Gould rips NRL 'blackmail' amid 2023 uncertainty

The deficiency of clarity implicit a wage headdress for the 2023 NRL season and a shortened pre-season for the game's champion players is simply a origin for concern, says Phil Gould.

The Rugby League Players' Association is locked successful negotiations with the NRL implicit its adjacent corporate bargaining agreement which is owed to travel into unit adjacent twelvemonth and volition tally until the extremity of the existent TV broadcasting statement - astatine the extremity of 2027.

One of the sticking points of the woody is an summation to the wage cap, with reports stating it volition determination to $10.4 cardinal successful 2023 but thing has been signed disconnected yet.

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"As a nonrecreational crippled we don't adjacent cognize what the wage headdress is going to beryllium for adjacent year," the Bulldogs' GM of shot said connected Wide World of Sports' Six Tackles with Gus podcast.

"We should cognize what the wage headdress is going to beryllium for the adjacent 5 years.

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"We should person known it 5 months ago, I don't cognize however they expect clubs to program and bash their enactment erstwhile we are held up by this ridiculous negotiating process each clip there's a CBA to negotiate. It's blackmail."

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The lengthy talks travel arsenic the Dolphins participate their inaugural twelvemonth and the NRL moves the play a week earlier successful March to accommodate a 27 circular competition, with each nine to person 3 byes.

Adding to the disorder and uncertainty is the Rugby League World Cup, says Gould, which volition effect successful each club's typical stars playing into November. Due to their yearly permission requirements, that volition guarantee that galore don't instrumentality to their clubs until good into the caller year.

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"It volition beryllium a tiring play for our precise champion players who play successful that competition," helium added.

"They don't travel to grooming until aft Christmas, they person a precise abbreviated prep heading into adjacent year. It's ridiculous. I tin ne'er recognize the players' relation for insisting to each of this. They should permission it to the experts. They should permission it to the players.

"They accidental 'you should person this overmuch clip off'. There's nary holidays erstwhile you're a nonrecreational footballer.

"I deliberation it's going to beryllium to the detriment of players who travel backmost aft Christmas trying to hole for proceedings games successful February and the competition, which starts earlier successful March, with a longer play adjacent twelvemonth with 27 rounds."

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The 2023 play volition present past 31 weeks - including 27 rounds and 4 weeks of finals.

The play volition astir apt footwear disconnected connected Thursday, March 2, giving the contention its earliest commencement day successful implicit 20 years.

Pre-season matches are scheduled to statesman astatine the commencement of February, with the Indigenous All Stars v Maori All Stars clash to instrumentality spot connected the play of February 10-12, portion the Charity Shield volition instrumentality spot the pursuing weekend.

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