Lachlan Galvin and his agent, Isaac Moses, have sparked fierce debate in rugby league circles following their departure statements earlier in the week.
With Galvin making his departure from the Wests Tigers known nearly two years out from his contract's end, the NRL has stepped in to implement some crackdowns, which the league hopes will prevent the current and future situations from getting out of hand.
Following Moses' dismissal of the Tigers' contract offer to Galvin, the NRL is now looking to take on recommendations to change how contract negotiations are handled, as well as the amount of power player agents can hold.
Andrew Webster and Phil Rothfield revealed on their Off the Record podcast that a working group, including the RLPA, clubs, and leading player managers, is poised to make recommendations in an effort to change the way these negotiations are handled.
These recommendations will include enforcing tighter regulations around accreditation, and most notably, a proposal to ban coaches from having representation.
โThe NRL aren't commenting on the proposal because they don't want to be seen to be reacting to the Lachlan Galvin situation,โ Webster said.
โBut it will be a massive change; it's a blight on the game. They've been talking for years about pulling managers into line, and it looks like it is finally going to happenโฆ Certain clubs aren't categorised by their coach or players, but who manages them.
โManly is considered an Isaac Moses club. That's an indictment on Manly for letting that happen.โ
The league has seen several contract controversies in the last few months, with players such as Daly Cherry-Evans, Dylan Brown, and now Galvin, making huge calls on their careers.
There are concerns that these contract sagas will become more prevalent as the years go on, mostly due to player agents such as Moses holding significant power over NRL clubs.
โIsaac manages 30 per cent of NRL coaches plying their trade in a 17-team competition,โ Rothfield revealed.
โAdam O'Brien at the Knights, Shane Flanagan at the Dragons, Anthony Seibold at Manly, Toddy Payten at the Cowboys, and Andrew Webster at the Warriors.
โThere have been several signings, more recently with John Bateman at the Cowboys, there's been a stack to Manly with Isaac Moses clients. If you manage these coaches, you want to look after your clients. It's natural to help them succeed.
โIt bumps up their earnings if they can make the eight, make the four, win a premiership. They get an upgrade and Isaac gets six per cent of that.โ
The tension between agents and NRL clubs has never been thicker, with some owners, such as Sydney Roosters boss Nick Politis, refusing to deal with managers like Moses.
While it may be some time before we see a change in how contract negotiations are handled, it seems the NRL has been keeping a close eye on the recent buzz, and they're not liking what they see.