Players reconciled to pay cuts
no games. However the NRL will argue without their financial support, there won’t be a game for them to broadcast in the future.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PLAYERS’ SALARIES?
The players will continue to get paid, for now, but they are expected to have to take a pay cut to reflect the huge reduction in the cost base across the game.
That will start from the top, with Todd Greenberg, his executives and the commissioners all expected to take a major salary reduction as the game fights for its survival.
WHEN WILL STATE OF ORIGIN BE PLAYED?
The most likely scenario is looking as though State of Origin will now be played after the season. The NRL is desperate to play the series given it brings in about 20 per cent of the code’s revenue each year. Origin scheduling will be determined by the NRL return date.
WILL THE COMPETITION POINTS FOR THE FIRST TWO ROUNDS STAND?
At this stage, the NRL will honour the points from the opening two rounds of the season. However if there is a lengthy break, and a largely reduced competition, the NRL could start fresh again from when it resumes.
HAVE ANY PLAYERS TESTED POSITIVE?
The Sydney Morning Herald understands no players have tested positive to Covid-19, but four Gold Coast Titans players were last week tested and isolated. All four players were later cleared and played against the Eels on Sunday.
The immediate reaction in clubland to the suspension of the NRL season was one of disappointment and nervousness – with the big question being how players will get paid.
Even if the players were forced to take a 50 per cent pay cut, one Sydney club official was not convinced any massively reduced salaries could be accommodated.
Just how many clubs were potentially set to go bust was also a hot topic as reality slowly started to sink in.
Panthers Group CEO Brian Fletcher was forced to shut the doors to five leagues clubs at midday, only to find out by the close of business the NRL had been suspended.
‘‘This is disastrous,’’ Fletcher said. ‘‘Even with all the assets we’ve got, it’s still going to be a battle to survive this.
‘‘The biggest problem is who is going to pay the players? The TV broadcasters won’t give it to the NRL and the NRL can’t give it to us. We can manage it, but everyone will have to take a decent haircut.’’
Players union boss Clint Newton has also accepted players will have to ‘‘share’’ in the game’s inevitable cost re-structure after its indefinite shutdown.
It is understood a clause in the collective bargaining agreement allows the NRL to renegotiate player salaries if revenues decrease by $10 million in one year. It is believed the game loses $13 million in broadcast revenue, paid in monthly instalments, for every round missed.
Newton, who was appointed CEO of the Rugby League Players Association last week, has previously pointed at cutting other costs before slashing salaries.
That includes the game’s injury hardship fund, marketing pool, retirement finances and representative payments.
‘‘Clearly the game is going through a cost-cutting exercise. The players will have to share in that, which we’ve always maintained,’’ Newton said on RSN Radio.