Gallop calls for contracts to be honoured

NRL boss David Gallop has called on players and clubs to respect the “sanctity” of contracts in the wake of speculation superstars Sonny Bill Williams and Mark Gasnier are trying to get out of their long-term deals.

Gasnier signed a five-year contract with St George Illawarra in 2006 and Williams a deal of the same length with the Bulldogs last year, but both players have signalled they would consider quitting the NRL before those deals expire.

Gasnier has utilised a clause allowing him to negotiate within a month-long window each year to consider a move to rugby union in France, while a disgruntled Williams said recently he’d also be open to offers from rugby.

“I’m very hopeful that they’ll both stay in our game,” Gallop told the Nine Network today.

“Sonny’s got a five-year deal, he’s one year into it and the Bulldogs have made it very clear they don’t want to let him out of that contract.”

Asked when he considered a contract to be binding, Gallop said: “They have to be respected by clubs and players.

“The reason that contracts are signed is to give everybody certainty, including the fans.

“When they read that a player’s been signed for a few years then they think great, we’ve got him for a few years.

“The sanctity of that’s something everyone has to respect.”

The NRL has experienced a steady drain of players to the English Super League – as well as Craig Gower’s trail-blazing path to French rugby club Bayonne – with Wests Tigers Brett Hodgson, Parramatta’s Mark Riddell and the Bulldogs’ Cameron Phelps the most recent to jump ship.

“I just think we’ve got to continue to grow the pie and if we grow the pie then the players will get paid more,” Gallop said.

“They know that if they want to play Origin, if they want to play for the Kangaroos, then the best chance of doing that is making your name in the NRL.

“It’s not possible for us to throw out concessions or exemptions on the salary cap every time one of our guys gets an approach.

“That is going to be a disaster for everyone.”

Gallop ruled out a centralised contracting system where, for example, the top 20 players would be contracted directly to the NRL.

“That top 20 changes all the time so a player who might not be in the top 20 is very valuable to a particular club, a Brett Kimmorley, a Cooper Cronk,” Gallop said.

“You would be disadvantaging those clubs who have that sort of player who wasn’t in your top 20.”

Gallop said the NRL had also been helping the English Super League police its salary cap more effectively in an attempt to stem the tide.

“They’ve certainly been running behind us in policing the salary cap,” he said.

“But in the last few years we’ve seen clubs lose points, fines imposed over there, so they’re getting serious about that and we’ve given them some help on the rules and how we police it.”