ARL Commission announce profit and supports strong NRL action against player behaviour

The Australian Rugby League Commission have announced a turnaround in the game’s finances and backs strict measures to improve player behaviour.

ARLC chairman Peter Beattie has revealed the NRL had reversed its $3.7 million loss in 2017 to record a surplus in 2018.

Beattie admitted the NRL had focussed on becoming more efficient, with $17 million of budgeted costs being removed annually in this broadcast cycle.

He said: “The key message for fans is that the game is in good financial shape.

“We are back in the black. And surpluses are invested back into the sport, whether it’s through junior rugby league or community programmes.”

Beattie also said the Commission were fully behind NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg in his stance against off-field player misbehaviour.

He added: “As a next step, we have asked the NRL leadership team to work with clubs, senior players and the RLPA to take immediate steps to reduce the integrity related issues we have seen over the last few months.

“We want our game to adopt best practice strategies to mitigate the risk of things going wrong off the field.

“The responsibility for delivering this improvement rests with players, clubs, and the NRL.”