One of the NRL’s more pressing issues in the modern game is dealing with player movements between clubs.

While plenty of rugby league NRL players wait until the final year of their contract and sign elsewhere as rules regulate, we always see athletes being released in the middle of their contracts to join a new club every year.


It’s hard to prevent players from wanting a release mid-contract so outlawing that would be difficult to manage, however, a trading system could see these ordeals become a lot less complex.

A trade window can replace the current rugby league player release period that the NRL has in place, meaning the new system would be in effect every year between the 1st of November and 30th of June.

If a player requests a trade they can only swap clubs with someone who is on a similar wage to them and their current contract would remain the same at the new franchise.

This makes things a lot easier for the teams involved, a trade window means that a club with a disgruntled player can release them to another and receive someone in return, and contracts being inherited prevents organisations from having to pay for a player that is no longer at their club.

Plenty to watch this week!

This week includes;
👉 Wally Lewis' last ever match, playing for the Gold Coast Seagulls.
👉 The Sunday arvo clash brought to you by Telstra is the cracking 1997 #NRLGF between Manly and Newcastle.

📺 Tune in details – https://t.co/TABVS5zBzw pic.twitter.com/I9z3AT3LPf

— NRL (@NRL) May 5, 2020

 

We are in the very early stages of seeing a trade period come to fruition in the NRL, with the recent loan deal involving the Melbourne Storm’s Harry Grant and the Wests Tigers’ Paul Momirovski.

Although this is only a temporary move and parent clubs are still paying wages, it shows that players switching clubs can be done.

In 2019, former NRL CEO Todd Greenberg spoke at a press conference and revealed that all 16 NRL clubs were in favour of a trade period being introduced, so this very well could become a reality.