Transfer gossip keeps the NRL in the news cycle 365 days a year. Why do we want to introduce a transfer window to stop this?
When the NRL club’s chief executives phoned in for their fortnightly video conference call on Wednesday morning, the conversation quickly turned, as it often does, into transferring windows.
Should the movement of rugby league talent be limited to two or three trade windows during a season? Is constant speculation about player movements good or bad for the game?
This is a debate that has been going on for decades; A debate brought back into focus by the intrigue surrounding the futures of Payne Haas, Mitch Barnett, Jahream Bula and most recently, Bronson Xerri.
There is no greater defender of the status quo than the players’ union. During Wednesday’s meeting, Rugby League Players’ Association (RLPA) chief executive Clint Newton reiterated his reasons for why trade windows will not work in rugby league.
Two hours earlier, Chad Townsend, one of the RLPA directors, had apparently offered a dissenting view. speaking on Zero Challenge Townsend explained in the podcast why they can benefit the game under the right conditions.
Some club managers wondered if everyone in the union was on the same page.
“Due to constant inquiry through the media, I addressed the issue of our free labor market and contract restrictions with club CEOs this week. No CEO challenged or asked me about this at the meeting,” Newton said on Friday.
“It’s disgraceful that someone on this call has leaked details despite not saying anything directly. “Let’s be clear: despite being in the most competitive period in NRL history, players are targeted as clubs try to strip them of their rights for more control and power.
“No trade or transfer system in world sport eliminates fan discontent or speculation about player movements.
“In the most equal environment of world sports, clubs are ranked at the bottom only because of their poor management of squad, squad and player management. This is a fact.”
‘No trade or transfer system in world sport eliminates fan discontent or speculation about player movements.’
Clint Newton
From an editorial standpoint, Newton is preaching to the converted. Even if Haas, Barnett or Xerri, for example, are banned from meeting rival clubs until certain periods of the season, journalists like me will continue to report on where they might eventually end up.
The rugby league news cycle can be divided into three broad categories of stories. There is often good news (player profiles, match previews) that do not make online ratings. There is also bad news (dismissals of coaches and players, atrocities) that usually get clicks. But often the most read stories are statements about potential signings, which is why such stories continue to be written. For proof, look at how Lachlan Galvin and Daly Cherry-Evans dominated last season’s news cycle.
This is also one of the reasons why the old 30 June transfer window was abolished. Despite the anti-tamper deadline, transfer rumors, usually confirmed in the first few hours of July, will provide a constant source of media content. As former NRL boss David Gallop said at the time, there’s no point in having a rule you can’t police.
So why try to quarantine the types of yarns punters most want to read for two or three blocks of the year? Why not lean on an endless supply of rugby league theatre?
The same Broncos fans who were saddened by the news a year ago that Haas would not be at the club in 2027 were soon cheered when it was revealed that fellow NSW striker Barnett would replace him. If Xerri is to remain out at Canterbury, why wouldn’t a club in desperate need of an outside defender be able to accommodate him if both the Bulldogs and Xerri acquiesce? Why are we trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist?
In the United States, especially among the younger generation, there is a trend for fans to follow individual players rather than teams. Broncos fullback Reece Walsh, who has more social media followers than the team he plays for, is indicative of the emergence of the individual megastar here. But for the most part, locals are getting rusty against the teams they grew up supporting, even if they occasionally have to say goodbye to one of their heroes. If Walsh leaves Red Hill, most Broncos fans will not follow him.
Some will point to how domestic (AFL) or overseas (NBA) leagues take advantage of transfer windows. However, these sports also have a draft and attempts to introduce one into rugby league have failed in court.
Townsend, like Newton, clubs and stakeholders have the right to hear his views. On Friday, the premiership winner clarified his halftime position; HE like that is a supporter of the current system and will need a replacement for it from the NRL in the RLPA’s next collective bargaining negotiations. Townsend added that his comments on the podcast were meant to inspire debate and that he thought it should be encouraged.
“We have the closest competition, we have the flexibility for players to secure their future from 1 November and only a small percentage of players [switch mid-season] “Whatever,” he said.
“If there’s someone out there with a better idea, let’s listen to it and discuss it.”
It doesn’t exist as it is.
