should players boycot the Dally M's

[antonius]

What do you think? are they doing the right thing?

 

[Innconu]

Well if the top guys stopped asking for so much money then the young guys would be able to have more money. If you take Joey's pay and cut 100,000 off it he still gets payed a heap each year but you can then pay another three guys over 33,000 dollars. I think they appear to be expecting clubs to come up with money that just may not be available.

As such maybe they should look to themselves to help the young guys instead of the NRL and the clubs.

 

[MC DUI]

I watched NRL on Fox last night and I have to say Butts and the players
are going a bit too far with this one. :shock:

The Dally M's are there to recognise the achievements of the players throughout the year
and if this is what the players think of them then maybe we should get rid of them altogether :!:

Laurie Daley or the Panthers CEO I forget which one, but last night one of them said that the game
is just starting to get some credibility back and a stupid stunt like this from the players could set the
game back a few years again and I for one completely agree. :x

 

[Kaz]

I don't agree with it.

Butterfield & the players are trying to blackmail the NRL.

Gallop has warned he may cancel the awards night.

There were 6 things table at the meeting & the players only spoke about 3 of them.

Most top players whenever their contracts are due, they ask for top dollar from their clubs & if they don't get what they want, they threaten to go elsewhere.

 

[roopy]

If they feel they must take industrial action to get their message across, this is the best way they could do it.
It doesn't hurt the ordinary fans or the game, but it does give a swift kick to the administration and TV people.
Anything else they did would be far worse for the game.

 

[antonius]

I don't agree with it.

Butterfield & the players are trying to blackmail the NRL.

Gallop has warned he may cancel the awards night.

There were 6 things table at the meeting & the players only spoke about 3 of them.

Most top players whenever their contracts are due, they ask for top dollar from their clubs & if they don't get what they want, they threaten to go elsewhere.

Gee luv that Avartar, very apt :lol: . Couldn't you find one with a pointy hat? :lol: :lol:

 

[tahu_is_da_best]

i think they should boycott the dally m's beacuse compared to soccer (in england) they get paid nothing. i m not sure if this is right but dont the footy players in england get paid more too? so yeah they should boycott... this way they can gte there msg across and hopefully for the younger players coming up now they will b able 2 get a decent offer.. these days the salary cap is way 2 low especially if u want a decent team

 

[DJ]

Whilst we are seeing both sides attempting to take the moral ground and paint themselves as the good guys, I believe that the real story is somewhere between the two camps.

Despite the players suggesting that it is all about the younger players and minimum wages, these are not really the clear sticking points in the negotiation. There are two clear issues where both camps are holding ground,

1) That the NRL is to guarantee player contracts.

The players want the NRL to underwrite or guarantee the player contracts so that if a club folds the players will get paid by the NRL. This has occurred in the past where clubs have not paid the players and it is of greater concern with the introduction of heavier tax burdens on the clubs. The NRL has at this stage guaranteed the NRL grant to the clubs of $2.5M but is refusing to commit to the full guarantee. Panthers CEO Shane Richardson who is negotiating for the NRL on behalf of the CEOs has pegged the figure as an ambit claim of $100M. This in reality is a smoke screen as it would require all 15 clubs to fall over at the same time and all of them be unable to pay anything to anyone. Obviously, a ludicrous situation. The fact is that if the NRL is going to impose a salary cap situation which restricts the earning potential of the players then the NRL itself should guarantee those payments. You can't have it both ways NRL.

2) Intellectual property rights

The players want greater control or ability to earn revenue from their own intellectual property rights. This is slightly more complicated as it involves third party sponsorships which potentially could conflict with that team or the NRLs official sponsors. e.g. A team is sponsored by Telstra, but the star player signs a sponsorship deal with one of their major competitors, Optus. A clear conflict of interest and likely to impact the value of the overall teams sponsorship.

The other aspect is what third party sponsorships can be salary cap exempt. Once again this simply becomes a salary cap work around situation, and the senior players want access to not a bigger slice of the pie, but a slice of a different pie. This is a clear indication that the salary cap in it's current form will not exist in 2 or 3 years.

So despite all the spin doctoring it comes down to the senior players wanting access to higher incomes through 3rd party sponsorship deals and the NRL whilst gaining the benefits of administering a sport do not want to accept the full cost risk of the player contracts.

Sign the dotted line Gallop

 

[antonius]

I guess in the long run if they have to take some sort of action to get their veiwpoint across, this is a better way than refusing to play. Lets face it the Dally M's are just an excuse for a back slapping p!ss up. I assume the winners will still get their awards, so the losers are the TV companies (is it televised) and the NRL not being to showcase the awards as one of the seasons highlights, it's not as if the average joe blow (you and me) is missing out on anything. If the money that Footy generates was shared more equally then the players wouldn't have to resort to this sort of action. The greedy TV mogules are the ones raking it in and not doling it out. It's to suit their requirements that players and clubs have the season disrupted, moved around, and in the players case bodies put through the wringer. They should be giving them a bigger share.

 

[Kaz]

Gee luv that Avartar, very apt :lol: . Couldn't you find one with a pointy hat? :lol: :lol:

I want to know when they took the photo of me, when I am yelling at the ref.

I have seached for a pointy hat but have had no luck.

 

[antonius]

Gee luv that Avartar, very apt :lol: . Couldn't you find one with a pointy hat? :lol: :lol:

I want to know when they took the photo of me, when I am yelling at the ref.

