March 26, 1996: Players flood back to the ARL
The courts outlawed Global League and stopped News Limited paying players to sit out.
Shane Richardson’s birthday is coming up. It must have been a great birthday present for the then-Cronulla CEO 25 years ago to be on the front of the paper playing cricket with Sharks players.
The occasion probably wasn’t so celebratory for ‘Richo’.
The full bench of the Federal Court had banned Super League players and Maurice Lindsay from starting the so-called Global League and also stopped News Limited from paying players to sit out the season.
They had reversed a stay of Justice Burchett’s original orders, which had led to six games of round one being decided by forfeits. Justice Davies said it was not in the public interest to have a rebel competition before News’ appeal was heard.
The court, he said, would be “very displeased if anything was done to disadvantage” the ARL in the meantime. The judges who had issued a stay of some of Burchett’s orders had not considered the possibility of a player-organised competition.
Tom Hughes QC, acting for the players, described the application from the ARL as “a naked attempt to force these players to do work which is repugnant to them”.
Nevertheless, when the hearing into paying the players had come down decisively in the interests of the ARL, a separate hearing scheduled for the afternoon into aspects of Global League was cancelled as redundant.
Lindsay had given the required undertaking by mid-afternoon not to organise or promote Global League.
John Quayle then called coaches at rebel clubs and assured them the League would not be moving players around as the court orders now perhaps allowed, and that young players would be be paid despite what he described as News Limited propaganda to the contrary.
Seven of eight rebel clubs immediately committed to field teams the following weekend. Some Brisbane players said they would continue to strike.
“This is a great day for rugby league,” ARL chief executive Quayle said. “The personal side of the war should be forgotten immediately. There is too much at stake.”
Geoff Applegate, acting for the players, said “I understand they are all going back”. News’ Ken Cowley said the players were instructed to return but one of the most recalcitrant stars, Laurie Daley, did not immediately commit to do so.
“It’s a sad day,” said Brisbane prop Glenn Lazarus. “I feel like I have no rights”.
Ratings had dropped in response to the war, the Herald reported. The Sunday afternoon game on Nine had finished fourth in its time slot in Sydney.
Friday night’s Illawarra-Western Suburbs game had been trounced in the ratings by A Touch Of Frost.
Optus head Geoffrey Cousins said he had been defamed by Rupert Murdoch who called him “a Packer man in every way”.
Over the weekend, Cousins had told Nine’s 60 Minutes that Super League was “a venture conceived in dishonesty and executed in deceit and for that reason it never had a hope of getting anywhere and never will.”
It was reported that Euro League clubs had borrowed against the promised £87 million payment from News and were not aware that if the competition did not kick-off in Australia, it may not materialise.
News had already changed the terms of payment, according to Roy Masters, with a drip feed from May to October replacing the lump-sum originally promised.
Photo: Glenn Shipley, SMH
PLAYERS FLOOD BACK TO THE ARL
Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday, March 26 1996
By STEVE MASCORD
LEADING clubs Brisbane and Canberra remained divided last night as players from the other six rebel franchises flooded back to the Australian Rugby League after another emphatic court victory by the establishment.
The Federal Court's decision to outlaw Global League and cut off players' wages if they continued to strike had an immediate and dramatic effect with all 10 round-two games now certain to go ahead this weekend.
But late last night, the ARL had still not secured assurances of full-strength teams from the star-studded Raiders and Broncos, the jewels in Super League's crown.
Canberra's former Test captain Laurie Daley told journalists he was "99.9 per cent sure" he would not play again this year, while Brisbane officials confirmed a number of players had voted against coming back to the ARL.
"We've had a split decision, the question of us all doing this together has not been resolved," Broncos prop Glenn Lazarus said last night.
"It was a hard meeting because anything we did, we wanted to do as a club. We should know at 2.30pm tomorrow at training who is coming back.
"But that is not to say someone can't make a decision after that. We'll wait and see."
Broncos chief executive Shane Edwards said the team which takes on Western Suburbs at Campbelltown Sports Ground this weekend would be "strong but perhaps not full-strength".
"But we hope that, after some time to think about it, all the players will be back by the weekend," Edwards said.
"That is what we will be trying to achieve."
While the ARL toasted a landslide victory last night, the future of the game's biggest stars, such as Broncos Chris Johns and Kevin Walters, and Raiders Daley, Ricky Stuart and Brad Clyde, remains clouded.
Former Test captain Daley told AAP after yesterday's proceedings he would not be attending today's 11am meeting of Raiders players but his advice would be for them to play.
"I can honestly say I won't be playing this weekend and I can honestly say I'm 99.9 per cent sure that I won't play this year," Daley said.
About 275 of the 319 Super League players and coaches had undertaken to return to the ARL by late last night.
All players at Auckland, Canterbury, Cronulla, North Queensland, Perth and Penrith said they would be available to play in the ARL until after News Ltd's appeal is heard in May.
"This is a great day for rugby league," said ARL chief executive John Quayle. "The personal side of the war must be forgotten immediately. We have to get on with repairing the game."
In a statement, News Ltd chairman and chief executive Ken Cowley described returning to the ARL as "the best short-term plan" for players.
News would continue to pay players until after the appeal is heard, for seven days from May 23, he said, adding he hoped Super League would succeed and kick off later this year.
Players' solicitor Geoff Applegate said "a few" players were considering making applications to the High Court for yesterday's decision to be overturned.
He said they would make a decision today.
Canterbury skipper Simon Gillies, who had vowed to retire rather than play in the ARL, said he was "leaning towards" supporting the Bulldogs rather than continuing to strike but added he was interested in joining any further individual legal action by fellow players.
Both sides must now commence a mountainous mopping up process.
Super League's arrangements with new clubs Adelaide and Hunter, 14 foreign leagues and three State bodies are under question.
Quayle said he would be happy to negotiate with referees who signed with News but said there were no plans for them to be employed this weekend.
The main danger to an uninterrupted season would come in the form of a Super League victory on appeal and the possibility that clubs and players would withdraw at a crucial part of the season.
"That would be terrible for rugby league but I believe these players made their decision in the interests of rugby league," said Applegate.
"It is also very possible that the appeal process will not be complete this season."
Also there was speculation late last night that Super League chief executive John Ribot would be posted to Britain where he would work on European Super League until the appeal is heard.
Euro League kicks off on Friday night with Paris hosting Sheffield.
RESOURCES
The Honourable Justice David Davies
Great Britain coach Phil Larder responds to Burchett decision