One thing that annoys me about the way the NRL works is players signing contracts 18 months in advance.
The current anti-tampering guidelines state that the NRL will not register a player’s contract with a new club until after Round 13 in the final year of that player’s existing contract with his current club.
The only exception to this is where the existing club agrees that the new contract should be registered.
There is no rule to prevent clubs talking to players at any time. There is an acceptance that nobody likes to see players negotiating with a new team but there is also the reality that players in the game do change clubs and that those discussions can take place over an extended period.
Rather than introduce discussion deadlines that have in the past been shown to be ineffective, the NRL reserves the right not to register the contract. That ensures that the player’s existing club has a fair chance of retaining its player if desired.
Given the exodus of players through the last few weeks, I wondered about the validity of the players’ claim regarding the need to finalise future contracts so early in the preceding season.
As much club supporters hate to hear players are moving on from their club, it energises clubs who have low expectations for the current season that next year may be better.
This year we’ve seen multiple cases of players who signed contracts for 2017 and then made a case to leave the current club and commence the new contract a year early.
Shawn Lane, Tevita Pangai, Roy Morgan, Konrad Hurrell, Nathan Peats, Junior Paulo, Peter Mata’utia, Chris Grevsmuhl, Brett Greinke, Chris Smith, Lamar Liolevave, Lachlan Lewis, Matthew Wright, Elijah Taylor, Raymond Faitala-Mariner.
All the players above have managed to sort out the logistics of moving clubs, some across Sydney, some interstate and some internationally, so there is no reason why the NRL shouldn’t and can’t change the rules that frustrate the fans so much.
I’d like to see the rules changed so:
1. All contracts for the next year will not be registered until after Round 26.
2. More transparency regarding the value of the contracts.
3. If a player is injured for the season, the remainder of the player’s contract value is available for a replacement to be signed for the remainder of the year. Either as an upgrade from their second-tier contracts or from other players not in a top 25 or from the other NRL teams.
I understand the RLPA are trying to get the best they can out of the collective bargaining agreement with the NRL because that’s their job as the players’ representative. However, there seems to be little logic or reasoning for changes to the contracting rules given how easily players seem to be able to sort out a new location in the middle of the year.
For the supporters’ sake, I hope there’s a rethink around contracts soon.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Outrageous from the Broncos skipper on 'a wooden leg!'
The Wests Tigers have lost ten-straight games at Campbelltown Stadium, with their latest coming at the hands of the Broncos in a 34-10 defeat.…
It was sheer desperation from the Panthers in defence. They held off North Queensland's second-half comeback in a thriller for a 26-20 win.
Penrith have won plenty of games under Ivan Cleary, but few can have seen them have to grit it out as much as this…
Fans and pundits were concerned the subjective nature of the 'disruptor' rule would create inconsistencies. Fox League's Corey Parker thought this was a clear-cut…
The Cowboys made a second-half fightback against the reigning premiers - and it all started with a try to Valentine Holmes that came off…
