The Cumberland Throw

The Tip Sheet – 2023 Ep 01: Salary Cap Saga Enters New Year, New Rules Changes Set To Shake NRL Up

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The Tip Sheet launches into 2023 with a serious look at the salary cap stalemate embroiling the code across both the NRL and NRLW. Sixties and Forty20 are joined by Mary K as they breakdown a frankly embarrassing state of affairs and discuss the potential impact in particular on the NRLW.

The NRL announced a slate of rules changes last week, stressing that there would be no new rules added to the game in 2023. Forty20 disagrees however as he contends that some of the changes amount to essentially new rules and will impact the game significantly. Sixties joins to discuss the changes – some of which are clearly positive – as the boys speculate what dramas could arise as a result of it all.

Finally the show gets to the Eels as Sixties gives his latest from Kellyville. Who has locked in their places in the starting team? Who is pressing for a berth on the bench and which young players are impressing? Sixties has all the answers as Parramatta’s NRL squad takes shape ahead of the trials.

Episode 1 closes with a recap of the Junior Representative trials against the Canterbury Bulldogs. Forty20 and Sixties analyse where it right and wrong for the Eels across the Tarsha Gale, Harold Matthews and SG Ball and begin to frame an idea of where each team will excel ahead of the regular season.

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35 thoughts on “The Tip Sheet – 2023 Ep 01: Salary Cap Saga Enters New Year, New Rules Changes Set To Shake NRL Up

  1. sixties

    And now players are talking a boycott. As I said in the podcast, imagine if the clubs ran their business like this. The NRL would investigate taking their franchise licence.

  2. Milo

    Interesting read so far- I’ve just read abt players talking abt a boycott. From my end I think the NRL has taken a v political approach to it all…take it or leave it and it’s like current Govt around the world. As for rule changes – I am over it and the continual tinkering with the game. It’s not how it should be and the game was never meant to be perfect…
    But I also say the players need to think v carefully too as players on min wage are doing well for playing a sport and the exposure they get too.
    I’ll read more about and will listen in tomorrow morning here mate when I am at the gym.
    Cheers

  3. Anonymous

    Thanx for the podcast guys and the effort involved that you both in watching the junior trials and preseason so far with our boys….well done….

  4. BDon

    Maybe I don’t read or listen enough, but I never quite understand the logic behind many decisions made by the powerful and mighty.
    Are we ever given honest information,including financial data, so we can make a fair call about what is reasonable. I remember a few years back when Phil Gould took on RL central over the bloated cost of administering the game, and turned out he was right( of course!) but no one really admitted it. It just sort of morphed into new people and structures, those of us on the sidelines not well informed at all.

    1. sixties

      Seems like a microcosm of the world in general doesn’t it! The lack of logic in decisions is often dumbfounding.

  5. pete

    Great podcast guys. I really look forward to hearing these.
    Some perplexing decisions at the Independent Commission.

    Im not fully up to speed with the state of play with cap eba etc….But (and a big one)I’m not fully on board with the NRLPA. Clint Newton is clearly not the man to get an outcome. He’s clearly got an attitude of crash or crash through and take the game down with him. The players seem wedded to him as the saviour. I think this blind loyalty is where a lot of issues lie.
    A player strike is holding the game to ransom and will alienate some fans and sponsors. That will just prove the commissions argument.
    Are the players being underpaid? or ripped off in some way?
    Thanks again for the podcast

    1. sixties

      Pete, in my life I have been in management and had a union delegate make demands that were not pleasant, I have also been a long term union delegate myself, helping to organise action. I have seen the need for unions and promoted the importance of membership. I’ve also seen a side that I don’t like.
      Who is to blame here? When the NRL made the premature cap announcement, it seemed reasonable. Whatever hasn’t been agreed upon must be significant.
      However, as a supporter, season ticket holder, and pay tv subscriber, I am part of the major stakeholders in the game – the fans. We are just as important as the players, the clubs and the supporters. Without any one of those major stakeholders, there is no professional code. Those involved in negotiations need to ensure that all stakeholders are considered.

      1. pete

        Agree. I fully support union representatives improving the conditions of employment and pay etc.

        I guess we don’t know the full story. (Not many leaks, which is probably good..)

        The fans and ARLC (?and clubs?) wanted to have a trade window and remove signings 2 years in advance i.e. 20/21 for 23 . My understanding is players and agents are dead against.

        Times have changed because the players used to be servants for the game not the game is servant to the players. It just seems a case of the tail wagging the dog. A seat at the ARLC board?

