The Australian Rugby League Commission "could be only weeks away from rubberstamping one of the most significant changes in the code’s history" -- a ban on clubs contracting players "until the year they turn 18," according to Brent Read of THE AUSTRALIAN. National Rugby League Head of Football Brian Canavan "is expected to provide his recommendations on the way forward for the game" to a commission meeting later this month, the first step in what shapes as a "revolutionary overhaul of the way clubs and player agents operate." Chief among those recommendations is a "game-wide ban on the signing of players until the year they turn 18." The move is "expected to save clubs millions of dollars and help combat the worsening mental health issues" brought on by the "huge expectations placed on the game’s best teenagers." The move was "the brainchild" of former NRL Head of Strategy Shane Richardson. It is understood some clubs "have already begun planning for the future by focusing their recruitment efforts on teenagers" who have already reached the age of 18 or will do so when Canavan’s recommendations are brought into effect from '18. As well as the ban on signing teenagers, Canavan "is also expected to recommend the adoption of Richardson’s plan" to end the national U20 competition at the end of next season (THE AUSTRALIAN, 9/7).
