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Grant stays on as NRL works to salvage funding talks

The Independent Commission appears to be ousting John Grant. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)
25th November, 2016
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The NRL will attempt to get all 16 of its clubs back on board and working together to reach an agreement on a funding model, and has also brought in Australian Olympic Committee chairman John Coates to help review the competition’s constitution.

Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) chairman John Grant was the focus of the clubs’ dissatisfaction with the progress being made on the funding model, when all 16 sides reportedly signing a letter of no-confidence in him and called for his sacking on Thursday.

However, Grant has so far defied the calls for him to be replaced and has said he hasn’t seen any such letter of no-confidence.

While Grant said the breakdown in discussions was regrettable, he said the NRL will continue to work towards a compromise with the clubs.

“In our view, the most important thing is to work together to come up with solutions which work for all parties,” Grant said.

The NRL has invited all club and state chairs to a meeting next week with the aim of progressing talks.

That meeting will include updating all the clubs with the current issues surrounding the funding model, including topics like the salary cap and the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) discussions.

Last December, the clubs reportedly reached an agreement with the NRL that they would receive funding worth 130 per cent of the salary cap in 2018.

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While no official agreement was signed then, though a memorandum of understanding us, discussions broke down this past Wednesday when four club chairmen stormed out of a meeting with Grant and Greenberg.

The NRL powerbrokers reportedly pulled the club funding agreement from negotiations, arguing it was a pointless topic to discuss prior to finalising the CBA and salary cap.

“We clearly had a glitch on Wednesday but I expect to be able to take this forward,” Grant said.

“I think the relationships I’ve got with the chairs, while they suffered on Wednesday have been very strong.”

AOC chairman Coates has been drafted in by the NRL to lead a review of the competition’s constitution, which has been another sticking point with the clubs, who have called for them to be granted a second position on the ARL’s commission.

“It is an appropriate time to do a constitutional review, and we need appropriate people to lead that and John Coates is second-to-none,” said Grant.

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