Parramatta Eels bound dummy half Josh Hodgson has hit out over the state of current negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement in the NRL.
The agreement is still yet to be signed off, with the salary cap for 2023 still not confirmed as a result, meaning clubs are still awaiting confirmation on deals for the final spots in their contracts.
While it's unlikely to get to the stage where a lockout - the likes of which has been seen in American sports - will be needed, the Rugby League Players Association has grown more and more frustrated with the stagnation of negotiations with the NRL.
Clint Newton - who is the president of the RLPA - has previously been vocal, and Hodgson, who is now on the board of directors for the players' union, told The Canberra Times that negotiations are 'messy' and that most of the hold up is over a revenue share deal.
"If the game takes a hit, we take it, too - and take the upside as well - but it gives players a real buy-in to the game," Hodgson told the publication.
"Right now it's messy. There was so much time wasted on us figuring out how much the NRL had gone above forecast.
"If we got that even revenue share decided, then as soon as the money comes in, it's worked out straight away, a clear percentage goes to the RLPA, and to the NRL."
Hodgson said that even though November was about to hit, "full negotiations" still had not commenced.
"From the RLPA's perspective we're just really disappointed that we're this far into the year, it's nearly November and we're still not even firmly in full negotiations," Hodgson told the publication.
"We were informed it was going to be prioritised as soon as the season finished.
"It's a five-year agreement that takes a lot of going over.
"We've got the season just about to be under way, new contracts for a lot of players, and NRLW teams are starting up now with new teams as well - so there's a lot going on."
It comes after players and club officials have previously spoken out on the state of the collective bargaining agreement and salary cap for 2023.
While the NRL have given clubs a figure to work with, it's not yet official, and outgoing Manly Sea Eagles second-rower Andrew Davey, who eventually signed a one-year deal with the Canterbury Bulldogs for 2023, highlighted as early as August the problems that was creating for teams.
"It's frustrating that it has taken this long," Davey told AAP at the time.
"It's a lot of things. A lot of clubs don't know where they are at because the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) still hasn't been finished.
"That's frustrating for the clubs, trying to get their roster together, but also for players who haven't got a contract signed.
The NRL and Australian Rugby League Commission have indicated they want the deal to be signed in November, although it's unclear if so many players being at the World Cup could delay that.
