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SYDNEY - Disgruntled National Rugby League players will be invited to a forum on the game's finances in the wake of Willie Mason's call for a strike.
The NRL and the Rugby League Professionals' Association agreed today to jointly host the meeting, which is likely to take place within the next two weeks.
"We've agreed to have a forum with all interested players and (NRL chief) David (Gallop) and his financial team will be completely transparent to those players at the forum in regard to the financial environment of the NRL," RLPA chief executive Matt Rodwell said today.
He said the forum would take place "hopefully within two weeks".
"To stop everyone second-guessing as to how much money is available, the players who are invited and those who are interested can come along and make judgement for themselves and form their own opinion of the financial state of the game," he added.
Bulldogs forward Mason called for a strike during this year's State of Origin series, claiming the NRL's massive sponsorship deals were not filtering dollars down to the players.
"I've made contact with Willie and Willie will be invited along, I'll make sure he gets an invitation," Rodwell said.
A four-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was negotiated between the RLPA and the NRL last year - before the league finalised sponsorship deals totalling around A$120 million ($136.76 million) - but players are yet to vote to ratify it.
Rodwell, who claims the RLPA represents more than 90 per cent of full-time players in the NRL, said he was unable to comment on whether the figures shown to him today would mean changes to the CBA.
"I can't make comment on that until the players become privy to the transparency of the financial environment," he said.
Gallop hit back at Mason's call for the minimum wage of players to be raised on Sydney radio station 2KY this morning.
"Any time you raise the minimum wage, you of course impact what can be paid to players at the top end of the scale," Gallop said.
"Perhaps Willie should have a think about that."
But the NRL boss conceded the new sponsorships - most significantly a A$90 million naming rights deal with Telstra - had increased the amount of money in the game.
"Yes it has changed our numbers a bit, but not to the extent where we can afford huge increases in the salary cap," Gallop said.
"We've got big demands for junior development, we know how aggressive our competitors are in that area.
"We also want to close the gap between the grant and the cap, which is currently sitting at A$650,000 per club. I think the clubs will have something to say if that gap widens again."
- AAP
