NRL players refuse to return to training on May 4 if pay agreement isn't reached

[robbiea]

NRL players will refuse to return to training next Monday if a pay agreement isn't reached for the revamped season.

Nine's Neil Breen broke the story on Thursday, after team captains spoke on Wednesday night. The impasse focuses primarily on the New Zealand Warriors, who are meant to travel through Australian quarantine barriers to resume their place in the competition.

NRL training was meant to resume on May 4, ahead of the season's planned restart on May 28. Those plans have been thrown into doubt by the players' stance.


"The reason is they do not have a new pay deal with the NRL. The players were promised by the NRL that by yesterday they would receive many things, including all the biosecurity details, all the new rules they had to live by; also, a new pay deal," Breen said on Nine News.

"They were informed by the NRL that wouldn't be able to be given to them for about a week, because while they had agreement with the broadcasters - Nine and Fox Sports - to start the season on May 28, they don't have commercial agreements with the broadcasters. They're toing and froing over how much money they will pay.

Storm captain Cameron Smith, the Rugby League Players Association president. (Getty)
"It was then that a delegation from the Warriors, led by Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Blake Green, they told the call, 'Hang on a second, the NRL's not kept up its end of the bargain here. We were supposed to learn by today, they want us to relocate to Australia on Sunday and go into quarantine for two weeks. We're not going to do that, we're not going to travel, because if the deal falls over at a later date, then we'll be stuck in quarantine in Australia with no reason to be there'.

"They were then backed by players from other clubs, led by Cam Smith from the Melbourne Storm. A delegation from the Roosters backed them and they agreed unanimously that until the NRL came through with a pay deal, that they wouldn't train on Monday.

"The players are extremely concerned about the public perception of this move from them, but they have done it in solidarity with their brothers from the Warriors, who do not want to separate from their families and relocate in Australia without the NRL meeting its end of the bargain."

 

[The Wheel]

No play no pay

 

[The Who]

Some players are really trying to derail the resumption of the comp.
So much for the often touted line: "I love the sport, I'd play it for nothing..."

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Be funny ( but bloody sad ) if they rebel and refuse to play and then the organisation falls over and they all have to go back on the tools and play as semi professionals earning $50k a year.

I realise that’s not funny as such but I find it ludicrous that they are whinging about pay rates given what’s gone on.

Self entitled twats.

 

[jbb/james]

I assume the players respct for the NRL and its word is not great atm. Its been a few years of messy **** about being paid. You can understand the warriors point of view in all of this but some of the other senior mouthpieces of the game seem to only be reprensenting themselves and there own situation. And clearly been given to much air time.
I still have my money on a player derailing the system as opposed to any broadcast deal. There is still a major boofhead to emerge and make trell and jacboy look like amateurs.

 

[Woodsie]

What ... risk going into quarantine for 2 weeks as opposed to going the next 5 months without income .... FMD ...

I think this story will be short lived ...

 

[Rosko]

Sounds mainly that they are backing the Warriors to be properly supported (as promised) before signoff.
I would expect this resolved by tomorrow. PVL has broken through most barriers.

 

[The Wheel]

It’s alright for Scam to be leading the charge sitting on his multiple contracts, Diamond rings and benefit matches

 

[Woodsie]

Is that the same Blake Green ... that same piece of vile detestable sack of lying bullshiite ... that had a contract but refused to train because he had been offered more money elsewhere .... not exactly a stickler for contracts or agreements .. complete turd !!!

 

[mbe]

Look at the difference between the horse racing community and the league players. At the interviews you regularly hear trainers and jockeys saying how grateful they are that racing is still on and not suspended like other sporting activities. Many jockeys are the same age as the football players but you don’t see or hear of them getting into mischief like 4 of the league players did this past week. It‘s time that the players grew up and behaved more like responsible members of the community.

 

[Budgie]

The players don't seem to realise the change in status they've had.
When everyone is doing it tough, sports people are not Gods.
When everyone is self isolating and dealing with all sorts of personal difficulties as a result, football players who flout the rules are seen as self entitled little prats.
When people are desperate for the opportunity to work, footy players who decide it's time for them to bargain are seen as not community friendly.
When most would be happy to earn anything, footy players trying to get more for themselves are seen as an abhorrence.
In short, fans will be a lot less tolerant to all entitled behaviour - and these idiots are showing plenty.

