The statement also said that the World Cup will be able to go ahead as planned with the full compliment of NRL players.

Sydney:

The Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) has backed down on its threat to boycott the Dally M Awards and the end-ofseason World Cup.

The end-of-season awards are due to be held on Wednesday in Sydney, but had been targeted by the players as a potential no-show if their pay dispute with the NRL was not solved. In addition, players had said they may not play in the World Cup, which begins in Melbourne on October 27, if the stand-off continued.

RLPA president and Dally M favourite Cameron Smith had been among the most vocal in pushing a boycott.

However, the RLPA said yesterday that it had made significant progress with the NRL on a number of matters.

“Given negotiations continued to progress this week ... the RLPA board of directors resolved that it would be in the best interest of its members and the game to support the Dally M Awards,” the RLPA said in a statement.

The statement also said that the World Cup will be able to go ahead as planned with the full compliment of NRL players.

“We can also confirm that players will be supporting the Rugby League World Cup despite the speculation that players would not participate,” the statement said. “The RLPA has been working closely with the RLWC organisers and is looking forward to rugby league being showcased on the world stage.”

The RLPA and NRL will hold further discussions this week to work through the outstanding issues involved in the pay dispute.