        It’s just ludicrous that players on much more than the average worker would be considering a strike. Just loses all credibility and looks like spoiled children that throw the toys out of the cot…
        Anyway a case of stay tuned lol

  6. Shaun

    As always a great listen. A thought that came to mind was whether BA got the best of Ice with his coaching? A small but interesting part of next season. The RLPA doesn’t always act in the best interest of the game but the NRL’s lack of leadership and good management is not surprising. I’ve commented before last season about PVL and the cascading lack of leadership. But the game somehow seems to succeed in spite of itself.

    1. sixties

      Interesting comment Shaun. The game has always survived and even when at the brink when Covid struck it survived. Much was made of PVL as the saviour. Much credit had to go to the players and staff for living life in those bubbles. But what about us as fans! Pledging memberships, turning up in masks once some attendance was possible, becoming distance fans when it was not.
      I believe that we the fans are key to the NRL’s survival.

  7. John Eel

    When I first was made aware that Peter Valandys was to become chairman of the NRL I was delighted.

    His track record (excuse the pun) was very good coming into the NRL off the back of what he had achieved previously with horse Racing and also getting money from governments.

    He started well dealing with the pandemic and reducing overhead costs. But once he began to involve himself in rule changes and things like that he began to act as a fan of the game as opposed to being a considered strategist managing the corporate growth of the game.

    Since the formation of the NRL the players have had a big say in the game. Unfortunately the facts are that what is good for the players is not always good for the game.

    For me Valandys needs to be growing the game, getting to the juniors at schools. Doing the cradle to grave work that the AFL do so well. Building the assets base of the NRL so that should unforeseen problems or alternatively opportunities arise borrowing won’t be a problem like it was during the pandemic.

    The RLPA should be ensuring that the players are supporting the game that gives them a very entitled existence.

  8. MickB

    Thanks gents.

    On the CBA, I guess I’d be pretty cautious about providing too much comment on this. While I agree that it’s problematic that it hasn’t been solved, there are a lot of factors that would influence the timing of when they will run this to ground. For example, current inflation and interest are playing havoc in all sorts of markets for securing contract pricing. The CBA is just another pricing contract. To align with other knowns about the money the game makes and the timing of the multitude of contracts that underpin that, it would be difficult to solve too early. And if they tried to, it would probably just pile up the overheads (eg legal fees) to get it draft, redraft and finalise it over a longer time horizon.

    I guess that’s a long-winded way of saying it’s probably not surprising given current economic uncertainties and variables that it’s taking longer, so we just need to be patient…

    On the footy – where’s Rodwell at? I thought he showed a lot of promise last year in his limited NRL time, but he seems to have fallen off the radar?

    Also any word on Tapau?

    1. sixties

      Mick B, Rodwell is in the mix and it was my oversight not to include him. He was actually heavily involved in the NRL team in yesterday’s opposed work. I intend writing on the topic.

      1. MickB

        Ok great stuff. I hope he gets a proper shot this year, as from the limited I’ve seen, he deserves it.

        On another note, with the Dogs signing Crichton for 2024, has to be a big step forward in helping Moses get across the line. Can’t see other clubs have the coin to pay him the overs required to get him to flip?!

          1. Spark

            As an Eels fan I’m definitely not a fan of the Bulldogs or of Gus but one thing is for certain, by hook or crook, Gus is turning that team into a premiership force. How is he doing it ? Probably using every back room trick in the book but with the personnel they are accumulating and the very good coaching staff, they will be one of the premiership favourites in 2024 especially if they manage to somehow , somehow manage to grab Moses.

          2. Milo

            Let’s see how this all plays out and i for one am not bothered yet. On paper their forwards look avg, and Ciraldo is untested too as a coach…..Gus is a spinster of the highest proportion

          3. sixties

            Gus is also on good terms with a few player agents, which helps when you need to move the chess pieces around to get things to fit.

  9. Joe Pisselli

    How does matto get so bulked up. Does he do anything special at training. Seems like he does minimal cardio.

    1. Milo

      I would have said he combines it with Sizzler but they’re not really around much anymore. Maybe just hard work in gym and a good diet!

      1. sixties

        He spoke to a visit school group one day at Saleyards. He said that he only eats for a purpose. That he made the decision that his body earns him his career and so the food that he eats has to be beneficial to that end.

    2. sixties

      I’m sure that the players have referred to the extra gym program that he does on top of their programmed one.

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