Collective bargaining disagreement

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cobarcats
  • Start date Start date
The minimum salary for a Top 30 player in 2023 is $120,000.

That is a fantastic salary in anyone's language.
There is absolutely nothing to stop these players leaving the profession and forging new careers.

The choice to be a professional footy player is entirely theirs. Take some ownership of the path you've chosen, inclusive of all its pro's and con's.

The 'post-career' arguments are moot (bar the lack of workers' compensation). Show me an engineer, teacher, plumber or jackeroo whose former workplace is required to look after them once they move on to something else in their life.

Equally as asinine is the argument that 'the average career is only 'x' games or years' ..

So, what? Players are banished from then entering the workforce like everyone else post career? In reality, they have the opportunity to have supercharged earning potential at a young age as a rugby league player, are provided the opportunity to train and become accredited in a particular field whilst doing so and then finish up and join the workforce for the next few decades like everyone else.

Pull your spoilt, egotistical, arrogant heads in.
 
Last edited:
So players entering the game are working on low wages, reflective of their lack of experience?

Sounds pretty similar to what everyone else experiences. Guess what lads, if you don't make it in the NRL and wind up doing an apprenticeship, you'll be doing the exact same.
 
Why can't the players contribute a percentage of their salaries towards a medical fund?
This would also help the 'vulnerable' players because the blokes at the pointy end would be chipping in the biggest part.
As for higher training wages etc?
Seems this thinking is why we have a shortage of tradespeople in this country ... everybody wants to start on big money and not work their way up.
Any kid with talent gets mollycoddled for years.
As for poor old Joe and his surgical timeline?
The player funded medical fund would sort him out just fine.
The NRL might even throw in a few bob too.
For the medical fund, I can understand this for players of yesteryear, particularly when the game wasn't professional and blokes played for match payments and the love of it and the potential long term injury impact wasn't understood by players, the game or even doctors. They should absolutely be supported. Maybe extend this to players outside the top 30 who aren't not earning well out of the game.

I don't understand why current top 30 contracted players, as contractors, can't handle their own insurance like any other contractor in any industry would.
 
If every player contributed 1% of their wages and then the NRL matched that it would be 4 million a year into a fund. Yeah some players would pay more and some would never use it but it would be there for all to use if needed.
 
Re the CBA if the players union actually said cut x amount for the cap per club to transfer into the player funds & other items I might be onboard but from my understanding that hasn’t happened. The players still want the increase plus a huge amount of money into the other buckets whilst commenting they will go on strike.

Not a fan of their approach tbh.
 
Do you have 10 years max in your current line of employment? You’ve got to remember these guys aren’t on 120k for 40-50 years like most of the workforce.
But they do have the opportunity to get educated during their time playing NRL and start another careeer post footy.

I came out of Army from an airborne background. Plenty of my mates were buggered up from jumping in and carrying 3/4 of their body weight over large distances They managed to get educated, get jobs, pay for their medical expenses (although many did receive some compensation).

Not sure why it is "so hard" for NRL payers.

Sure the $ are good and it is a short career - but it isn't the only one they will have. Invest what you get, set up a good super fund, get yourself educated and then use your name to get a leg up on a new career.

FFS - stop whinging.
 
Do you have 10 years max in your current line of employment? You’ve got to remember these guys aren’t on 120k for 40-50 years like most of the workforce.
Most of the workforce aren't on 120k a year either? Even if they go back to earning an average Australian wage after they retire, they've still generated more wealth from their league career during those years.
 
If I decided to become a sole trader tradesman and do subcontract work and I only get 2-3 years of work before it dries up because others can do it cheaper/better/no work, I don't get rescued or looked after by anyone, I would be told that's the risk you took when you decided to pursue that line of work.

Same as suffering a permanent injury. I would have to have my own insurance.

Why are these guys any different?
 
I will also say that I understand that these guys play a game that is taxing on their bodies. That fact is not lost on me. They are no different to people working in factories, trades, labouring or any other physically taxing work. Difference is the salary for these guys will walk into NRL wages earn better entry wages than the others.

Plenty of players understand and prepare for life after footy. They get degrees, real estate licences, trades...
 
But they do have the opportunity to get educated during their time playing NRL and start another careeer post footy.

I came out of Army from an airborne background. Plenty of my mates were buggered up from jumping in and carrying 3/4 of their body weight over large distances They managed to get educated, get jobs, pay for their medical expenses (although many did receive some compensation).

Not sure why it is "so hard" for NRL payers.

Sure the $ are good and it is a short career - but it isn't the only one they will have. Invest what you get, set up a good super fund, get yourself educated and then use your name to get a leg up on a new career.

FFS - stop whinging.
Remind me of miners really
Get ultimate working conditions and remuneration but expect more from their employer
 

Latest posts

Back
Top