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The Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA) may be set to ask players to cover up the NRL logo on their jerseys in the next escalation of their ongoing dispute over the CBA.
Though nothing has been confirmed as of Wednesday evening, the action may kick in as soon as this weekend’s games, which begins with the Broncos taking on the Roosters on Thursday. Players from both teams have been informed of potential action.
‘We are escalating our action as a playing group because the NRL have shown a complete lack of respect by not agreeing to what is a very reasonable path forward in negotiations,” said Chad Townsend to the Daily Telegraph.
“The NRL and NRLW players need our CBAs agreed as soon as possible, but we wont be dictated to by the Commission or NRL.”
Any action would take place across both the NRL and the NRLW, which has its second round this weekend.
“It’s Women in League Round, but NRLW players still don’t have a CBA,” said delegate Nita Maynard. “What does that say about the respect the NRL has for women playing rugby league?
“That’s why all players will be covering the badge. We want protection and respect.”
Kevin Walters has backed his Brisbane side to prove wrong Phil Gould’s assertion the Broncos don’t have the defensive clout to win this year’s NRL.
Speaking on Channel Nine’s 100% Footy, Canterbury supremo and commentator Gould said: “I don’t think the Broncos can win the comp this year.
“I just don’t see enough in their defence to win it.
“The Panthers have got a far better defence than (the Broncos) have, but (Brisbane) have certainly got the athleticism and the strike power.
“They’re a good side. Their performances show that but they’re not going to beat Penrith at finals time.”
Walters was told of Gould’s remarks at his Wednesday press conference ahead of the Broncos’ clash with the Sydney Roosters at the Gabba on Thursday night.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
“We are worried about ourselves, and Phil should be doing the same,” Walters said. “We know we have some work to do defensively. We are aware of that and we are working hard on that.
“But we have come a long way with our defence compared to last year. There is a bit to go and that will be showcased against the Roosters.”
The Panthers, on top of the NRL ladder, have set the benchmark in defence this season and have conceded just 236 points in 18 games, an average of 13.1 per match. Having played 19 games, the Broncos have conceded 341 points at an average of 17.9. It is a vast improvement on recent seasons at the Broncos.
In the last six games of 2022 the Broncos leaked an average of 35 points per match to fall out of the top eight. It has been an area of focus for Walters and he said the best was yet to come from the second-placed Broncos.
“We haven’t played our best football yet. That’s in front of us,” he said. “We will start to see that again tomorrow against a good opposition.
“It’s great to be alive playing at the Broncos. We need to keep improving, particularly our defensive mindset.”
Walters confirmed second-rower Brendan Piakura has not recovered from the illness that kept him out of last week’s win over South Sydney. Lock Pat Carrigan will again play in the second-row and tyro prop Xavier Willison will come off the bench.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson was optimistic about lock Victor Radley playing the game after he missed last week’s win over Gold Coast with a hamstring injury.
“He trained well yesterday so today is the real test for him to cross that line to play,” Robinson said on Wednesday morning.
“He is an important in for us if he gets across the line. If not it will be the same team as last week.”
Sam Walker has “one final set of tests” to get through on his injured knee before being cleared to return to action, Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson says.
The halfback’s imminent return is good news for the Roosters as they aim to win their remaining six NRL games and clinch a finals place.
Walker suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprain, or partial tear, while playing for North Sydney Bears against the New Zealand Warriors in the NSW Cup on April 30.
It is an uncommon injury and, while not a complete rupture, the knee was weakened and made susceptible to a more serious injury. The 21-year-old Walker saw a specialist in Townsville on Monday and the results were positive.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Ahead of the Roosters clash with Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday night, Robinson was asked to give an update on Walker and his trip to Townsville.
“The facts are that he didn’t go up (to Townsville) to sign a contract with someone else, which was funnily reported behind the scenes on Monday,” Robinson said.
“He went up there to see a specialist in Townsville on his knee. He is getting pretty close.
“He has gone back to Sydney to train the rest of this week. There is one final set of tests on Monday and then we’re looking forward to getting him back into some footy.
“With the stop-start nature of these tests you don’t get a continued progression on your training or knee progression, so it has been a bit rocky the last couple of weeks.
“So to get some progression there would be good over the next couple of weeks, and back into playing.”
Robinson said it was a relief the initial diagnosis on Walker’s knee didn’t reveal a full rupture of the ACL.
The last hurdle for Walker to overcome in his rehabilitation is the progression of his running and change of direction.
“That’s been the last little bit we needed to get (right) and that has taken a few weeks,” Robinson said.
“He is an agile guy, a speed guy and a 360-degree guy, so we want to make sure that is in the right place,” Robinson said.
Walker was dropped from first grade after the round-seven clash with Cronulla but the intention was always for him to work on his game and return to the side.
“It is a big one for us to have him available, that hasn’t been the case for three months,” Robinson said.
“That has given the opportunity for (halfback) Sandon (Smith) to come in and he has progressed and performed well.”
South Sydney have rewarded Tevita Tatola for his fine form by handing the Tonga international a contract extension until the end of 2028.
Tatola’s new deal adds to players including Latrell Mitchell, Campbell Graham and new recruit Jack Wighton agreeing to long-term deals with Souths in recent months.
The 26-year-old, known as Junior, has become a cornerstone of the Rabbitohs’ pack under head coach Jason Demetriou and has been floated as a potential option for the NSW State of Origin side in recent years.
“Junior has worked so hard over the past six seasons to establish himself as one of the premier prop forwards in the NRL,” Souths football manager Mark Ellison said.
“We’ve seen him grow from a raw rookie back in 2018 to a respected player who is in calculations for State of Origin and international selection each season.
“We are all very happy to have re-signed Junior for four further seasons and we look forward to watching him lead our forward pack in the years to come.”
The Warriors have given utility back Adam Pompey a new two-year deal.
Pompey is the only Warriors player to have featured in every game this season as the Kiwi club have rocketed into premiership contention.
© AAP
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