NRL Contracts

Contracts in NRL.  This is, has been and always will be a major talking point in the code until the NRL takes action to address the issue. Of late it seems a contract is about as valuable as the toilet paper on which it is written and worth even less to the club that holds the current contract a player is serving.  Is there anything that can be done that will appease the general consensus or is it a task too big to tackle. Regardless of whatever action the NRL takes, there will not be total acceptance by all and sundry.  Which leaves the next best option, what is the outcome that will satisfy the majority and appease both clubs and players.  

Contracts in sport is an issue I have covered before and have very strong feelings about.  The reason I am raising it again is due to the recent signings and soon to be signings that have occurred with Dave Taylor, Beau Scott and potentially Cooper Cronk.  Good luck to the players and new clubs but what reward is there for the club that still has them under contract?  It doesn't matter what the NRL brings in to try and stop contract talk happening well before a contract expires as everyone knows that the slippery little agents that handle the players will do everything they can to maximise their players value as this directly increases their own coffers.  Agents have always been able to negotiate their way around guidelines without being caught, so imposing time-frames where a contract cannot be negotiated is out of the question.

The NRL should look no further than the world of Football on how to handle the problem.  Transfer windows. If a club wants a player, it can only make an offer during this period.  The offer is to the club though and it must pay a fee to the club on top of the contract with the player.  Once signed the player is immediately transferred. This will then reward/compensate the team that had the player.  Once signed the player would immediately need to fit into the salary cap of the new team and no longer count in the old team.  I would even take this further,  and state that the club the player first played junior football with should be given a percentage of any transfer fee.

There should be at least 2 windows of which to work.  One during the season, say after origin. To allow teams to reassess their roster due to injuries and form.  The other should be at the end of the season, once representative duties are finished.  There would obviously need to be a lot of tinkering of the finer details but it would put a stop to players signing early in a season to play with a team for the next season.  

What if a club doesn't want to release a player that wants to play for another club?  The club has the option of letting the contract run out and then the player is a free agent and the current club loses the opportunity to attain a transfer fee.  With all contracts running out at the end of the season, the player is then has to wait until the transfer window and all clubs are able to negotiate.  Those with room in their salary cap, that is.  And the club they may have originally wanted the player but chose to wait, might find they are outbid or have moved in a different direction for a different player.

This concept opens many discussion points and most will be valid.  Many will think only the wealthiest clubs will prosper, but a poorer club could work the system to their advantage as well.  Many will say a player and club have a right to sign when, where and who they want, but I would doubt you will find any company out there that allows it's employees to sign a contract with another company and still keep them on board until the current contract ends.