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In a nightmare scenario for the 24 registered NRL players still yet to be vaccinated, even their own union has backed a proposal that could see them lose their jobs.
Unvaccinated players could be given eight weeks to get the jab or face the sack under a “last resort” proposal that has been hatched by the players union and a cohort of club bosses.
The plan, which was shared with chief executives on Tuesday as part of a discussion paper, also gives clubs the option to place unvaccinated players on an inactive list for the entire season and pay them a fraction of their salary.
The players union and a select group of club chief executives have been locked in talks for several weeks as they attempt to find a uniform way to deal with unvaccinated players.
The draft discussion paper is the result of those talks. The most significant power for clubs would be the ability to terminate the contract of players who refuse to be vaccinated, although the Rugby League Players Association insists the power must only be invoked as a “last resort”.
The paper deems that clubs must give players eight weeks notice of their intention to mandate vaccinations. If the players fails to take steps to be vaccinated inside the eight weeks, the club has the right to terminate their contract. The player would then be free to sign with a rival club.
The document states that unilateral termination “should only be exercisable when a player does not comply with lawful and reasonable club direction”.
The document also insists that clubs should exercise extreme caution when directing players to be vaccinated and terminating their contract for failing to do so.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo on Tuesday confirmed that as many as 24 players were yet to be vaccinated, although he remains confident that the majority of those will eventually fall into line.
Among their numbers are Melbourne star Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Manly back Dylan Walker. Clubs would also have the right to place the player on an inactive list, which would mean they were sidelined for the entire season.
The player would then be paid either 25 per cent of their salary or the minimum wage commensurate with their place in the salary cap.
The document makes it clear that the preference of both the RLPA and the clubs is that the player would be paid from a central fund.
The club would also be given the right to sign an additional player as a replacement. A third option would be for the club to retain the player on their roster and then dock their pay for each week of the season they are unavailable.
The final alternative would be a mutual termination.
“It is still a discussion document for the clubs but obviously we want the NRL to be part of it,” RLPA chief executive Clint Newton said. “At the moment we are trying to work through it with clubs and then align on something that we can take to the NRL.
“Different clubs will have different policies. Some clubs will be happy to carry a player through the season. Everything is up for discussion.”
Abdo addressed the vaccination issue earlier in the day, refuting suggestions that head office had gone soft by not mandating vaccinations.
“I think to think that just by making something mandatory people will blindly follow is not the only form of leadership,” Abdo said.
Just because we haven’t made it mandatory does not mean we’re not strongly supportive of vaccination. In fact, we’ve run a marketing campaign that the players have been front and centre of.
“We’ve provided access to healthcare experts. We’ve worked individually with all clubs, both the NRLW teams and NRL teams. We’ve really facilitated and led and over-indexed on education.
“As a result, we’ve seen a strong response from the players. I don’t think there’s anything soft about our policy. I think what we are doing is giving people freedom of choice, no different to many global sports around the world.
“We’re allowing people the freedom of choice, which I think is important, but we’re putting health at the forefront of our policy.
We believe in vaccination, and we want everyone to get vaccinated accordingly
Unvaccinated players could be given eight weeks to get the jab or face the sack under a “last resort” proposal that has been hatched by the players union and a cohort of club bosses.
The plan, which was shared with chief executives on Tuesday as part of a discussion paper, also gives clubs the option to place unvaccinated players on an inactive list for the entire season and pay them a fraction of their salary.
The players union and a select group of club chief executives have been locked in talks for several weeks as they attempt to find a uniform way to deal with unvaccinated players.
The draft discussion paper is the result of those talks. The most significant power for clubs would be the ability to terminate the contract of players who refuse to be vaccinated, although the Rugby League Players Association insists the power must only be invoked as a “last resort”.
The paper deems that clubs must give players eight weeks notice of their intention to mandate vaccinations. If the players fails to take steps to be vaccinated inside the eight weeks, the club has the right to terminate their contract. The player would then be free to sign with a rival club.
The document states that unilateral termination “should only be exercisable when a player does not comply with lawful and reasonable club direction”.
The document also insists that clubs should exercise extreme caution when directing players to be vaccinated and terminating their contract for failing to do so.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo on Tuesday confirmed that as many as 24 players were yet to be vaccinated, although he remains confident that the majority of those will eventually fall into line.
Among their numbers are Melbourne star Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Manly back Dylan Walker. Clubs would also have the right to place the player on an inactive list, which would mean they were sidelined for the entire season.
The player would then be paid either 25 per cent of their salary or the minimum wage commensurate with their place in the salary cap.
The document makes it clear that the preference of both the RLPA and the clubs is that the player would be paid from a central fund.
The club would also be given the right to sign an additional player as a replacement. A third option would be for the club to retain the player on their roster and then dock their pay for each week of the season they are unavailable.
The final alternative would be a mutual termination.
“It is still a discussion document for the clubs but obviously we want the NRL to be part of it,” RLPA chief executive Clint Newton said. “At the moment we are trying to work through it with clubs and then align on something that we can take to the NRL.
“Different clubs will have different policies. Some clubs will be happy to carry a player through the season. Everything is up for discussion.”
Abdo addressed the vaccination issue earlier in the day, refuting suggestions that head office had gone soft by not mandating vaccinations.
“I think to think that just by making something mandatory people will blindly follow is not the only form of leadership,” Abdo said.
Just because we haven’t made it mandatory does not mean we’re not strongly supportive of vaccination. In fact, we’ve run a marketing campaign that the players have been front and centre of.
“We’ve provided access to healthcare experts. We’ve worked individually with all clubs, both the NRLW teams and NRL teams. We’ve really facilitated and led and over-indexed on education.
“As a result, we’ve seen a strong response from the players. I don’t think there’s anything soft about our policy. I think what we are doing is giving people freedom of choice, no different to many global sports around the world.
“We’re allowing people the freedom of choice, which I think is important, but we’re putting health at the forefront of our policy.
We believe in vaccination, and we want everyone to get vaccinated accordingly
