Queensland Rugby Union powerbrokers "stand to be in the firing line on Saturday as furious clubs voice concerns at the new fee structure set to slug the hip pockets of players," according to Phil Lutton of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The new funding structure, designed to help prop up the ailing Australian Rugby Union, "has been met with utter disdain by clubs in NSW and that feeling has been replicated north of the border." Club bosses are "set to demand answers" from Chair Rod McCall and CEO Jim Carmichael. From this season, every rugby player in Australia "must pay an individual registration and insurance levy, as opposed to levies per team." Players in Queensland "also pay an extra fee to the state union, which is then distributed back into the game." Club bosses "are set to consult on the matter before the meeting, with a number suggesting the gloss from Queensland's historic 2011 Super Rugby title had now worn off and a disconnect was forming between the top and bottom levels of the code." Any move against McCall "would be a dramatic development but the growing unrest is substantial" (SMH, 2/2).
