The head of rugby league’s players’ union has warned it will consider legal action against clubs who try to blacklist players resisting widespread pay cuts.
Garreth Carvell, the former Great Britain prop who leads the Rugby League Players Association, said he had explained to clubs, in light of rumours suggesting some would excommunicate rebel players, that the union will not react kindly to such a move.
Carvell said: “We heard that rumour and we had a frank conversation with all the chief executives telling them in no uncertain terms that actions like blacklisting players is illegal and if we got any sort of evidence it was happening, then we would be taking things further legally.
Carvell said the majority of the players in the union – which totals over 800 and around 85% of players in the professional game – have negotiated pay cuts to the end of June ahead of a probable review.
It is understood clubs believe the cuts will have to last to the end of the year owing to financial constraints, something the Hull KR owner, Neil Hudgell, warned about last month.
“It’s just a waiting game to see where we come June,” Carvell said. “We’ll look at the pay cuts again and we’re going to have a review then. We’ll have a clearer idea of what the sport looks like. The players want assurances on certain things and we represent their views, so we’ll be tackling any queries they have with their clubs.”
Carvell wants the safety of players guaranteed if, as expected, the domestic season returns behind closed doors, which could happen as early as next month. Australia’s NRL will resume later this month but the head of their players’ union, Clint Newton, wants testing and protection in place before their return to training this week, something Carvell has echoed.
