Berkeley_Eagle
Current Status: 24/7 Manly Fan
NRL salary cap to rise as high as $5.8 million |
News.com.au
An increase of such magnitude would help Penrith and Manly, struggling to accommodate their squads under next year's cap.
The Panthers have unsuccessfully asked top players to strike out cap increase clauses, while Manly still cannot register Brett Stewart's new four-year contract extension.
Clubs had initially been told to work on a $5 million cap for 2013 - well beneath the $6.5 million limit the players had sought.
At the first major meeting on November 30, the NRL offered to increase the provisional cap to $5.2 million.
That provoked scorn from the players, who dug their heels in deeper and demanded a presentation from ARLC chairman John Grant about how the game's $225 million future fund was costed.
Grant fronted them last Friday, but there was no further progress.
Then tensions were inflamed further on Monday, when Grant revealed the ARLC would independently set the salary cap if a CBA was not achieved by February.
But from impending disaster came a breakthrough, with sources close to the negotiations saying a $5.8 million cap next year was nearly enough to placate the players.
The reliance on marquee payments also relieves Grant from having to erode the future fund to compensate clubs for direct payments.
How much the cap would incrementally rise over the remaining four years of the CBA remains to be seen, but the NRL is resisting a jump of more than $300,000 per annum.
The Daily Telegraph also understands that players have been successful in their bid to secure more cap-exempt cars, but their resolute drive for an $80,000 minimum wage was unfulfilled.
Negotiations have stalled around the $70,000 mark, leaving work to do over the coming week if a pre-Christmas agreement is to be reached.
"Things are looking positive," Gallen said. "They've (the NRL) moved a long way from where they started.
"The NRL came up with a pretty good offer today.
"We're not there yet, but we're not too far away."
Rugby League Players Association boss David Garnsey confirmed talks would continue today.
"It was a lengthy meeting, but it was lengthy because there was some progress made," he said.
"I'm not saying we are close to a deal yet.
"But we've made suitable progress and that's why we are coming back (today).
While the players and administration were thrashing out their differences, the NRL Rules committee - including Lockyer and Bennett - were drawing up a definition for the shoulder charge, which has been outlawed.
It is also suspected that changes will be made to golden point, with their recommendations to be reviewed at the ARLC's end-of-year meeting next Tuesday.
News.com.au
An increase of such magnitude would help Penrith and Manly, struggling to accommodate their squads under next year's cap.
The Panthers have unsuccessfully asked top players to strike out cap increase clauses, while Manly still cannot register Brett Stewart's new four-year contract extension.
Clubs had initially been told to work on a $5 million cap for 2013 - well beneath the $6.5 million limit the players had sought.
At the first major meeting on November 30, the NRL offered to increase the provisional cap to $5.2 million.
That provoked scorn from the players, who dug their heels in deeper and demanded a presentation from ARLC chairman John Grant about how the game's $225 million future fund was costed.
Grant fronted them last Friday, but there was no further progress.
Then tensions were inflamed further on Monday, when Grant revealed the ARLC would independently set the salary cap if a CBA was not achieved by February.
But from impending disaster came a breakthrough, with sources close to the negotiations saying a $5.8 million cap next year was nearly enough to placate the players.
The reliance on marquee payments also relieves Grant from having to erode the future fund to compensate clubs for direct payments.
How much the cap would incrementally rise over the remaining four years of the CBA remains to be seen, but the NRL is resisting a jump of more than $300,000 per annum.
The Daily Telegraph also understands that players have been successful in their bid to secure more cap-exempt cars, but their resolute drive for an $80,000 minimum wage was unfulfilled.
Negotiations have stalled around the $70,000 mark, leaving work to do over the coming week if a pre-Christmas agreement is to be reached.
"Things are looking positive," Gallen said. "They've (the NRL) moved a long way from where they started.
"The NRL came up with a pretty good offer today.
"We're not there yet, but we're not too far away."
Rugby League Players Association boss David Garnsey confirmed talks would continue today.
"It was a lengthy meeting, but it was lengthy because there was some progress made," he said.
"I'm not saying we are close to a deal yet.
"But we've made suitable progress and that's why we are coming back (today).
While the players and administration were thrashing out their differences, the NRL Rules committee - including Lockyer and Bennett - were drawing up a definition for the shoulder charge, which has been outlawed.
It is also suspected that changes will be made to golden point, with their recommendations to be reviewed at the ARLC's end-of-year meeting next Tuesday.