NRL salary cap announcement under fire across rugby league world

The NRL is facing a wave of backlash across the rugby league community in Australia despite making a record-breaking announcement about next season's salary cap. League officials on Friday revealed details of the record salary cap figures for 2023 that include huge increases for the men's and women's competitions.

However, the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) says they were blindsided by Friday's announcement and accused the game's powerbrokers of "disrespecting" the players. The RLPA accused the NRL of failing to reach an agreement with the association or its players before unveiling the new deals.

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Clubs will be able to spend up to $12.1 million on players next season - a record figure and an increase from the 2022 figure of $9.6 million - with a rise in the minimum salary for a top 30-squad to $120,000. NRLW sides have been given a beefed-up salary cap of $884,000 for next year, although no season start date or length has yet been determined. The figures unveiled on Friday only apply to the 2023 season.

With talks stalling between the NRL and the RLPA over the next collective bargaining agreement (CBA) - which was due to be finalised in October - the new deal is seen as a big win for a lot of players and clubs, who can now start properly finalising their signings and retentions for next season.

Many chief executives had voiced concerns that the protracted CBA talks between head office and the RLPA was making it difficult for them to make decisions around the recruitment and retention of players. While clubs finally have financial certainty, they will not suddenly be flush with cash given many contracts signed in recent months had ratchet clauses inserted which ensured pay rose in line with the cap.

It sets the scene for a tense meeting between the NRL and RLPA when they are expected to resume talks in the new year, with the players' union accusing head office of undermining their attempts to strike agreement on the CBA. The RLPA says it was not properly consulted about key details of the salary cap changes and was only notified minutes before Friday's announcement.

"To announce new salary caps for players without their agreement and bypassing their association is unprecedented," RLPA chair Deidre Anderson said. "To the best of our knowledge, clubs were also not provided with the details of the new salary caps and player payment structure until approximately five minutes before the ARLC's public announcement.

"For a governing body to set its own salary cap disrespects the entire player representation movement and the importance of collective bargaining. Today's announcement goes against negotiating in good faith and only damages the trust between the players and the governing body."

The RLPA say they only received an "185-word financial proposal" on Wednesday which related to all player payments and benefits with a deadline to respond on Thursday. This included representative fees, wellbeing, education and injury funds - but did not specifically focus on the cap.

"It is not appropriate for the players to be rushed into agreeing to a financial proposal two days before Christmas," Anderson added. "Agreeing to this week's financial proposal, even in principle, would have created even more uncertainty for the industry and players because we would be working backwards and re-engineering terms and conditions to a figure that has already been set."

Uproar around NRLW salary cap for 2023

Backlash has also centred around the women's game, despite the new salary cap of $884,000 representing a 153 per cent increase on 2022. NRLW player and Channel 7 rugby league reporter Katie Brown slammed the disparity between the women's figures, compared to the men. She also bemoaned the fact the draw had not yet been made for the women's competition in 2023.

She posted on Twitter: “Lol “record breaking” deals for the NRL ($12.1 million) and NRLW ($884,000). You’re giving a whole women’s playing group ONE man’s salary. What a joke," she posted on Twitter. "To be clear, I am not suggesting they should be paid the same as the men. There’s no draw or CBA confirmed so how can you determine their salary cap... that’s my concern.”

Sport commentator Lavender Baj added: “For context: Kalyn Ponga did not win a premiership for the Knights, but makes more than the entire NRLW team that brought home the trophy for the first time in two decades. Also before anyone comes for me I am not s****ing on the huge increase for the womens game, which is undoubtedly a great thing.

"Just adding perspective because the Knights girls are the only team worth the club’s investment to be quite honest. Especially after the girls just won another World Cup, the talent in our domestic league is undeniable.”

ARLC chairman Peter V’landys trumpeted the new deals, however, and said the NRLW one in particular was testament to the growth of the women's game in Australia. The NRWL will expand to become a 10-team competition in 2023.

“They’ve (NRLW) had the biggest increase of anyone," V’landys said. “Don’t forget there are 10 teams, so we’ve invested heavily in the women’s game and rightly so. “This is a big announcement for the women, and I think over a period of time we’re going to be investing around $117m into the women’s game, which is substantial."

Clubs had, until Friday, been operating on the basis of the 2022 cap, after the previous CBA lapsed at the start of the NRL's contractual year on November 1.

with AAP

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