The NRL will re-enter talks with the players’ union for a trade window after all 16 clubs unanimously agreed to look at the model.
Just a month after a proposal was rejected by the Rugby League Players’ Association, NRL boss Todd Greenberg stated his desire to reintroduce the idea.
A renewed push for a window was incorporated in a day-long summit on Wednesday where the the issues of racism from online trolls, player behaviour and leadership models in the code were also discussed.
“We had unanimous support to have a very much deeper discussion around trade windows and the player contracting model,” Greenberg said.
“Clearly we need to engage heavily with the RLPA, who I’ve spoken to this afternoon.
“Sometimes I think (player movement) is a little messy and I think the fans find it a little frustrating when there is this constant movement at clubs during the year.
“We’ve got a working group on this with a mixture of clubs and the NRL staff, trying to find ways of improving the system.”
The NRL are yet to settle on one exact schedule, however each idea is believed to include a transfer window close to the mid-year representative period and in parts of the off-season.
It’s unlikely any plan could be put in place for 2020, but the league are hopeful the model could be implemented for as soon as the 2021 season.
The NRL indicated similar ambitions both last year and in June, but the players’ union have knocked it back and want their athletes to keep their current contract freedoms.
But Greenberg said the next round of discussions would include other considerations including time frames around player-club negotiations and alignments with player agents.
“I actually think it’s a bigger discussion,” Greenberg said.
“It’s about the player contracting model and trade windows form a part of that.
“So to be fair, we’ve talked only about trade windows. I think the discussion is a bit broader than that.
“I think there is a way for us – without removing the freedom of contracts that players enjoy – for us to have a more orderly process that is better understood.
“I think the fans would enjoy that and and appreciate it. I think we could build some very valuable content for the future if we did it the right way.”
Greenberg also said a player draft would not form part of the plans and could not be part of the current collective bargaining agreement.