NRL players push on pay deal as tensions mount

The Rugby League Players Association have once against used the State of Origin spotlight to push for a revenuesharing model in their pay negotiations with the NRL.

Tensions between the governing body and the RLPA are again high after a meeting between the two at Rugby League Central yesterday ended in a stalemate.

The meeting, in which the players reiterated their desire for a share of the game’s revenue as part of the collective bargaining agreement, was reported to have ended with the RLPA’s representatives walking out.

An RLPA spokesman denied those claims, saying the agenda for the meeting had been completed and that it had just finished earlier than expected.

The players’ union engaged in a public relations push, with Queensland skipper Cameron Smith wearing an RLPA hat during his press conference in Maroons camp in Brisbane.

Smith has backed away from strike action talk over the players’ union’s pay demands, saying the RLPA have been buoyed by the AFL’s recent deal.

AFL players recently cut a new sixyear deal with the league worth A$1.84 billion that ties their wages to competition revenue for the first time.

Australian cricketers have not ruled out strike action after Cricket Australia and the players’ association failed to agree on a pay model.

Asked if NRL players could follow, Smith said: ‘‘The cricket has [threatened strikes] but the thing that still buoys us is that the AFL got a significant deal done only a week and a half ago.

‘‘It’s a closer fit, similar game, similar numbers in the competition. We understand it will be a long process but we are patient.’’