An NRL premiership comes with plenty of prestige, but Chief Executive of the Penrith Panthers, Brian Fletcher, has slammed the NRL’s “embarrassing” levels of prize-money, with the winner of the 2022 NRL Premiership set to receive just $200,000.
The original number was halved in 2020 in agreement with the RLPA as the game put in measures to deal with the impact of COVID, but following reports that players were to start earning back-pay from periods where they made sacrifices, Fletcher wants the prize money increased “ten-fold”.
The NRL and RLPA are currently in the midst of negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is likely to include an increase in prize money before the next broadcast cycle begins in 2023.
But after posting a $43 million surplus for the last financial year, as well as the NRL’s acquisition of the Gambaro Hotel for $25 million, Fletcher says it’s clear there should be more on offer.
“It’s a terrible look for the game,” Fletcher told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“They’ll say they’re increasing prizemoney in line with the new CBA, but it should be going up 10-fold. The money as it is right now, even before it was halved, is embarrassing.
“Peter V’landys does a great job putting (money) up in the racing industry, but he goes and halves it in football. It’s time they pay clubs and players what they deserve.
“How is it right to cut the prizemoney for the minor premiership, semi-finalists and premiers? It leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths. It would be different if they had no money.
“The club and players are the ones putting on the game, not the NRL, yet they’ll keep half the prizemoney from us.”
NRL Chief Executive Andrew Abdo addressed the issue, but could not confirm what the new figure would be thanks to ongoing negotiations.
“The clubs and players agreed to a decrease in prizemoney as part of the revised agreements negotiated for the period from 2020-2022,” Abdo said.
“From 2023 we are planning a significant increase in prizemoney.”
