NRL Clubs Set To Be Given Last-ditch Attempt To Re-sign Players
September 12, 2023

NRL Clubs Set To Be Given Last-ditch Attempt To Re-sign Players

As a result of recent changes to the NRL's contract and movement scenario, clubs will have one final chance to keep their players from signing with their rivals.

NRL clubs will have 10 days to counter any competing offers for players like Joey Manu and Jarome Luai, thanks to a new regulation that allows them to make one more push in contract discussions.

The new rules, which were communicated to teams last week and go into effect immediately, will help current teams retain players.

Any competing bids must now be submitted to the NRL in accordance with the new rules. A player's present club has 10 days to convince him to alter his mind after he has indicated he is ready to accept an offer to move.

The strategy is a "hail Mary" pass. The NRL will verify the receipt of an offer but will withhold information regarding the contract's length and financial terms. The clock starts to run after that.

Given that superstars like Manu, Luai, Moeaki Fotuaika, Bradman Best, and Tom Dearden will be free to join with other teams in 2025, the upcoming reforms are likely to have far-reaching consequences for the sport as a whole.

An NRL official acknowledged the move but claimed it was not a return to the 'cooling off period' that caused so much uproar nine years ago when Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans reversed his decision to join the Gold Coast.

"The new process does not involve a cooling off period," the official stated.

A player now has 10 days to negotiate with a new club after receiving an offer they're interested in accepting.

Then, before accepting the other offer, players must give their present club a 10-day opportunity to negotiate.

The player is free to sign with either team when the 10-day cooling-off period finishes. Even though the offer from the new team is identical to the one from the current team, the player is under no obligation to sign with the current team.

In recent years, the sport has swung back and forth on transfer adjustments. At first, players had until June 30 to change their minds, but by Round 13, that window had closed.

In 2015, Cherry-Evans caused controversy by flip-flopping on the Titans. Cherry-Evans was perfectly within his rights to take this action, but it nonetheless resulted in a major reform of the system.

Another player who took advantage of the provision was Josh Papalii, who stayed with Canberra instead of going to Parramatta despite having signed a contract with the latter.

In response to the outcry over Cherry-Evans, a 10-day cooling off period during which players might opt out of contracts was instituted. The 10-day period passed before the signing could be made public by the clubs.

Players were unable to change their minds; therefore, that plan was cancelled before the 2018 season began.

RLPA CEO Clint Newton remarked, "These changes to the contracting window were important to our CBA negotiations and have now provided the game with improvements that stakeholders were telling us they wanted."

While this does not preclude players from wanting to secure their future in a high-risk sector, it does provide clubs with ample opportunity to recruit players they are trying to keep.

South Sydney's manager, Blake Solly, lauded the shift.

"It was something that came up during the CBA negotiations," Solly explained.

"Every team agreed it was smart to give the current team a chance to keep a player they really want to keep."

For the first time ever, the National Rugby League will need a trade deadline of November 1. If teams, players, or agents are discovered to have violated anti-tampering regulations, they will be dealt with harshly.

With the former arrangement, players and their agents could hold off on signing with a rival club until the player's current contract entered its final year, which would be November 1.

Until November 1st, they will be unable to talk with players from other clubs.