Rugby Australia to target top NRL talent

[Wb1234]

‘Fantasy land’: NRL club bosses attack R360 and back sanctions on defecting players

South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly said the clubs would support whatever protective measures or sanctions the ARLC imposes.

www.smh.com.au

The clubs have held a meeting with the NRL over the threat of Rugby 360 and backed the governing body as it explores legal options regarding protective measures and sanctions for defecting players and agents.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo spoke to club CEOs in a phone hook-up on Friday morning and allayed the fears of NRL team bosses.

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NRL considers legal action in rebel R360 war
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NRL considers legal action in rebel R360 war
The NRL is considering legal action and threatening life bans for any player or agent who aligns themselves with the rebel rugby competition R360.
Australian Rugby League Commission boss Peter V’landys also spoke with several club chairmen during the week. He will take the views of the clubs to the commission to discuss options available to the NRL.
It is unclear whether the NRL has the legal right to ban defecting players from returning, but the code is keen to explore all potential measures to protect the sport from a raid on its talent.
There is also a focus on player agents and what action is available to the NRL when it comes to managers who push their clients to the rebel competition.
South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly said the clubs would support whatever protective measures the ARLC imposes.
NRL boss Andrew Abdo and South Sydney CEO Blake Solly.
NRL boss Andrew Abdo and South Sydney CEO Blake Solly.CREDIT: SMH
“We aren’t sure what sanctions the ARLC will be able to impose or introduce, but Peter, Andrew and the commission have the full support of the NRL clubs,” Solly said.
“We have little detail about R360. But it looks aimed at disrupting the established RU [rugby union] and rugby league clubs and competitions around the world; with no investment into participation or development pathways. It looks to pirate the work done by rugby union and league clubs around the world for some private investors to make a quick buck.”
As part of the R360 pitch, all players will be able to choose their country of residence and won’t be asked to reside in their franchise location.
That has opened the door to the potential for players to base themselves in tax-free countries. That would allow them to almost double their actual income.
Payne Haas’ agent has told R360 bosses that his client will not hold discussions with them unless they are willing to meet a minimum fee of $3 million per season. In Australia, his pre-tax income would need to be close to $5.5 million to achieve the same earnings.
Solly is sceptical of this scheme.
“A few of us CEOs have been around rugby league for long enough to see these ‘tax-free’ schemes come and go before,” Solly said.
“Image Rights agreements in Guernsey and Jersey; Registered Off Shore Pension schemes and all sorts of schemes that players were promised if they moved to the UK or Europe. They never last and there is always a tax bill for the club or the player.
“There is no way the ATO [Australian Tax Office] or HMRC [His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in England] are going to allow players to run off and join a competition to earn millions of dollars for a few years, base themselves in a tax haven – then waltz back into Australia or the UK without paying tax. That is fantasy land.”
The ARL Commission will meet next week. V’landys declined to comment on Friday but has previously called R360 a “competition out of a Corn Flakes box”.
Rugby Australia and seven of the world’s leading rugby union nations issued a joint statement condemning R360 and warning players that participation would make them ineligible for international selection.
The statement – co-signed by the unions of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France, and Italy – is the strongest pushback yet against the privately funded competition.
Argentina and Fiji are the only nations in the men’s top 10 Test rankings who have not signed the statement.
“Each of the national unions will be advising men’s and women’s players that participation in R360 would make them ineligible for international selection,” the statement said.”


Life time bans are good and should apply to anyone that goes to union

There isn’t a single player whose left that wasn’t replaceable

 

[Steel Saints]

They’ve already got agreements with loads of union players

The English test team will get decimated

Liv golf banned players from the pga tour and still they lost stars

It comes down to how many r360 players have existing contracts with their current clubs.

With Liv golf, it may not be the right comparison. Golf is an individual sport. One of the biggest issues with r360 is these supposed made up new teams. Easier to follow an individual golfer than a relatively new team with no history or branding.

 

[Steel Saints]

we’ll have to see how the Union players value their national duties … a lot of players will still walk if the money is stupid enough IMO….,

And then if they lose enough big name players … the national unions will backflip and let them play again eventually

Firstly national unions will look at their club competitions without the r360 players. If those club competitions suffer decline or further decline, then it might be unlikely for them to backflip. If the club comps remain status quo, then the national unions could change their position.

Secondly if r360 receives little interest, then the officials from the establishment and breakaway comps may need to come together and work out a compromise.

 

[Chimp]

It’s quite simple for the NRL, anyone who either breaks a contract, or lets a contract lapse and subsequently plays professional sport elsewhere, a new NRL contact cannot be lodged for 3 years. It’s not R360 specific, it protects our brand.
And they can always treat cases by exception so that they can let the Roosters bring someone like Joey Manu back on minimum wage (after he’s earned at motza for 3 months in Union)

 

[Perth Red]

“There is no way the ATO [Australian Tax Office] or HMRC [His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in England] are going to allow players to run off and join a competition to earn millions of dollars for a few years, base themselves in a tax haven – then waltz back into Australia or the UK without paying tax. That is fantasy land.”

eh? Isn’t that exactly what F1 drivers do?

 

[gerg]

This supposed competition is 11 months away. So far not one officially named contracted player, no coaches or backroom staff, no medical staff, no teams, no colours, no venues, no referees, no tickets, no website, no social media, no official R360 tv interviews. It seems odd that 200 players are supposedly signed for a rugby union competition from multiple countries yet no union media is reporting who any of them are. Have you seen union squads? They need 40 per team like 3 players for every position.

