TWO clubs are said to have boycotted their media opening days following the continuation of the argument over pay, the salary cap and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in the NRL.
The CBA expired in late October last year, with the NRL and the Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA) having been locked in bitter talks ever since.
Players are unsure over what they will be paid, whilst because there is still an unconfirmed salary cap for 2023 and future years, contracts and signings have reached deadlock once more.
That has infuriated players and clubs and now they have responded with a media boycott just a month out until the NRL pre-season friendlies begin.
The Cronulla Sharks were supposed to have had their media day yesterday, but it was cancelled because the players were unwilling to conduct interviews or have their photos taken without a deal being signed.
That continued into this morning when St George Illawarra Dragons players had been scheduled for select interviews, but that was cancelled last night.
That isn’t the worst part either, with both the Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers set to turn the NRL media away, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
There is supposedly set to be an increase of the NRL salary cap to $12.1 million, but within hours of the NRL announcing as such, the RLPA said no figure had been agreed.
Whatever the outcome, a bitter feud is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
