Deal or no deal in ongoing CBA talks

NO end is in sight to the NRL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, despite the league and the players’ union likely finding common ground on the proposed salary cap figure.

Up to 200 stars are likely go to Sydney’s CBD for a crucial Rugby League Players Association meeting tonight.

The salary cap only forms part of the long-running CBA talks, with the players’ union still not yet content with a number of other components.

However it’s understood the RLPA is unlikely to request any major change to the $9.4 million total salary cap figure agreed upon for next season.

After an RLPA board meeting, the players will be presented with the NRL’s latest CBA offer which was tabled last week, but no vote will take place on whether to accept it.

Instead, it’s believed RLPA negotiators still plan to contest a number of key points in the agreement, including injury compensation, integrity unit protocols, retirement benefits and use of individual player branding. It’s likely that could take at least another three days of meetings between the NRL and the RLPA to resolve.