News NRL draft system could replace player transfer market between clubs

Spoonman84

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ARL Commission Chairman Peter V'landys has endorsed the introduction of a draft to replace the player movement market as a way to evenly distribute talent across the 16 NRL clubs.

Clubs have been making proposals to a working group convened by the NRL to look at how player movement can be improved to balance teams’ rosters and discourage bidding wars that inflate the value of contracts.

V’landys told The Saturday Telegraph the NRL was open to the current market system being replaced if it was no longer deemed as ‘best practice’.

“We will certainly be looking at it because the talent system is not the most appropriate,” V’landys said.

“In good corporate governance everything has to be reviewed to ensure we are using best practice, everything is on the table. When you review something, you review the whole system.

“We are open to changes, there is no doubt about that. But we have to do it in partnership with the players’ association.”

Under the proposal off-contract players with two or more seasons of NRL experience would only be able to move clubs via a draft.

There would also be an opportunity for players in the Canterbury Cup and Intrust Super Cup to nominate for the draft.

Players with less than two seasons of NRL experience would only be able to enter the draft with their club’s permission.

Contracted players seeking a release would also go into the draft.

The draft order would be determined by where teams finished on the ladder the previous season. For instance, the last-placed team would get the first pick.

There would be a trade window before draft day to negotiate things like contract length and value.


In 1991, the NSWRL introduced a draft but it was quashed after the High Court ruled it was a restraint of trade. The class action against the NSWRL was sparked after former player Terry Hill was drafted to Eastern Suburbs instead of Western Sydney Magpies, where he wanted to play.

Any changes to the current system would have to wait until the collective bargaining agreement ends in 2022.

Rugby League Players Association CEO Clint Newton said any changes to how movement between clubs occurred would need to protect players from becoming commodities.

“We’re always open to discussions but the starting point is what we currently have in place under the collective bargaining agreement,” Newton said.

“Any changes to the current system would need to demonstrate significant positives for our members and their finite playing careers.”


A draft system could help put an end to messy club transfers. Picture: Getty Images.
One of the game’s most respected recruitment gurus, Peter Mulholland, believes a rookie draft system, where junior players are distributed among clubs, is a more feasible approach than an internal player draft.

Any rookie draft would continue working alongside the current player movement model.

“With the history and structure of our game, especially because clubs do the development, a draft would be more applicable around the 18-year old mark and going into grade rather than already being established,” Mulholland said.

“I think the current system is good at determining the value of players once they are at NRL level. But there are always going to be areas within that system that could be finetuned, like the size of rosters and the nature of development contracts.”

Regardless of whether a draft, in any form, is introduced in the future V’landys said the game must have a system in place that encouraged players to honour their contracts for the entirety of its duration.

He believes the ease of contract releases, whether initiated by the club or player, are a blight on the game.

“We want a system where a contract is a contract. Fans, when a player signs up at their club, expect that player to stay there,” V’landys said.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...s/news-story/769cad0cf7917c4a2ae32266b792142e
 

Heckler

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Just when we were in the market........
ARL Commission Chairman Peter V'landys has endorsed the introduction of a draft to replace the player movement market as a way to evenly distribute talent across the 16 NRL clubs.

Clubs have been making proposals to a working group convened by the NRL to look at how player movement can be improved to balance teams’ rosters and discourage bidding wars that inflate the value of contracts.

V’landys told The Saturday Telegraph the NRL was open to the current market system being replaced if it was no longer deemed as ‘best practice’.

“We will certainly be looking at it because the talent system is not the most appropriate,” V’landys said.

“In good corporate governance everything has to be reviewed to ensure we are using best practice, everything is on the table. When you review something, you review the whole system.

“We are open to changes, there is no doubt about that. But we have to do it in partnership with the players’ association.”

Under the proposal off-contract players with two or more seasons of NRL experience would only be able to move clubs via a draft.

There would also be an opportunity for players in the Canterbury Cup and Intrust Super Cup to nominate for the draft.

Players with less than two seasons of NRL experience would only be able to enter the draft with their club’s permission.

Contracted players seeking a release would also go into the draft.

The draft order would be determined by where teams finished on the ladder the previous season. For instance, the last-placed team would get the first pick.

There would be a trade window before draft day to negotiate things like contract length and value.


In 1991, the NSWRL introduced a draft but it was quashed after the High Court ruled it was a restraint of trade. The class action against the NSWRL was sparked after former player Terry Hill was drafted to Eastern Suburbs instead of Western Sydney Magpies, where he wanted to play.

Any changes to the current system would have to wait until the collective bargaining agreement ends in 2022.

Rugby League Players Association CEO Clint Newton said any changes to how movement between clubs occurred would need to protect players from becoming commodities.