Also, the maximum wage being offered is $1m US as reported (£740k or A$1.5m). The only people reporting this crazy A$3-5m salary stuff seems to be clickbait Sydney journalists chatting with agents trying to bump up NRL deals.

I don't think they've even settled on a ruleset for this breakaway competition? Surely they need more than just promises of money to lure players across?

You can almost picture the discussions.

Which team am I playing for?
- our teams are in Lisbon, Barcelona, Miami, Boston, Capetown, London, Dubai or Tokyo. But you can live wherever you want to?
So I can live in Australia? How do I get to training?
- oh we haven't finalised that.
Who will be coaching each team?
- we haven't thought about that.
I (Haas) play prop in the NRL, what position will I play?
- we'll work that out after you've signed, here here, here and here... and here, here, here and here.
But before I sign I'd like to know my role.
- now let's not get bogged down on the details. Once we have 200 players signed, we'll finalise the rules, the coach's, travel, accommodation, logistics etc.... look you're just going to have to trust us on this.

 

[Wb1234]

 

[Foreign Legion]

South Sydney Rabbitohs sign young cross-code convert

He has landed a train and trial contract.

www.zerotackle.com

 

[reanimate]

100k transfer fee paid and 500k in cap space

500k for a handful of nrl games after he was seriously injured

Nrl clubs will be seriously rethinking risk reward of signing these guys now

Marky Mark has shown it can be worth it.

After the home World Cup, I think a lot more Union players will be interested in trying to come to the NRL. A lot will want to stay/move back to Union for a home World Cup.

 

[gerg]

Marky Mark has shown it can be worth it.

After the home World Cup, I think a lot more Union players will be interested in trying to come to the NRL. A lot will want to stay/move back to Union for a home World Cup.

I guess this could be a hint to the future. Young, promising rugby players coming across to the NRL solely to boost their profile and earnings potential in rugby. And as soon as those rugby offers roll in, they're going back.

But still, at the end of the day they're going back to rugby. That's punishment enough.

 

[Wb1234]

'Pay this guy $5 million': Legendary coach's plan to lure Reece Walsh to NZ rugby

Sir Graham Lowe believes Reece Walsh would draw bigger crowds to rugby games.

www.nzherald.co.nz

That would be 5 percent of the nzru turnover lol

 

[Wb1234]

Looks like the eels are stuck with Lomax

 

[Foreign Legion]

Looks like the eels are stuck with Lomax

Code in crisis

 

[BuffaloRules]

Lot of stories now about 1 game NRL star Carter Gordon returning to the Wallabies … they need to lean on an NRL connection to get any clicks don’t they ?

 

[taste2taste]

Would fans have a problem if the NRL stepped in to match any offer R360 made to our top players ?

If Haas is offered 3m for 2 years the NRL could easily match that to keep him. Same with Cleary, Walsh, Ponga, Hughes .. etc

Only the top 1% of players, we can let Graye and Paps go but we need the genuine stars to stay.

 

[taste2taste]

Everyone keeps saying R360 has unlimited money but in past few weeks 2 of Unions best players ( Russel, Smith ) have signed new deals with Union.

In league Farnsworth and Tino have taken themselves off the market.

Surely these would have been 4 players R360 would have been throwing thier 'unlimited' money at ?

 

[taste2taste]

The best way to stop R360 dead would be if all the major domestic comps came out with a jiont statement similar to what the countries did in Union banning players from Internationals

If the NRL, Super League, Top 14, Super Rugby, English Premiership, Japan all said that any player that signs with R360 will never be allowed to play in these comps it would kill R360 before it starts.

 

[newc18]

Would fans have a problem if the NRL stepped in to match any offer R360 made to our top players ?

If Haas is offered 3m for 2 years the NRL could easily match that to keep him. Same with Cleary, Walsh, Ponga, Hughes .. etc

Only the top 1% of players, we can let Graye and Paps go but we need the genuine stars to stay.

All we need to do is have one or two players on each team whose salary is not counted in the salary cap, so clubs can pay whatever necessary to keep their services. Players like Cleary and Walsh would see their salary skyrocket as a result. It also helps spread the best players across the clubs.

 

[taste2taste]

All we need to do is have one or two players on each team whose salary is not counted in the salary cap, so clubs can pay whatever necessary to keep their services. Players like Cleary and Walsh would see their salary skyrocket as a result. It also helps spread the best players across the clubs.

It seems pretty obvious but the NRL seem hesitant to introduce marquee players.

It would make sure our top 34 players are paid well enoght they'd never leave.

Ive seen ppl say it'll make the strong teams stronger but I agree that'll it'll even out the talent.

For example Broncos would make Haas and Walsh thier marquee players meaning the Titans could make Mam one of thier marquee signings. The Broncos get weaker and the Titans get stronger.

 

[Wb1234]

It seems pretty obvious but the NRL seem hesitant to introduce marquee players.

It would make sure our top 34 players are paid well enoght they'd never leave.

Ive seen ppl say it'll make the strong teams stronger but I agree that'll it'll even out the talent.

For example Broncos would make Haas and Walsh thier marquee players meaning the Titans could make Mam one of thier marquee signings. The Broncos get weaker and the Titans get stronger.

Tax free haas would need to be paid 5 million pa

Nrl club finances are strong no need to harm them for a dozen players

League players are already well paid and their wages should be going up on a a wage around 30 percent

If people want to leave that’s fine

Running a sustainable comp is more important