NRL stars push for fixed revenue share

The NRL players union is set to push on to negotiating a new salary cap figure with the NRL after informing its members of a likely guaranteed revenue share with the game.

Some 100 players converged for the Rugby League Players Association’s annual meeting in Sydney on Monday night to be given an update on the current collective bargaining talks.

Daly Cherry-Evans, Trent Merrin, Corey Norman, Aaron Woods and Josh Dugan were just some of the NRL’s biggest names to attend, while another 100 from interstate joined via video link.

One of those from interstate, Melbourne Storm and Australian captain Cameron Smith was appointed general president of the RLPA, taking over from Clint Newton.

The players gave RLPA boss Ian Prendergast a new mandate for his next meeting at league HQ – upping the expected the salary cap from 2018 and onwards at a fixed percentage.

The current salary cap is at $7.1 million, and is expected to rise above $9 million next year.

“I believe the NRL said recently they’re open to the idea about fixed share of revenue. So that gives players a lot of hope that they’re genuinely committed to what this partnership looks like,” Prendergast said following the 90-minute meeting.

“Now we’ve got essentially a bit of a mandate from players, we’re able to move forward with confidence throughout the next phase of the negotiation.”

RLPA board member James Maloney was confident the fixed share would be achieved.

“It’s essential. It’s not just this playing group, but the kids playing at the lower levels,” he said.

“My kid has started to play, and if he happened to go up to this, I’d like him to come up in good conditions where he’s looked after.

“Nobody wants to go back to the old days where players’ bodies were flogged into ground and discarded. Everyone has seen that in generations gone by and we want to look after the players.”

The Cronulla five-eighth admitted there were avenues the players could take should the NRL refuse to the come to the table about their proposal.

“There’s ways we can strengthen our voice, but hopefully it doesn’t come to it,” he said.

“We’d like to do it civilly, and we’d like to be partners in the game. We’re not here to force them into a different direction or cause a fracture in the game, we want to help grow the game.”

NRL boss Todd Greenberg said at the season launch in February that the governing body was receptive to a new financial structure for the game’s players.

“We didn’t talk about the specifics this morning but we’re open to talk to the players about a genuine partnership,” Greenberg said in February.

“If that goes to a fixed share of revenue, that’s something we’re open to talk about. That dialogue has started and is really healthy.”

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