Clint Newton 'embarrassing himself' as NRL players take drastic new move

The boss of the NRL players' union has been savaged over a controversial new move to cover the NRL logo on jerseys, as the ugly pay war takes a drastic new turn. RLPA boss Clint Newton has come under fire over the media boycott the players have waged against the NRL, with the latest play an escalation of the messy conflict.

Covering the NRL logo on team jerseys was floated in pre-season before players called off their action, but the protest move will come into effect during the NRL's upcoming Women in League round. The RLPA have called for an independent mediator to resolve the stalemate after the NRL submitted a 'take-it-or-leave it' offer - but the union's requests have fallen on deaf ears.

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The players' organisation says the NRL made "100 unreasonable and unacceptable changes" in their last offer to resolve differences of opinion over a fresh collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The NRL has been accused of failing to get a bargaining agreement finalised, nine months after the previous arrangement expired, with men's players operating on the terms of the previous CBA, while the women's game has yet to get a fully fledged agreement of its own.

Discussing the latest escalation of the messy saga on Wednesday night's NRL 360 program, the panelists took aim at Newton, with host Braith Anasta questioning what covering up the NRL logos would actually achieve. Fox League reporter James Hooper was particularly scathing of Newton's role in the saga and insisted the RLPA boss was doing his players a "gross injustice".

“I think the best thing they could do with the gaffer tape is wrap it around Clint Newton’s mouth and he’s not allowed to talk publicly anymore because whenever he does open his mouth he only embarrasses himself,” Hooper said. “There is 510 contracted NRL players. There is 240 contracted NRLW players and Clint is sadly doing them all a gross injustice at this point in time.

“Unfortunately he swallowed a corporate management handbook a number of years ago followed by a thesaurus then he disappeared up his own ass... I feel for the players in this. They shouldn’t be pushed into this style of a situation. The deal that is on the table is not that bad.

“They are knit-picking over jibber-jabber. They have sorted all the big picture issues out. They have agreed on money. They have agreed on minimum wage.”

Calls for Clint Newton to step away from discussions

Anasta said he thought it would be in the best interests of the players for Newton to step aside from negotiations so an agreement can be reached with the NRL on a new CBA. “Peter V’landys came out and said he would put Andrew Abdo aside and we will put Clint Newton aside and we will get in a room and get it done,” Anasta said.

“Why doesn’t Clint just step outside the room, the players get the deal done and then if Clint wants to come back on and the players want him as their representative then he stays as the representative...

"If this doesn’t get us anywhere what happens next? Does the NRL start fining players for bringing the game into disrepute. I can tell you now as an ex-player once the players’ pay packet gets hit they are going to split because they are not going to continue following Clint.”

Hooper claimed the players were already "in breach of the broadcast agreement with Fox Sports and Channel 9" and that Newton had already broken a promise to step aside if it meant a deal could be done for the players. “When you strip it all back it is all about power, control and sadly ego," Hooper added.

“He (Newton) said earlier this month that he would happily be cast out and step aside if it meant getting a deal done and the right agreement being achieved. Well he has gone back on that now. He has backflipped on that.”

V’landys said this week the biggest issue is that the vast majority of players don’t even know why they are boycotting. “I have spoken to a number of players and none of them know what this issue is all about," he told News Corp. "None of them.

"You do a straw poll of the players and I can tell you they have no idea what is really going on. They are blindly following the RLPA. I’ve asked the players what their grievances are and they say, ’Sorry, I don’t know, I don’t understand’.”

with AAP

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