NRL elite not greedy, says Civoniceva

Petero Civoniceva angrily denies the NRL's elite players are driven by greed,
claiming he and his Australian teammates are more concerned with getting a better
deal for those at the bottom of the food chain than lining their own pockets.
Speaking after a marathon four-hour meeting with players association boss David
Garnsey on Wednesday, the Penrith veteran prop hit out at critics who labelled the
game's superstars selfish.
The Queensland star also claimed comments about methods to stop the game's biggest
names switching codes had been misconstrued.
With speculation increasing that Brisbane star Israel Folau is poised to team up
with new Super 15 franchise Melbourne Rebels, the lead-up to last week's
Australia-New Zealand Test was overshadowed by salary cap talk.
However, Civoniceva said the players' first priority in seeking a greater slice of
the financial pie during upcoming EBA negotiations was to boost the pay packets of
those on the minimum wage.
"One thing that probably annoyed me a bit was the fact that it was sort of made out
that as senior players and rep players we were more concerned about increasing rep
payments," Civoniceva said.
"We spoke about increasing rep payments as a way of retaining our marquee players
and our elite players in the game, but that is not the most important issue to us.
"The most talked about issue that I had yesterday with David Garnsey and the RLPA
was with increasing minimum wage for our fringe players.
"As a captain I know how difficult it is for our fringe first graders in trying to
handle paying off a mortgage and trying to raise a family on that minimum wage.
"In terms of increasing rep payments, that wasn't the most important factor, but I
think it was relevant though in our preparation for that Test game."
Civoniceva, who agreed to a two-year deal on Wednesday, which will see him play out
his career with the Panthers, said he would take details of his talks with Garnsey
to the players' representatives from other NRL clubs before commenting further.
He admitted some comments that were made in Melbourne last week - such as those by
Jarryd Hayne who complained about the fact players only received four free tickets
to the Test and would have to pay for the rest out of their own pocket - were not
ideal.
Civoniceva said he was determined to unite the players as one force, but denied he
would assume the role as the players' spokesperson.
"In terms of Jarryd's comments I think sometimes you make those comments in the heat
of the moment, but if we're talking about making a statement as a playing group
we'll do that as a collective and we'll do it through the players association,"
Civoniceva said.
"I know there's some guys that have come out and said a few things but what's most
important for us as a playing group is that we make a statement through our players'
association."
Meanwhile Gold Coast chief executive Michael Searle said the installation of an
independent commission could be achieved within "the coming months."
"Both parties are very focused on it, we're working feverishly towards it, but as
far as putting a time line on it ... I would expect it may come to light in the
coming months," said Searle, one of the chief architects of the commission.
"I think everyone in the game acknowledges it's going to happen and we'll get there
eventually."



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