An outside-the-box solution to Club vs Rep tensions

[adamkungl]

Currently players are employed by the clubs and effectively loaned to representative sides.
This causes tensions when players return to their employers injured, overworked (or overweight).
Clubs are demanding compensation, and are generally reluctant to release players for internationals, especially if they are seen as 'tier 2'.

If the sport is seeking to put internationals at the top of the pile (which it probably isn't, clubs bring in the big $ right now, but in the interests of looking outwards lets carry on...), this is a pretty backwards system.

So what if things were the other way around?
Rep players to be contracted firstly to their national body, and then loaned to clubs. This is standard in some other sports, cricket and I think some Rugby nations.
This would remove the belief that players belong to clubs before nations, place the responsibility and welfare of rep players into the hands of their national teams, and remove the clubs ability to withhold players for minor surgeries or flimsy reasons.

Example:
The Kangaroos would have 40 or so contracted players.
Their duties would be 6-8 post season internationals + State of Origin mid year.
When not required for rep duty they would play club footy.
Which is basically the same as now, but duties and responsibility come from the top down rather than from the bottom up.

Obviously there are a number of difficulties with this even with only a few seconds of thought:
First and foremost, how would clubs compete for rep contracts and how would it effect their salary cap?
Would rep contracts be standardised, tiered or individual?
How would dual-national eligibility work?
How would fringe rep players be contracted and how long would national rep contracts last?

 

[Timmah]

Until Origin isn't considered more important than test match footy I don't know this has much of a chance, as reasonably thought out as it is

 

[adamkungl]

Until Origin isn't considered more important than test match footy I don't know this has much of a chance, as reasonably thought out as it is

It's a looking ahead idea. Irrelevant while we only have 3 major test playing nations and the Kangaroos only play 1 test match in a year.
But if games like Tonga v NZ start to happen more often and start drawing 50k crowds it's something that's worth thinking about.

 

[Captain Apollo]

The big problem is that the revenue which is generated predominantly comes from club games and Origin. Test level football does not generate anywhere near enough to pay players fulltime. The ARLC may "run the game" but if they tried to implement such a model, I think you'd find all the clubs would vote out every single commissioner who voted for it.

The reason it works in sports like cricket, is that the top player play "year round" as it is a spring/summer sport hence they tour over seas when it is spring/summer there, and teams come here when it is our spring/summer. The revenue generated mostly is centred around international games (except in India with the IPL) hence why the emphasis is there.

 

[Springs09]

Every single player should be contracted to the game first, with the idea to put the good of the game above any insular club commitments.

Clubs need to shut up about how they pay the players' wages so they shouldn't have to release them. The game pays their wages, as it pays every single person who is employed in the game. When clubs block players from playing in rep sides it's just selfish, with a lack of respect for those who work to grow the game.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

And how the f**k are the Roosters expected to get away with rorting the cap under that system?

There is no end to some people's selfishness

 

[adamkungl]

The big problem is that the revenue which is generated predominantly comes from club games and Origin. Test level football does not generate anywhere near enough to pay players fulltime. The ARLC may "run the game" but if they tried to implement such a model, I think you'd find all the clubs would vote out every single commissioner who voted for it.

The reason it works in sports like cricket, is that the top player play "year round" as it is a spring/summer sport hence they tour over seas when it is spring/summer there, and teams come here when it is our spring/summer. The revenue generated mostly is centred around international games (except in India with the IPL) hence why the emphasis is there.

I know that and mentioned it.
But it may not be the case 10 or 20 years down the track so its worth thinking about. Same way we talk about expansion ideas that might not happen for ages or at all.
If the Kangaroos played 6-8 tests a year that pulled 50k crowds + Origin, the money and coverage for rep footy would constantly overshadow club footy.

 

[adamkungl]

And how the f**k are the Roosters expected to get away with rorting the cap under that system?

There is no end to some people's selfishness

We are beyond any system. Peasants...

 

[adamkungl]

Also, to those saying that the club game is much bigger than internationals.. that applies to exactly 1 nation. Australia.

England could theoretically contract all its own players with little regard for the effects on the NRL.
NZ even moreso since they have no professional comp... if they had the $11 mil a year to outspend NRL clubs and a healthy test calendar.

Australia is the only country where club RL is likely to remain bigger than internationals in the mid-to-long term future.

 

[Burns]

Yeah. But what if they get HURT. Don't RUIN MY CLUBS SEASON!11ss1d

 

[Captain Apollo]

Also, to those saying that the club game is much bigger than internationals.. that applies to exactly 1 nation. Australia.