 

[Brisbane Tragic]

I agree totally with the sentiments on here - what a bunch of entitled grubs. Why not instead of threatening the season - say to Vlandys - we will act in good faith and return to training on the proviso a pay deal gets sorted out in the next week or so? The public is sick of these entitled clowns and their behaviour and their money grabbing - ignoring contracts when it suits them - holding clubs at ransom like Green - misbehaving every off season etc. As was said above - a few million Australians are doing it very very tough and would love any sort of work and yet these morons want to complain that they need a guaranteed pay deal before they start work again. Oh myyy they love to keep kicking themselves in the groin! The NRL should say - ok lets have no season and there wont be one next year or the year after when the League folds and let them all get a $50k job. Vlandys has already shown he is all about the players - making sure the clubs and players got ever cent of the payouts recently when Greenburg withheld $30k per club. Then he didnt suspend those 4 idiots at the weekend like he should have. What a total bunch of halfwits just when some good faith is what was required. You really can't make this **** up - excuse the french! These dills just don't get it!

 

[47MVEagle]

The one good thing about this is DCE's name wasnt mentioned as one of the players who said it.

Can you imagine the field day Weirdler would have scribing yet another anti- DCE clickbait article in which he throws him to the wolves again?

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

It’s alright for Scam to be leading the charge sitting on his multiple contracts, Diamond rings and benefit matches

The reason that some of the biggest names speak for the players is simply that small time players would be black-listed or shuffled out of the game as troublemakers if they were the ones standing up. DCE made it pretty clear recently that was why he felt an obligation to try to negotiate on behalf of the players on modest deals, Smith is probably there for the same reason.
(and no I don't support the diamond ring!)

 

[Shoe1]

I just want the season to start. Bring in passionate reserve graders, and let teams forfeit if they are too precious.

 

[The Wheel]

The reason that some of the biggest names speak for the players is simply that small time players would be black-listed or shuffled out of the game as troublemakers if they were the ones standing up. DCE made it pretty clear recently that was why he felt an obligation to try to negotiate on behalf of the players on modest deals, Smith is probably there for the same reason.
(and no I don't support the diamond ring!)

I just hate Scam so prepared to bag him at any opportunity

 

[yokahontas]

I just want the season to start.

I don’t, TBH. I’m concerned about how complacent people are being already - the number of people just wandering through the shops (including parents who apparently think it’s ok to let their kids wear roller skates and blunder into people and shelves), some mouthing off about how this is all just a hoax - allowing sports to resume just reinforces that attitude. We’re not even into flu season yet, and that is frightening.

While we’ve got a good health system, and we’ve managed to buy some time and spread the cases out a bit to keep it manageable in that sense - we’re going to see a second wave of infections for sure, and how badly that goes is going to depend a fair bit on how complacent the general public are. Letting the NRL - or any other pro sport - restart the season just reinforces the complacency.

 

[Waz13]

Be funny ( but bloody sad ) if they rebel and refuse to play and then the organisation falls over and they all have to go back on the tools and play as semi professionals earning $50k a year.

I realise that’s not funny as such but I find it ludicrous that they are whinging about pay rates given what’s gone on.

Self entitled twats.

On the tools?? That’s insulting to tradies mate. Half these entitled muppets wouldn’t last one day in a work site or have the skill set to hammer a nail!

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I don’t, TBH. I’m concerned about how complacent people are being already - the number of people just wandering through the shops (including parents who apparently think it’s ok to let their kids wear roller skates and blunder into people and shelves), some mouthing off about how this is all just a hoax - allowing sports to resume just reinforces that attitude. We’re not even into flu season yet, and that is frightening.

While we’ve got a good health system, and we’ve managed to buy some time and spread the cases out a bit to keep it manageable in that sense - we’re going to see a second wave of infections for sure, and how badly that goes is going to depend a fair bit on how complacent the general public are. Letting the NRL - or any other pro sport - restart the season just reinforces the complacency.

Fair call. I couldn't help noticing among all the hoo-ha about Mitchell and Addo-Carr, the criticism was about 1) putting the game's restart at risk 2) thinking they were special when all the rest of us had to stay home, and 3) a lot of general criticism about player behaviour including bringing up the national anthem.
But very few comments about the fact their actions may directly lead to someone getting seriously ill or even dead.

 

[yokahontas]

Fair call. I couldn't help noticing among all the hoo-ha about Mitchell and Addo-Carr, the criticism was about 1) putting the game's restart at risk 2) thinking they were special when all the rest of us had to stay home, and 3) a lot of general criticism about player behaviour including bringing up the national anthem.
But very few comments about the fact their actions may directly lead to someone getting seriously ill or even dead.

That’s the worst part about them playing the race/culture card, for mine. Addo-Carr and the mates who drove up to Taree with him were not only putting a regional community at risk (that simply doesn’t have the resources to cope the way city hospitals can - we’ve been doing a hell of a lot of transferring suspected and confirmed coronavirus cases out of small towns to the base hospitals, and the north coast is no different to the south in that respect), but most especially the indigenous population, including their own extended families, who are at far higher risk of complications or death from the virus. Selfish, ignorant man-children, the whole group.