2020 State of Origin Media Opportunity
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 27: NRL CEO Andrew Abdo speaks to the media during a State of Origin media opportunity at Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour on October 27, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

The NRL is set to overhaul their current recruitment process and introduce a transfer window, limiting players from signing for clubs 16 months before they run out in their jersey.

Talk of a transfer window has been floating around for months, though has stepped up recently as Wade Graham spoke against the concept, while veteran coach Wayne Bennett threw his support behind the notion.

There is a long-running issue in rugby league, not just with players honouring their contracts, but more specifically when they sign them.

Apisai Koroisau was announced as a marquee signing for the Wests Tigers nearly 11 months ago, just two months after winning the 2021 NRL Grand Final with the Penrith Panthers.

Since then, he has won another premiership with the Panthers, and still won't line up for the Wests Tigers for over four months. Yet, like future teammate Isaiah Papali'i, some can hold clubs at ransom over the deal.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 03: Apisai Koroisau passes during a New South Wales Blues State of Origin training session at NSWRL Centre of Excellence on June 03, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

As the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) talks continue to push through, News Corp managed to obtain a draft of the 'contract window' model.

It states that clubs can only sign a rival player if they are in the final year of their deal, and any negotiating and signings can only happen after the Grand Final that season.

For example, instead of signing for the Tigers last December, Api Koroisau wouldn't be able to negotiate a deal with a new club until the week following their 2022 Grand Final win.

That window remains open until the Monday before Round 1, essentially leaving the entirety of the off-season to negotiate a new deal.

So while talks of David Fifita, Latrell Mitchell and Brian To'o's upcoming free agency create headlines, under the new proposal the same stars wouldn't be permitted to sign elsewhere until days after the 2023 NRL Grand Final.

There will be additional two windows put in place.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 03: Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V'landys and National Rugby League Acting Chief Executive Andrew Abdo arrive a NRL press conference at Rugby League Central on September 03, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

The first will run simultaneously to the aforementioned main window, allowing clubs to move players on over the off-season. Whilst the main window is for off-contract stars, this will run for under-contract stars that have requested a release, or vice versa.

The second will run from the Monday after Round 10 all the way through to the Monday after Origin Game Three, a roughly two-month period for mid-season moves and transfers.

Despite the proposed changes, the playing group isn't on board, however, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo hopes some middle ground can be found.

“The CBA is about negotiation and compromise and we are trying to get a better outcome for the game and we're looking at windows when these transfers and/or when new contract negotiations can happen in an orderly fashion,” Abdo told The Daily Telegraph.

The current CBA runs out in under a fortnight's time, meaning discussions are set to ramp up as both parties look to confirm a new five-year agreement.

 

1 COMMENT

  1. It’s a shame that there is no-one to hold NRL Central accountable for the shambles in which the CBA is being discussed only a few weeks before it is due to start, and that major changes like this are being proposed only now.

    If the Players Association have any sense they should press for the existing agreement to be rolled over for the next twelve months, and a commitment from the NRL to sit down and negotiate the 2024-2029 CBA over the next three or four months.

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