England could theoretically contract all its own players with little regard for the effects on the NRL.
NZ even moreso since they have no professional comp... if they had the $11 mil a year to outspend NRL clubs and a healthy test calendar.

Australia is the only country where club RL is likely to remain bigger than internationals in the mid-to-long term future.

NZ? Mate the NZRL are effectively broke. That is well known as it is talked about quite often.

The RFL in the UK? If you think they are flush with cash you then there is quite a bit you are unaware of. The reason a number of clubs there haven't gone under is because they have a number of very rich private owners. You only have to look at what happened with Bradford as a case in point about finances in the UK. Further the UK have to contend with Union and the EPL which financially dwarf them.

If you think internationals in other sports are so big compared to club football, tell me why so few sports have their players centrally contracted? They don't in soccer. They don't in basketball (and I don't just mean the NBA). They sure as hell don't in baseball nor ice hockey.

As to clubs "demanding compensation" it is not a new thing as it has been happening in other sports (e.g. soccer).

Finally if you want international matches to make money that outstrips club football, you need nations where the money is going to come from. No disrespect to places like Tonga, Fiji, or Samoa but none are considered financial powerhouses of countries with big populations who will spend lots of money on tickets and merchandise, let alone having financially rich companies who will be willing to throw sponsorship dollars at them.

 

[adamkungl]

I already said IF they had the money, I know they don't.
I already said it's not feasible right now.
And I already said there aren't enough tests or quality test playing nations.

It's a hypothetical future scenario. You're arguing points I already raised. I'm NOT saying that this should be done now, or indeed ever if internationals continue on as they have for the last few decades.

My point was that IF the test calendar increased in quantity and quality and there was big money in tests, Australia is the only nation that would be constrained by the size of its club comp.
The England national side attracts far more and far wider interest than any SL club ever does even with the half arsed international schedule the sport currently has. They have also floated the idea of central bonuses for marquee players in SL. Centrally contracting rep players is not a huge leap from there, if the circumstances arose where it would be beneficial.
And the NZRL has no national comp to worry about impacting. IF they had the money and enough opposition, it would be totally in their best interests to have more control over their players.

And as for Tonga's wealth, if they pull 30k+ crowds in NZ as they did during the WC it won't matter how tiny or poor their nation is.

 

[ed-grimley]

Without the NRL there would be no RL.

 

[Springs09]

Without the NRL there would be no RL.

Don't be silly

 

[Rabbit toes]

Just curious, when has a representative player returned from duties to the their respective club overweight?

 

[Perth Red]

There is a simpler solution. If a player gets injured on rep duties they can be put on an injured waiver list. This effectively takes them off the salary cap and player amount allowance for the duration of their injury. Would have to be a min period,say 3 or 4 months out. There should also be an nrl paid for insurance that covers players salaries for injury period. This will allow clubs to at least feel they aren’t losing money and have the opportunity to replace a player short term.

Clubs gain a great deal from having rep players. Players usually come back better more developed and mature players, the players have higher profiles and therefore more corporate appeal, clubs are seen as leading clubs that have rep players and attract fans and sponsors easier.

 

[Perth Red]

Without the NRL there would be no RL.

I’m pretty sure RL existed before the nrl came into being in 1998?

 

[thorson1987]

Just curious, when has a representative player returned from duties to the their respective club overweight?

Samoan players after this world cup.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...t/news-story/e510e6b3aac6020e8fd52e5f3078b1c4

RICKY Stuart has revealed how he had to confront roly-poly Raiders Junior Paulo, Josh Papalii and Joey Leilua after their weight ballooned during Samoa’s disastrous World Cup campaign.

The tubby trio piled on the pounds while in camp with the Pacific nation, and were quickly told by Stuart to shed the excess before they resumed pre-season training with their club.

Paulo, who is known to blow out beyond 130kg, Papalii and Leilua made sure they did not disappoint the coach when they presented on Tuesday in much better shape.

It’s understood Papalii has shed nearly 12kg since the initial meeting with Stuart.

 

[Vee]

Samoan players after this world cup.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...t/news-story/e510e6b3aac6020e8fd52e5f3078b1c4

Wow, how unprofessional. No surprise then they under-performed. Who was their coach?

 

[ed-grimley]

I’m pretty sure RL existed before the nrl came into being in 1998?

Think about it - where would league in general be without the NRL?