Players get voice at last
RUGBY LEAGUE STARS GIVEN CHANCE TO HAVE THEIR SAY ROCKET IS A RON-OFF
SHAUN MURPHY believes Ronnie O’Sullivan is the ultimate snooker player.
Former Masters champion Murphy, 35, set up a quarter-final to savour against Judd Trump tomorrow at Alexandra Palace with a 6-4 win over Ali Carter.
But the world No.6 is under no illusions that the Rocket, bidding for an eighth title in London, remains the man to beat.
O’Sullivan, 42, takes on Mark Allen this afternoon ® after demolishing Marco Fu 6-0 in just 82 minutes in the first round.
And Murphy, who had breaks of 119, 87, 93 and 76 to thwart a Carter fightback from 4-0 down, said: “If you were designing a snooker player, you’d design Ronnie.
“He is back to playing, ‘You miss, I clear up’ snooker. And with his safety, you are always on the cushion, not just near ®Êby JULIE STOTT RUGBY LEAGUE players are finally set to get their own trade union.
The views of players are currently ignored in all talks, including on how many games they play, rule changes and the structure of the season.
But former Hull and Warrington prop Garreth Carvell is relaunching the Rugby League Players’ Association, with financial backing from the GMB trade union.
Carvell, 37, said: “It is all about fairness and the players having a positive input in their game.
“Players are currently not consulted, so they have absolutely no input – even on changes to the ball they have to use.
“But a lot of players have good ideas and no longer want to be overlooked by people who make the rules but who probably haven’t played the game.”
Strike
The RFL has given its backing to the union and Carvell is delighted players will finally get a voice.
“My heart is still as a player and I want the best for the players and for them to have an input,” the former Great Britain star said.
“Unions sometimes get a bad rap but this is about improving conditions for the players and improving the game.
“This is about having a collective voice. It’s about negotiating and putting forward the players’ views.”
Players in the NRL already play a strident role in the running of the game Down Under and threatened strike action last year during pay talks.
Carvell added: “The idea of a strike is extreme and if things went that far I have not done my job properly.
“It’s about negotiation and my job is to make sure that the players are looked after. There are issues and we want to make things better.”
St Helens captain Jon Wilkin launched a players’ group in 2012 but it folded three years later due to a lack of support. it, and in real trouble.” Northern Irishman Allen, 31, is hoping his record against O’Sullivan can help cause an upset.
Eighth-ranked Allen has beaten O’Sullivan twice in six meetings, at the Masters and the World Championship, and said: “I have this weird record against him.
“We haven’t played that many times and though I have lost four I have two big wins in major tournaments against him.” 80383