National Rugby League players have received the biggest pay raise of any football code in Australia, according to Roy Masters of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The new collective bargaining agreement reached on Friday means they will receive "only" A$40,000 ($30,600) less than the average Australian Football League player. By the end of the codes' CBAs in '22, the average salary of an NRL player will be A$330,000 ($252,500), compared to A$371,000 ($283,800) for an AFL player. However, representative payments do not exist in the AFL and a league int'l who plays in three Origin matches, the standalone Test and the World Cup (assuming Australia wins) will earn an additional A$160,000 ($122,400). The NRL-Rugby League Players Association CBA is a "superb deal for players when the turnover of both codes is considered." The AFL is a A$5.5B ($4.2B) (over five years) industry, while the NRL is a A$3.3B ($2.5B) sport for the same period. Club revenue separates the codes. AFL clubs, including Collingwood with a turnover of A$80M ($61.2M), "traditionally double the total revenue of NRL clubs," with the Broncos (A$40M/$30.6M) being the NRL's top earner (SMH, 11/4).
