PVL concedes rare ground after RLPA rebuke for ‘questioning integrity’ of NRL stars

September 9, 2026 — 10:59amARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has conceded rare ground on potentially reviewing the NRL’s expanded set restart remit after RLPA chief executive Clint Newton took him to task for questioning the integrity of players who have criticised the controversial rule changes.Newton and V’landys cleared the air on Tuesday after the NRL boss’s comments were the biggest talking point out of Monday’s finals launch.Decorated club captains James Tedesco and Harry Grant led a chorus of players reiterating the concerns of stakeholders that set-restarts are not being properly explained by referees or awarded inconsistently given the faster ruck and game-speed they can generate.V’landys, who is also acting NRL chief executive, told this masthead and AAP in response that; “I think [players] are not telling the truth if they believe (that) when they’re given a six again, they didn’t know what it was for. I mean, I think it’s pretty obvious.”In a statement to this masthead, Newton said V’landys and the NRL had honoured a commitment to meet with the RLPA and players to discuss on-field matters and the impact of rule changes.“That said, players are entitled to their views on the game they play and should be able to express those views honestly and respectfully without having their integrity questioned,” Newton said after V’landys comments had caused ructions among players.ARLC chairman Peter V’landys and RLPA chief Clint Newton thrashed things out over the phone on Tuesday.Janie Barrett, Getty“The impact of rule changes has been a significant talking point among not just players, but also clubs and fans throughout 2026, and we don’t believe there’s any benefit in the game dismissing those concerns.“Publicly questioning players because they’ve expressed their experience of playing the game doesn’t help that process. We will always defend a player’s right to provide honest feedback about the game they love.”Both Newton and V’landys told this masthead that they would keep exact details of their conversation private.But V’landys, who has been typically bullish in his defence of the widened six-again remit, said player feedback on the controversial rule changes would be taken on board by the governing body at season’s end, in a qualified backtrack from his comments on Monday.Citing NRL data on ruck speeds, V’landys had said “the facts do not support us changing the rule”.On Wednesday the NRL’s most powerful figure said “we will always keep an open mind and welcome all input, especially from players. Then the [ARL] Commission needs to balance all views. I welcome the feedback from the players. Healthy constructive debate is always good for the game.”Having locked down a record $5.3 billion, seven-year broadcast deal, the players’ next collective bargaining agreement talks loom large given their deal expires at the end of 2027.The last CBA negotiations were particularly acrimonious and drawn-out over roughly 21 months between 2021-23. The RLPA has voiced regular player frustrations since at the lack of notice and time to adjust to NRL rule changes, including the expanded use of set-restarts this season, as well as angst over fluctuations in how the six-agains are enforced.The timing of the latest public spat between leading players and head office over officiating will have all eyes on the whistleblowers in week one of the NRL finals, particularly given the drop-off in mid-season set restarts.Data collated by independent statistician The Rugby League Eye Test indicated 6.5 six-agains were awarded between rounds 14-23, which marked a fall of more than 25 per cent from the first 13 weeks of 2026.The drop-off coincided with a meeting between a host of NRL stars, V’landys and officials to discuss the significantly quicker game speed to start the season.An RLPA survey also revealed 84 per cent of leading players believed referees were impacting results more this season than in 2025, and 96 per cent felt overall match speed had increased or significantly increased.Set restarts figures over the last four rounds of the regular season have risen again to an average of 8.4 per game, prompting Tedesco to tell this masthead: “it is something we need to be aware of in the final series. You can’t let the games be decided by like six-again or set restarts, but you worry that could happen.”From our partners