News NRL relaxes contracting rules for 2019

Mitch Connor

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NRL relaxes contracting rules for 2019
BRENT READ OCTOBER 12, 2018

The NRL and the players’ union have listened to frustrated clubs and recruitment managers and will relax their rules on access to development players next season.

Clubs were told this week that they would have carte blanche to use their development players in 2019 once the June 30 deadline for player movement had passed.

That removes one of the chief bugbears for coaches on the contracting system, which underwent an overhaul last season.

Under changes that came into effect this year, clubs are restricted from using development players (each club is allowed up to six players outside their top 30 with a view to the future) unless they received special dispensation from the NRL.

That dispensation was given only in exceptional circumstances and meant a handful of players were prevented from playing first grade at times during the year.

Manly hooker Manase Fainu was among those prevented from making his debut but he got his opportunity when the Sea Eagles’ playing stocks hit rock bottom.

The NRL has agreed to relax those rules after the June 30 deadline. The NRL and Rugby League Players Association have also agreed with clubs that they must publicise their squads in 2019.

Under the new rules, each club must announce 24 players by November 1. They then have until March 1 to settle on a top squad of 29 players before announcing their final top 30 squad on June 30.

The Tigers have already announced 28 players as well as four development players for next season.

Other NRL clubs will fall into line in coming weeks.

Most interest will focus on the likes of Parramatta, who continue to juggle their player roster with a view to next year.

The Eels have made it clear that halves Mitchell Moses and Corey Norman are free to leave if they can find other clubs to play for.

The club is also set to resume talks with Jarryd Hayne as they look to keep the cross-code star at the club next season.

Meanwhile, the RLPA has held a summit involving some of the biggest names from the Pasifika nations as they attempt to gain a greater appreciation of the challenges for the likes of Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Cook Islands, and an understanding of where those nations see their place in international rugby league.

The RLPA is also intent on improving the minimum standards and support for Pasifika sides in international rugby league so that the environments they enter with their national sides are not dissimilar to what they work with at NRL level.

Almost 50 per cent of players in the NRL are from Pasifika heritage and last year’s World Cup illustrated how important those nations are to the growth of the international game.

That fact has been reinforced in the lead-up to next week’s Test between Australia and Tonga, which was confirmed only after Kangaroos players took massive pay cuts to make the game pay its way.

https://outline.com/rwU9Rj
 

Baseball Furies

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This is a good outcome, when injuries hit, you need some leniency and this clearly makes sense for all parties...

I didn’t know that Moses and Norman were free to leave if another club coughed up their wages?
 

Kip Drordy

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At last. They have to tell us our top 30!!!
 

Blue&whiteAxe

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That’s a good move for the development of the juniors imo. Look for all the bottom 8 teams to blood their 6 development squad players. Good opportunity to snag some tried good, young, cheap talent after June 30 for the 2020 season.
 

Mr Invisible

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Or they could admit the Top 30 shit was mind blowingly dumb to begin with, roll back the rule, and go back to a "no signing contracted players till end of season".
 

vegny

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Roosters will sign munster and tpj and list them as development players
 
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