The Roar
The Roar

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No player is bigger than the game of NRL

28th July, 2013
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(AAP Image/Action Photographics, Renee McKay)
Expert
28th July, 2013
58
1623 Reads

There was a time when a rugby league player was exactly that and the possibility of switching codes or changing clubs willy-nilly would have never crossed their minds.

But, as everyone knows, we live in an age where money talks louder than passion, respect or even the love our players have for this great game.

At the end of the day, a fat pay check will always win out. Not even a binding contract can stop a player from getting what they want.

Whether it’s Sonny Bill Williams leaving the Canterbury Bulldogs to chase an All Black jumper and a boxing career, Mark Gasnier walking out on St George Illawarra for a payday in French rugby or Israel Folau doing the unthinkable and signing with AFL club GWS Giants.

Players will do whatever they can for the bigger, better deal and for that rugby league suffers.

Only recently Benji Marshall was granted a release from the final two years of his deal at the Wests Tigers to try his hand at rugby union.

It is widely thought that Marshall will make less money playing Super Rugby.

Good for him if he truly thinks he was disrespected by his club and genuinely needs a new challenge in his career.

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But why were the Tigers so happy to let him go?

Surely they were well within their rights telling Benji he was staying put and giving his guts for another two seasons.

Apparently Ben Barba is restless at Belmore. There have been reports suggesting he wants out to return to Queensland and link up with the Brisbane Broncos.

But does he not have a contract at the Bulldogs until the end of 2015? Why is Barba’s future even in question?

To just assume the Bulldogs would release Barba at a whim is a little distressing.

Every time a player signs with another club they trot out lines about looking after their families and need to make as much cash as possible in the small timeframe they have as a professional athlete.

That’s all well and good. Business is business.

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But somewhere down the line the clubs forgot they were in business too. Players have seemingly spewed generic quote after generic quote for so long the clubs simply bow to the pressure and submit to every last request.

Why do players do what they want?

Because we always forgive and we always forget.

Williams returned to the Sydney Roosters this year to a reception rarely seen in Australian sport. The Nine Network’s ‘SBW OMG’ promos prior to Round 1 said it all.

Dragons centre Gasnier told everyone he needed a new challenge and was swiftly off to the south of France. Before you knew it he was back at St George Illawarra and rewarded with a premiership and a beefy back-ended contract.

He retired soon after anyway.

Code jumper Folau has made a home at the NSW Waratahs but we all know he will eventually return to the game that made him famous.

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And that’s the thing. This game did make them.

But it seems modern players can do no wrong no matter how many times they break our trust.

Not happy with a coach? Leave.

Millions of dollars waiting for you in another code? Leave.

Don’t like a teammate? Leave.

Experts have flooded recent media suggesting we need to do more to keep our star players in our game. That we need to get rid of the salary cap or instil a marquee signing system.

Why not just give Folau, Williams and company a blank cheque book and let them pick a number.

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Let’s just rip up all the contracts and let players lob up wherever they please.

We are headed toward a murky future and the only real losers in all of this will be the fans.

It is time clubs started dictating to the players and not vice versa.

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