Contracts mean something, right?

Hi everyone and thanks for coming back again this week. This week I will discuss an issue that has crept into our game the past couple of years – player contracts.

Are these things written on scraps of paper now? Are they kept in a back pocket to be used when needed and discarded when finished? I’m no legal expert but I’m sure an NRL contract says – “We’re going to pay you so much money and you’re going to represent our club for so many years”. These days it seems the contracts say – “We’re going to pay you so much money but don’t worry about the years, they’re an approximate number”.

It seems in the last few years very few players see out their contracts. This DOES go both ways with clubs sometimes moving guys along early, but today I’m focussing on the player side of it. Of course the greatest example is Sonny Bill Williams, but that’s an extreme case. The one I’m looking at is Ben Hannant and the Bulldogs.

For those that don’t know, Hannant signed a big three year deal with the Bulldogs and is contracted to play there until the end of next season. However Hannant and his family are homesick and want to move back to Queensland and play with either the Titans or Broncos from next year onwards. That essentially means Hannant wants to walk out on the final year of his current contract, and that’s where the problem is.

No place like home

I don't doubt Hannant is homesick. He has nothing against the Bulldogs and has always struck me (and most) as a good, honest footballer, man, husband and father. But at the end of the day he made a commitment to play for the Bulldogs for three years, and to get paid handsomely for it.

Hannant had a chance to stay in Queensland from 2009. He was playing with my team, the Broncos, and they wanted him. That club has a history of players wanting to play for the Broncos on less money they could earn elsewhere. Hannant made the decision to reject a Broncos offer and take up a richer deal in Sydney – who could blame him? I certainly don’t, he made what he felt was the best decision for him and his family. And good on him – but there can be no backing out.

With the money came the change of lifestyle and a big move to Sydney. Hannant and his family knew that when he signed the contract.

There’s nothing stopping the Hannant family living in Brisbane if Ben is willing to commute for all Bulldogs training, playing and extra-curricular commitments. I know his fellow prop at the Bulldogs Michael Hodgson has done something similar – he had a wife left behind in Canberra I think last year.

The Club View

It’s a tough position for the Hannant family to be in, it really is. But rugby league can’t let players pick and choose when they want to honour contracts. It’s unfair on the Bulldogs club and their fans. Same goes for any other player at any other club – contracts should mean something strong.

In this situation the Bulldogs, being the club they are, likely won’t demand Hannant stays put and honours his deal. They’ve asked for compensation and fair enough. Hannant is a Queensland and Australian prop forward – those guys don’t come around every day.

While I really feel for the tough position Hannant is in, I don’t think he can be allowed to walk. To his credit Hannant has done the right thing and won’t walk out on the club. We need to be very careful to ensure this situation is the extreme exception – when a player signs a contract they should honour it to suit themselves, the club, and most importantly, the fans.

TIPPING
Tips – Parramatta, Dragons, Penrith, Manly, Titans, Broncos, Bulldogs, Cronulla
Last Week – 4/8
Total – 10/16

If you have any thoughts on player contracts, Ben Hannant or anything at all drop me a line at andrew.keyte@gmail.com. I’m also on twitter, @keyto316, and Facebook. There’s my blog, http://keytonrlhits.blogspot.com, and I write at Sports Australia. So there’s plenty of ways to reach me and I will reply.

I’m off to the Broncos vs. Warriors on Sunday and hopefully you can get out and watch your team this weekend.

See you next week,
Keyto