Finally, "peace has been reached" between the National Rugby League "and its fed-up clubs," according to Dean Ritchie of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Australian Rugby League Commission Chair John Grant "relented on Wednesday and agreed to give all 16 clubs the additional funding they have demanded for the past three months." The deal "was brokered at a marathon 10-hour meeting inside League Central on Wednesday." Final figures "are yet to be settled but clubs got what they wanted -- more money." Grant "is expected to formally trumpet the deal at a press conference on Thursday." Melbourne Storm Chair Bart Campbell, who is a spokesperson for the clubs, said, "Today was a really constructive meeting and the progress we hoped to make today was made." The combined outlay under the new deal from the NRL to the clubs "is believed to be about" A$70M ($51M). There "appears to be no further moves to oust Grant, as club chairpersons had previously threatened." A chairman said, "I don’t think of [Grant] buckled -- it was just time to get on with it. The NRL realized that" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 12/2).
