The NRL has abandoned its plan to overhaul the model in which players can move between clubs, rendering hopes of a transfer window almost dead in the water.
In a bid to reach an agreement with the players’ union over the tortuous collective bargaining agreement negotiations, the Australian Rugby League Commission has dropped its immediate push to clean up the movement of players between clubs.
In an email sent to all club chief executives on Thursday and seen by this masthead, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo confirmed head office’s plans to push back the ability for free agents to sign for other clubs by eight months had been scrapped.
Instead, he said he wanted the issue to be debated at a later date during the next term in order to reach a resolution on a new pay deal.
In his email, Abdo said: “One of the remaining issues was a trade window. While we firmly believe a trade window would be beneficial to the game, in order to get a deal done the ARLC has made the decision to exclude this from the final offer. We do however seek the commitment of both players and clubs to conduct a good faith review of the position during the agreed term of the CBA.”
The NRL’s final offer on a new pay deal has now been sent to the Rugby League Players’ Association, who had made concessions in a settlement proposal sent several weeks ago.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and RLPA boss Clint Newton.Credit: Getty, Getty
The contracting model was the biggest obstacle to reaching a new deal, but has now been cleared fuelling hopes of a truce to the long-running dispute.
The previous collective bargaining agreement expired last October.
