If clubs sack unvaccinated players, should their wages be exempt from cap?
November 7, 2021 — 7.45pm
NRL clubs want clarity on whether they will have to absorb the wages of unvaccinated players in their salary cap should they decide to terminate the contracts of those who refuse to take the jab.
A crucial meeting of six NRL club bosses and the Rugby League Players Association will take place on Monday as the code’s vaccination stance reaches a crossroads, with a large cohort of NRL players from clubs which didn’t make the finals due to return to pre-season training this week.
While several clubs have openly discussed the possibility of sacking players who decline to be vaccinated, the issue of whether a player’s wages should still be counted in the salary cap before their contract is torn up has become a topic of hot debate.
The NRL’s new contracting period began on November 1, meaning those players who are yet to be inoculated against COVID-19 - and unable to fulfil all club duties during pre-season - have started being paid for the 2022 period.
While the RLPA is lobbying for a unified approach in how unvaccinated players are handled and are urging clubs not to rush into any decisions with those who have not had the jab, it will test the patience of employers to keep paying players who can’t join their teammates for pre-season training.
For example, if a club decides to terminate the contract of an unvaccinated player in February, should the wages they might have already been paid for three months be counted inside the salary cap?
The Storm are seeking guidance on the case of New Zealand international Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who has declined to be vaccinated thus far and posted another anti-vax message on his social media channel last week.
Asofa-Solomona is one of the highest earners at the Storm, who fall under Victorian government regulations which dictate professional athletes are authorised workers and must be vaccinated to train or play in the state.
The NRL has refused to mandate vaccinations for its playing group, unlike the AFL which declared any men’s or women’s player or football department member had to have received two COVID-19 jabs to participate in its competition.
It has essentially left NRL clubs to figure out themselves how to treat players who are yet to be vaccinated, or have no plans doing so.
NSW public health orders prevent unvaccinated players joining the rest of the squad for clubs which train in stadium facilities, including the Dragons, Bulldogs and Sharks.
According to sources familiar with the situation, most clubs still have at least one player who has shown vaccine hesitancy or is refusing to be jabbed for a variety of reasons, whether it be a pro-choice stance or personal issues relating to their own medical history or that of a family member.
The NRL is confident it will reach 95 per cent of players being fully vaccinated before the start of the 2022 season in March. The Knights are the first club to have its entire top squad fully vaccinated.
