The "serious threat" of taking A$80M ($61.4M) off the table in the National Rugby League's pay offer to players resulted in an "11th-hour agreement" between CEO Todd Greenberg and Rugby League Players Association CEO Ian Prendergast to reduce the salary cap in the final two years of the proposed CBA "in exchange for the funds being diverted to a players' retirement fund," according to Roy Masters of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. NRL clubs on Wednesday agreed during a conference call to an RLPA plan to reduce the salary cap by A$100,000 ($76,700) in '21 to A$9.6M ($7.37M) and drop it by a further A$200,000 ($153,400) in '22 to A$9.7M ($7.45M). The money would be paid into a fund accessed by footballers forced into early retirement by injury and the change "would not affect club margins, being a shift from the salary cap to the retired players' pool." The NRL is "still awaiting approval from the players and the board of the RLPA," while club CEOs must take the proposal to their club boards. Given that some Sydney club chairs can "act as spoilers" and 75% of the clubs must agree to the proposal, "a final agreement is not fait accompli" (SMH, 11/1). In Sydney, Brent Read reported the breakthrough in talks comes after "intense discussions in recent days" between the RLPA and NRL aimed at "ending the impasse over a handful of issues, most notably revenue share." Officials from both the NRL and RLPA "were tight-lipped on the latest developments but it is understood a formal announcement could be made before the weekend, ending a tumultuous period for the game." The NRL is "the last of the major codes to strike a deal with players" -- the Australian Football League and Cricket Australia "also endured acrimonious negotiations with their players before reaching agreements earlier this year" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 11/2).
