A former News Corporation and Fairfax Media executive has emerged as the key figure in breaking rugby league’s collective bargaining agreement stalemate, parachuted into the role as lead negotiator between the NRL and the game’s stars.
Brett Clegg, who spent time as News Corporation’s managing director of publishing as well as boss of The Australian Financial Review, has emerged as the man desperately trying to broker peace in the increasingly fraught negotiations.
According to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential discussions, Clegg has recently taken on the role vacated by former Nine Entertainment Co boss Hugh Marks, who was leading talks before taking leave to concentrate on his business interests last year.
Nine Entertainment Co is the publisher of this masthead and The Australian Financial Review.
The involvement of an independent facilitator in Clegg is thought to have helped progress talks, which included NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo and Rugby League Players’ Association boss Clint Newton meeting late into Thursday night on key areas of the NRLW competition.
Both Abdo and Newton travelled to New Zealand on the weekend for the annual All-Stars fixture and will resume negotiations this week.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo, collective bargaining agreement facilitator Brett Clegg and Rugby League Players’ Association boss Clint Newton.
Clegg’s intervention has been considered critical to solving the CBA impasse, which has already seen players threaten to delay kick-off times to pre-season challenge matches, cover NRL logos on jerseys and refuse all media requests.
The players backed down from carrying out the protests during the first weekend of trial matches, but have indicated they will consider reviewing their position again for round two of the two-week competition, which carries a $100,000 winner’s purse.
Their stance is likely to torpedo the traditional season launch with less than three weeks before round one.
The RLPA highlighted further frustration over the weekend with the lack of progress in talks regarding the women’s game.
A pregnancy and carer’s policy as well as six-month contracts in 2023 have become the latest flashpoint in the negotiations, with the RLPA arguing the inclusion of the former within the CBA as “fundamental”.
The NRLW competition is likely to have a multi-year contracting model as the competition grows, but the NRL and players’ union are at odds over whether contracts should be restricted to six months this year.
All 10 NRLW teams – including the four expansion sides, the Sharks, Tigers, Raiders and Cowboys – haven’t been able to sign players for this year’s competition. The season schedule is yet to be announced.
While the NRL and RLPA made advancements in talks about the NRLW game last week, a request for financial autonomy from the players’ union is still proving a sticking point.
The RLPA is arguing for about $90 million over five years to spend at their own discretion on injury hardship, medical retirement and wellbeing programs, but the NRL is unlikely to hand over control of such a large amount of money.
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