Interesting, wasnt aware of such a ''rule''…it did seem odd and out of the ordinary the Sharks announcing it, usually its the new club
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BRISBANE has reportedly lodged an official complaint to the NRL against Cronulla for breaking one of the game's unwritten rules.
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https://www.noosanews.com.au/news/broncos-make-complaint-to-nrl-over-bird-announceme/3166746/
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Fairfax Media has reported the Broncos were left livid at the Sharks after the latter announced Jack Bird's defection in a media release on Thursday morning.
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Bird's contract - believed to be three years with an option for a fourth - is finalised but Brisbane's website still hasn't confirmed the signing, even though Wayne Bennett spoke about it on Thursday.
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Fairfax reports the NRL subsequently issued an email to all 16 clubs reiterating the laws around such announcements.
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**_"The rule prohibiting the announcement of any signing until the cooling off period has expired only applies to the team signing a new player," an NRL spokesperson said._**
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"So the Sharks have not broken an NRL rule. However the NRL will be writing to clubs reminding them of the right protocols in relation to signing or releasing a player."
Why does anyone expect "old codes" to apply any more? You steal our player, why not announce it, who cares? Eels signed a Tigers player for next year then asked could they have him 20 rounds early, so what are people expecting?
Brisbane being too sensitive for mine.
Neither club should be allowed to announce it until after the cooling off program, the Sharks have just cost the Broncos a promotion opportunity and it is not right. People would have been upset if this happened to the Tigers.