JT says players want their fair share

COWBOYS captain Johnathan Thurston says players are determined to fight for more money after their plea for ‘‘stand-alone’’ State of Origin matches was ignored under rugby league’s new broadcast deal.

The $1.025 billion deal was trumpeted by ARLC commission chairman John Grant as a triumph for the code, and the game’s stars have ordered the Rugby League Players Association to make sure they are the big winners.

Top of their list is to find out how much the game is getting for the rights to the State of Origin series because the players believe the current fee of $20,000 a game is not enough especially now they will have to continue to back up for their clubs just days after each game.

‘‘Obviously players don’t have a say in that at all so it looks like we’re just going to have to suck it up and back-up two days later for our clubs,’’ Thurston said.

‘‘We’ll have to see what revenue State of Origin is getting and what revenue that’s going to the players because at the end of the day, the players are the jewel in the crown. We want to make sure we get a fair slice of the pie too.’’

While Grant called the deal a ‘‘fantastic outcome’’, the $1.025 billion is made up of $925 million in cash with the rest coming through free advertising with Nine and Fox Sports.

The players want fans to know their battle for a bigger slice of the pie isn’t designed just to see the big names get more money. A rise in the minimum wage and issues such as income protection insurance are on their agenda.