NRL stars have threatened to delay the kick-off to pre-season matches, cover NRL logos on jerseys and refuse to do any media if head office doesn’t meet a Thursday deadline for three key conditions in the long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
The Rugby League Players’ Association says it will hijack the summer tournament unless agreement is reached on a salary cap for the women’s game and other non-financial issues in the NRLW. The RLPA also wants the right to distribute NRL funding for player-related programs, covering issues such as hardship and welfare, which it says is worth about $90 million over five years.
In a message sent to players on Wednesday, the RLPA outlined the actions it was planning for this weekend if there wasn’t a breakthrough in the stated parts of the long-running collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
“The view of the players was the need to set expectations (what the RLPA need done) and deadlines for the NRL to meet following negotiation meetings,” the email sent to the players said.
“If these deadlines and expectations are not met, players will be forced to implement activations to continue to hold the NRL accountable for their lack of progress.”
The Warriors will host the Tigers in the first match of the $100,000-to-the-winner pre-season challenge on Thursday night, with all nine week-one games to be broadcast on Fox League.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has been a key driver of the inaugural tournament, which will also feature Super League champions St Helens.
But the concept faces an uneasy opening, with fed-up players willing to show their frustration less than a month before the start of the regular season.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys and RLPA chief Clint Newton.Credit:Janie Barrett, Getty
The urgency of setting wages and conditions for the women’s competition has triggered the latest twist in the negotiations, with a text message between senior players on Wednesday agreeing further action would be taken unless there was a breakthrough by the end of Thursday.
Players have so far boycotted promotional appearances for NRL-aligned media and events, but the latest threat signals a significant escalation.
The action was agreed upon during a conference of NRL players last Friday after they met with other sporting leaders, such as All Blacks legend Dan Carter, Socceroos great Craig Foster and ultra-runner Nedd Brockman.
The issue was again placed front and centre of negotiations between Abdo and players’ union boss Clint Newton on Wednesday.
The RLPA’s letter to its members also said it had been alerted to allegations the NRL had been meeting with leading player agents during the CBA negotiations.
Meanwhile, the integrity unit will be frozen out of the investigation into alleged secret recordings of a meeting between Abdo and the players last week.
The future of two NRL employees embroiled in the incident will be decided by the Australian Rugby League Commission – rather than NRL management – in a bid to avoid a conflict of interest.
The NRL has appointed a barrister to interview its own staff members after the Herald revealed an NRL executive was spotted allegedly recording conversations at the annual Leaders in League conference.
More than 60 players attended the meeting at Homebush, where Storm star Justin Olam noticed the recording, which was allegedly made on the request of a second executive who wasn’t present at the time.
The staffers can’t be named for legal reasons and sources within the room said the recording was made while a player was speaking and before Abdo had addressed the group.
The drama came to light after RLPA chair Deidre Anderson aired her concerns in an email to the NRL, which was subsequently leaked.
Melbourne prop Christian Welch, an RLPA director, said the incident had eroded trust.
“We had some progress and we had some really disappointing events that happened at our leaders conference,” Welch told reporters on Wednesday.
“I haven’t heard too much, but I hope the NRL are taking it as seriously as we are because it’s a really, really severe thing that’s happened.
“You know, breaking trust, for 70 leaders at our conference at our safe space, they were welcomed in to present.”
With Roy Ward
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