SYDNEY, 28 OCTOBER 2020 (SMH) – Rugby league’s biggest names have agreed to sacrifice a mammoth $1.5m (US$1 million) in payments this Origin series by having their match fees slashed from $30,000(US$21,000) to just $10,000 (US$7,000).
And those players in the NSW and Queensland extended squads who do not feature in the three interstate games will receive $2000(US$1,423) for every week they are away from loved ones while training in the biosecurity bubble.
Sterlo back Ryan Papenhuyzen for Blues fullback duties if James Tedesco is still injured for State of Origin.
The NRL is yet to sign off on the revised Origin offer, but the Herald can reveal the NSW and Queensland Origin players agreed in principle last week to the Rugby League Players’ Association’s proposal. The money saved from the Origin payments will be used to help top up salaries for all players in 2021.
The recommendations form part of the RLPA’s revised pitch to the NRL as they continue to re-negotiate the final two years of the collective bargaining agreement. COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the game’s bottom line, and the RLPA know any Origin savings will help offset the anticipated losses the players will endure in 2021 and 2022.
The players followed strict health protocols to keep the NRL running all year, but did so on just 52 per cent of their pay for the final five months of the season.
NSW enforcer Tyson Frizell confirmed the players had agreed to the $10,000 match payments and told the Herald: “We’ve spoken in the past how the boys will turn up and play no matter what.
“This is a sacrifice we’ve made to help get the [revised CBA] across the line, and we can put back money where it can be used for better things and all the other players’ payments.
“We always knew we were going to take a haircut. This deal is nice and fair, and it will help the salaries for the boys in the NRL a little bit.
“Everyone has done it tough. A lot of the boys have sacrificed a lot. We just hope we can get the game back to normal as soon as possible.”
Several players had declared in the past they would play Origin for free, and Frizell said every Origin player’s top priority was to get a victory for their state rather than what extra money they could earn.
“But the game does make a lot of money out of the [Origin] games, and the boys play their part,” Frizell said. “As long as we’re paid fairly, that’s all we ask for. A lot of the boys are making sacrifices and might not get a game, but they’re getting looked after as well.”
Origin players have previously received $30,000 a game, with the 34 players involved in all three fixtures costing the game just over $3m in payments. That figure will dip to $1.45m, which includes the $2000 weekly fees for the players who spend between three to five weeks in the Origin bubbles.
NSW coach Brad Fittler has made a point of making sure the entire 27-man squads attend all three games, including next Wednesday’s opener in Adelaide.
“We’re all going,” said Fittler, mindful of not leaving any player behind to watch their teammates from afar.
The Origin series normally generates around $100m in revenue, but that figure will dip because of the restrictions on crowd sizes this year. The November 11 game two at ANZ Stadium is currently pencilled in to cater for 40,000 fans – the same capacity as for the NRL grand final – but could yet increase again.
Superstar fullback James Tedesco said staying at Magenta Shores on the Central Coast had certainly made it easier to get excited for the three representative games after what was a long and sustained physical and emotional slog for all NRL players this season.
