Australian Rugy League Commission Chair John Grant's message at the National Rugby League season launch in Sydney on Thursday was that "the players sell the game," according to Chris Barrett of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The game's combatants "are seeking a return on that declaration" with a call for an extra A$4.5M ($3.25M) to be delivered to them over the next two years. With additional revenue "set to pour into the game," principally via new TV rights deals with Channel Nine and Fox Sports that total A$1.9B ($1.37B), the Rugby League Players Association "is keen to ensure the players' share of the pool is not compromised." At the RLPA annual general meeting on Wednesday "the key issue discussed was ensuring the players are properly compensated from the riches flowing into the game" in the final two years of the collective bargaining agreement with the NRL, which is due for renewal after the '17 season. As it stands under the terms of the current revenue sharing model of the CBA, "the players' overall share of revenue is forecast to decline" in a year the NRL has reported an A$18.7M ($13.5M) loss. But with the game "enjoying record revenue," the RLPA argues that by delivering an extra A$4.5M ($3.25M) over the final two years of the agreement -- this year and next -- the players "will receive the cut of the game's turnover they were promised when the current five-year contract was signed" in '13 (SMH, 2/26).
