Interesting article on some of the concerns from the NRL of players managers. It is two weeks old, but its a good article just in case anyone missed it.
"The NRL will inevitably move to ban agents from simultaneously representing both players and coaches.
Player manager Isaac Moses' representation of four key Wests Tigers players – captain Aaron Woods, fullback James Tedesco and halves Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses – has exposed the power of one agent over a club.
Moses also represents two coaches, Andrew Webster and Todd Payten, who were favoured by the four players to replace the sacked Jason Taylor.
One reason why Wests Tigers board is keen to move quickly to secure the out-of-work Ivan Cleary is to deny an agent further influence over a club that has sacked three coaches in five years.
Should the NRL insist coaches be represented separately from players, conflict of interest situations will still arise.
Agent George Mimis acts for both Bulldogs coach Des Hasler and Cleary.
Hasler's future is already being discussed by a Canterbury board reacting to the media's relentless need to sack a coach.
Timing probably won't allow it but should Hasler be sacked, Mimis is in a position to negotiate deals where the Bulldogs hire client Cleary and Wests Tigers sign Hasler, collecting a lucrative commission on both.
The NRL's action against player managers will be formalised when the current investigation into the role of agents in Parramatta's salary cap cheating is completed.
There is growing chatter some of the game's leading player managers will be banned for periods between six months and three years.
The NRL action will begin with it seeking greater influence on the Agent Accreditation Committee where it currently has only one of seven seats.
Sanctions may include penalties against agents filing the paperwork for banned colleagues belonging to the same management combine, a practice that undermined past suspensions .
Wests Tigers have only themselves to blame for all four players coming off contract at the same time.
However, the club has no control over who represents a player, unless they take the action Roosters' boss, Nick Politis, did against Moses recently.
Two weeks ago, the Roosters released centre Dale Copley to the Titans. Copley was the last client Moses had at the club. Politis has been a rare club chairman strong enough to refuse to deal with a player manager.
Moses also acts for more than half the Storm's pack of starting forwards, as well as Parramatta captain Tim Mannah.
Mimis acted for Anthony Watmough, whose third party deal with the Eels initiated the investigation into the salary cap breaches at Parramatta, leading to NRL de-registering five officials.
Moses and Mimis have been previously banished for six months by the NRL for their role in the Storm's 2010 salary cap breaches.
Of the 100 or so accredited agents, a handful have a disproportionate share of the elite players, leading to constant conflicts of interests.
Should the Agent Accreditation Committee banish most of the leading agents, players must exercise a role in maintaining the integrity of the new cadre of agents coming into the game.
NRL club officials believe that some senior players are incentivised to promote young players to the agent acting for the senior player. That is, if the senior player pushes two young signings to the agent, the commission of approximately 5 per cent to 7 per cent on the senior player's contract is waived for two years.
To overcome this, an empowered Agent Accreditation Committee may move to limit the number of players per agent per club.
There is widespread feeling agents are not delivering care and service for the $7 million a year they take out of the game, equivalent to a 17th team in terms of player costs.
Wests Tigers Tim Simona was recently sacked for breaching NRL gambling rules. His problem was too much spare time to gamble with insufficient cash. Surely the club, or his manager, Moses, could have solved both problems simultaneously by securing him a supervised part-time job.
But it's the escalation in the number of coaches represented by agents that has the NRL currently worried. It has supercharged the conflicts of interest, exposed by the sacking of Taylor.
An agent has an interest in his coach having a long and successful career because, 1. the agent receives a percentage of the coach's salary over a longer period than the average player, 2. The coach provides access to key areas, such as the dressing room and 3. The agent can advise a player to join the club coached by his client, further cementing their relationship.
Only one NRL accredited player manager acts only for coaches and no players – John Fordham who represents both Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy and Canberra's Ricky Stuart.
Both are likely to finish their careers at their current clubs."
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...sent-players-and-coaches-20170329-gv92sk.html