“We’re always open to discussions but the starting point is what we currently have in place under the collective bargaining agreement,” Newton said.

“Any changes to the current system would need to demonstrate significant positives for our members and their finite playing careers.”


A draft system could help put an end to messy club transfers. Picture: Getty Images.
One of the game’s most respected recruitment gurus, Peter Mulholland, believes a rookie draft system, where junior players are distributed among clubs, is a more feasible approach than an internal player draft.

Any rookie draft would continue working alongside the current player movement model.

“With the history and structure of our game, especially because clubs do the development, a draft would be more applicable around the 18-year old mark and going into grade rather than already being established,” Mulholland said.

“I think the current system is good at determining the value of players once they are at NRL level. But there are always going to be areas within that system that could be finetuned, like the size of rosters and the nature of development contracts.”

Regardless of whether a draft, in any form, is introduced in the future V’landys said the game must have a system in place that encouraged players to honour their contracts for the entirety of its duration.

He believes the ease of contract releases, whether initiated by the club or player, are a blight on the game.

“We want a system where a contract is a contract. Fans, when a player signs up at their club, expect that player to stay there,” V’landys said.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...s/news-story/769cad0cf7917c4a2ae32266b792142e
 

2144superman

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This will be great long term.
 
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Spoonman84

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I can’t see how a junior draft will ever work in NRL with the current set up. There will be no incentive at all for clubs to develop their own players. The whole junior pathways will have to be restructured.
 

Kaz

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Can't see them getting around the High Court Judgement.

A draft is a draft.
 

El Padrino

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I can’t see how a junior draft will ever work in NRL with the current set up. There will be no incentive at all for clubs to develop their own players. The whole junior pathways will have to be restructured.
unless they get subsidies
 

Heckler

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Do players automatically go onto the draft when their contract expires with their current team, or can they choose to extend with their current team??
It will still work in our favour because we will finish low on the table.
 

Spoonman84

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Do players automatically go onto the draft when their contract expires with their current team, or can they choose to extend with their current team??
I assume it’s only when their contract expires or the club gives them permission. If they re-sign they won’t go in the draft.
 

Spoonman84

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unless they get subsidies
I can’t even see that working. They would have come up with a whole new junior comp like the college system in USA with no connections to clubs.
 

Sleeky

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V’Landys has done more in his time than that of any other NRL administration before him in the last 20 years.
Draft will be tough to nut out but at least it’s a step in the right direction!
 

Rodzilla

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really dumb idea, so if im an nrl player and want to leave my club because they only want to offer me $100k a year and im worth $250k, then I get drafted by Canberra raiders and they only want to offer me $100k because im only allowed to negotiate with them, then I have no option but to sign?

this sounds like a nightmare for players and they will never agree to it
 

gbrussell

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Can't see them getting around the High Court Judgement.

A draft is a draft.
What the NRL needs to do is what the AFL have done. The have an agreement with the Players Association not to challenge the draft in court. That is written into the collective bargaining agreement between the AFL and the AFLPA. That is the only way a draft can work because essentially it is a restraint of trade and thus illegal

Not sure how the American Sports NFL NBA administer it but in most sports a Salary Cap and a Draft work well together. Reason being if a team breaks the salary cap they are penalised in the next draft by being ruled out of the first round or maybe even 2 or 3.

The people under the most pressure will be club's recruitment staff who will need a lot of knowledge of juniors not only in their local area but nation wide maybe even international.
 

gbrussell

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I assume it’s only when their contract expires or the club gives them permission. If they re-sign they won’t go in the draft.
That is correct. If a players at the end of his contract wants to leave they have 2 choices.

1. Request his current club to trade him to the club of his choice. His new club offers one of their players or draft pick/s in return. If the 2 clubs agree the deal is done.

2. Go into the draft where you could be sent to somewhere you don't want to be.

If the player wants to stay there is no problem with his current club signing him before the draft.

With the trade just imagine back in 2004 when JT went to the Cowboys. They would have had to give us something in return. We ended up with nothing.
 
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bowleggedwog

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Can't see them getting around the High Court Judgement.

A draft is a draft.
Afl have a draft, the players know they can challenge it but also know its for the good of the game. Teams and players work together to the best outcome knowing it will be challenged if a player doesn't get what they want. Nrl as self centred. They get a shit load to be professional but act like amateurs.
 

B-Train

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I'd love for there to be a draft in Rugby League but it's near impossible with the current lower grades setup for each club..

If they maintain that structure, there's no incentive for a club to develop a player for several years and then let him get drafted by someone else without compensation.

If they somehow disband the lower grades for each club completely, then they could easily implement it but I don't see that happening any time soon.
 

Freakzilla

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I hope the players laugh at this proposal.
 
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