Melbourne Storm co-captain Christian Welch has voiced the frustration of the players over the ongoing negotiations over the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the NRL.
The CBA agreement between the NRL and Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) has dragged on for over a year and the initial October 31 deadline has come and gone.
Welch, who is on the board of the RLPA, said that there is a lack of trust between the NRL and RLPA which is severely impacting discussions.
“It’s been a really frustrating process,” Welch said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“14 months ago, we tried getting the ball rolling on financial information and trying to get requests to the NRL.
“It took 7 months to get there when we got there in June (2022).
“There’s been a real lack of trust between the two parties which has been really disappointing because we’re really not close to an agreement at all.
“We’ve really been waiting to get to the table and talk with the NRL but there's been a real lack (of respect).
“I don’t think they take the RLPA seriously.
“We’re not asking for anything unreasonable which has been really frustrating.
“We just want to get on with our jobs and play footy.”
Despite negotiations with the RLPA stalling, the NRL finally ticked off on the new salary cap deal for clubs with the cap increasing from $9.6 million in 2022 to $12.1 million in 2023.
Welch added that whilst he was happy that the clubs received a good deal, the RLPA is still waiting on when their deal will be finalised.
“We’ve been ready to go since last November and it’s just been delays, delays and delays,” he continued.
“The women’s teams are the ones who are doing it particularly tough at the moment.
“None of them are able to sign any contracts so if you get injured at training or at work, your chances of securing a contract are small.
“We just need the NRL to bring us along on the journey and I just feel like there’s not a whole lot of respect for the RLPA.
“Hopefully, we can build that relationship back up.
“We just want to get a deal done, stop talking about this and focus on footy.”