NRL refs may strike

Referees are prepared to go on strike in round one next season if the NRL does not agree to a pay claim that would see the top whistleblowers earning as much as $A315,000 a year ($NZ340,000).

Protracted negotiations between the NRL and the referees’ union continued at a glacial pace on Wednesday as the game’s all-important officials pushed for a 30 per cent increase in their salaries over the next four years.

That would see top-tier referees like Gerard Sutton and Ashley Klein have their salaries increased from $A180,000 a season to more than $A300,000 bringing them in line with the average wage for a player, which is $A371,000. ‘‘They’re moving in millimetres,’’ frustrated Professional Rugby League Match Officials chairman Silvio Del Vecchio said of the NRL.

‘‘We continue to find the NRL extremely combative and unwilling to move in negotiations, caught up in minutia.’’

Fairfax Media understands referees are preparing to ramp up hostilities. Blacking out the logo of sponsor youi on referees’ shirts and a boycott of training and next year’s pre-season matches have already been mooted.