two week periods, it would be fantastic.

Instead we’ve got this agenda driven drivel in the newspapers which is dictated by the player managers looking to play clubs against one another to earn their clients more money. There are some examples so far from the truth that it makes the journalist who writes it look stupid.

Don’t worry, I’ve fallen for it in the past when I was contacted by a player manager. I swore from that day on, I’d treat their tip offs with a grain of salt.

By installing these trade windows and an NRL draft, it would eliminate the power of the player managers and force them to do their deals in a designated period. Again, it would create excitement and send the media into a frenzy.

Imagine having a draft towards the end of November once everything dies down after the grand final. Think about the lead-up to an NFL style draft announcement one weekend in November or December.

It would become an event and something the broadcasters could televise.

I’m picturing ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys walking onto a stage to declare the “National Rugba League Draft is open for business”. Like the NFL Draft, supporters could announce where players have signed and we’d get the reaction from their families.

The only obstacle would be the major races in Sydney and Melbourne, therefore stage it mid-week or on a Sunday to avoid a clash. It would also happen before the summer of cricket and prior to the NRL teams heading back to pre-season training.

Isn’t it a win-win?

The discussions keep going around in circles and while I applaud Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo exploring the potential for a season opener in Las Vegas and a new revenue stream stemming from the United States, the glaring issue in rugby league that needs to be addressed is the player transfer market.

The time has come for the NRL, RLPA, coaches and senior players to get into a room and nut this out once and for all.

Surely there’s a workable solution.

Let me know your thoughts by sending through an email to the WWOS Radio show on 2GB by clicking on this link; https://form.jotform.co/70601482897867

Wide World of Sports Radio is heard from 6pm AEDT on 2GB 873am with Mark Levy and co-hosts Shane Flanagan (Monday), Paul Gallen (Tuesday) and Brad Fittler (Wednesday), Ken Sutcliffe (Thursday) and Mark Riddell (Friday).

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