I have seached for a pointy hat but have had no luck.

HaHa, I was looking thru them and saw a couple that would've suited. But that one is spot on.

 

[Terminator]

Something has to be done for the younger players coming up, they are on a pittance, and train 4 days a week, but I don't like Butterfields methods, holding the blackmail gun to the head of the NRL stinks, I hope this does'nt lead down the track to players boycotting games etc like what happened in the States a few years ago in Baseball.

 

[Doctor]

I voted 'no' for the very reason that I don't think their cause is sufficient. I think it is a good idea, boycotting the Dally Ms, but provided you have a satisfactory reason for doing so.

If the NRL starts (or continues ) coming up with ideas that will significantly decrease public satisfaction with league, then by all means boycott the awards. I just don't think their current issue is good enough - in the end who cares anyway?

 

[mrmike]

i think they all deserve a lot more money than they get. it is a limited career and they get injuries that affect the rest of their life.

and also the young guys take a risk by not going to uni or training up with job skills when they dont know for sure they will make it in first grade.

but i dont think the game generates enough money to pay them what they deserve.

 

[antonius]

but i dont think the game generates enough money to pay them what they deserve.

It would if the media paid what it's worth instead of the meagre pitance they pay now. Footy generates massive income for TV, and Radio, via advertising revenue. Why do you think they insist they get the games they want when the want them. SOO, City/country etc. If they had their way we'd have SOO games mid week every week. It's all good income for them. IMO it's all one way traffic. I also think the players have a right to be paid what their contract states. Look at the Northern Eagles fiasco, those blokes are still waiting for their money ask David Fairleigh and co. That is one of the players beefs. If boycoting a glorified p!ss up can help achieve that I don't have a problem with it.

 

[Terminator]

Yeah the NRL should go head to head with Packer about this, but judging by the way they rolled over for the AFL lately, I can't see this happening.

 

[Aussie_Knight]

I agree with the RLPA, how is a younger player meant to earn anything from league if their is no basic minimum wage structure - lets face it more then half their week is taken up by league training and matches and will possibly leave them with only three or even two working days to earn some more cash to earn a living.

People are saying that the senior players are greedy and want more money but they just want to help their mates and the young fellas out.

 

[Razor]

It would if the media paid what it's worth instead of the meagre pitance they pay now.

The problem is that News Ltd own 50% of the NRL & 50% of Fox Sports, so there's a definent conflict of interest there.

That matter is actually in court at the moment (not published in any News Ltd papers or mentioned on 9 news though). Seven has taken the NRL, News Ltd, Fox Sports, Channel 9 and Foxtel all to court. It is official (NRL admitted it) that C7 offered almost double the amount Fox Sports did for the Pay TV rights (although they were going to get a better return as they were going to create an NRL channel which the public would have to pay extra for each month). Seven have no hope of winning the case though, as there is no way to prove that the NRL went with Fox Sports soley because of News Ltd - even if they could they probably wouldn't win. They are probably just doing it for some free publicity, and News Ltd bashing, which the News Ltd papers aren't printing anyway.

 

[antonius]

The problem is that News Ltd own 50% of the NRL & 50% of Fox Sports, so there's a definent conflict of interest there.

That matter is actually in court at the moment (not published in any News Ltd papers or mentioned on 9 news though). Seven has taken the NRL, News Ltd, Fox Sports, Channel 9 and Foxtel all to court. It is official (NRL admitted it) that C7 offered almost double the amount Fox Sports did for the Pay TV rights (although they were going to get a better return as they were going to create an NRL channel which the public would have to pay extra for each month). Seven have no hope of winning the case though, as there is no way to prove that the NRL went with Fox Sports soley because of News Ltd - even if they could they probably wouldn't win. They are probably just doing it for some free publicity, and News Ltd bashing, which the News Ltd papers are printing anyway.

Exactly what I'm saying, the blokes doing all the work (the players) are being ripped off by greedy media magnets, this boycot is just the sort of thing required to bring some of this insider trading(and that's what it is) out into the open. The players deserve a better deal and the re-assurance of of a bit of wage security, good luck to 'em I say.

 

[Anonymous]

I am constantly negotiating similar deals for a living. So I recon I know what Butts is doing.

It would seem that the 'new' players organisation went into talks a week or so ago and it would appear as though they didn’t like what they heard. You know, the players association would have been dead serious, and the NRL would have patted them on the head and said on your way little boy.

I think that boycotting the Daly M's is a reasonable idea, I mean if you are treated like a powerless body, then you simply must display the potential you have for disruption. Only then will you sit at the same table with the NRL on equal billing. It comes down to respect sometimes, and if the players association feel that they are not being treated with the correct Kudos then by all means kick their arses, after all it isn’t like David Gallop has done anything for the game.

It could be worse; they could be as militant as the U.S. baseball union that walks out for a season if a member had a urine test that was unscheduled.

I am not sure what the sticking points are in the negotiations, but when one side wants their way and the other has the power to stop it, then you simply must act as a group and show some real power yourself. If we didn’t have that in society then we would all be working for 2c an hour.

Last thing.....I work with at least 5 guys that are payed more than Johns, Fittler etc.... Unlike Johns and Fittler they aren’t the best in the world at what they do, they don’t generate 10's of millions of dollars in revenue and they don’t put their body on the line each week. For the last time, leave the players alone regarding what they earn, they deserve it, the market is willing to pay it, so let it go.

-GS.