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I’m surprised. I wasn’t certain Telstra would go all in, but they have – to the tune of around 180 million clams. So it seems the cap will rise to $5.8m.
Not only that, but the powers that be must have read my last column – they are raising the ‘marquee’ player allowance.
This is a delicate moment in the game’s history. As someone who believes in the value of unions and labour rights, I should be standing firmly on labour’s (the players) side in their fight with those that control capital (the NRL, club bosses).
The problem here is that the game can now celebrate a bank account that actually has some real money in it, and with so much work to be done at the grassroots/infrastructure level, I’m worried that too much of league’s ‘new money’ will go to players.
Clubs on the whole are not profitable. We need an excellent, mid-sized (40,000) western Sydney stadium – it could be a revamped Parramatta Stadium or something else. Big dollops of cash need to be spent on junior development and promotion of the game in heartland and expansion areas.
Recent developments suggest the Rugby League Players’ Association will accept the NRL’s compromise position, which pleases me. The players know that for the good of the game going forward, the NRL cannot behave like most lottery winners; people who have never been wealthy, suddenly splurging themselves back into the poorhouse.
Yes, the analogy is faulty but the fear and possibility is there, which is why John Grant has been so firm about establishing a fund and being prudent in how that fund is administered.
The top guys need to be paid $1 million a year. We’re getting there. Let’s ease off the pedal on everyone else.
For now.
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