NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo came face to face with about 60 players on Friday afternoon to answer questions about the drawn-out pay talks, with some inside the room describing the conversation as “robust” at times.
The Rugby League Players’ Association booked a two-day conference several months ago, and Abdo had been invited to be one of the speakers.
Despite the collective bargaining agreement negotiations starting to reach fever pitch, which included a three-day meeting this week, Abdo made his way to Homebush, where he spent about an hour taking questions from the floor.
Some inside the room told the Herald the questions included issues like RLPA autonomy and why it had taken so long to thrash out a CBA for the NRLW.
One player asked the Herald why the NRL was persisting with slashing annual leave from nine weeks to just six weeks.
Abdo was grateful to spend time with the players, and vowed to continue talks with the RLPA next week.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo fronted the players on Friday.Credit:SMH
The threat of strike action has been mooted, but several senior players who have spoken with the Herald are well aware they risk alienating fans if they disrupt the start of the season. For the time being, they are happy to persist boycotting any NRL media and promotional activities, including the season launch.
Abdo told the Herald late Friday: “The players asked some really good questions, and there was a great exchange of perspectives. I’m grateful for the time I got to spend with them.”
The players started the day listening to Professional Footballers’ Australia’s Craig Foster and GWS Giants former skipper Phil Davis discussing the challenges they faced in their own codes.
Talks with Abdo during the week focused on the women’s game. Abdo told the Herald at the start of the week about the stand-off: “As CEO of the NRL, I am accountable to get a deal done. It needs to be a fair and reasonable deal. I take that very seriously. However, in order to do that, I need to be able to work with a counterparty that’s willing to prioritise and compromise.”
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