The 7 unanswered questions over an NRL-Super League deal as talks restart

Talks between Super League and the NRL are set to ramp up once again in the coming weeks – with hopes still high a deal for the Australian premiere competition to invest in the English game can be struck.

But there are some big questions for the game to answer if a deal can be worked through to a positive conclusion – including some that may have huge ramifications for the sport on both sides of the world.

Here are the burning issues..

Is there an actual timeframe for a deal?

V’Landys said back in Las Vegas that he would have wanted a deal to be concluded within 12 weeks or the NRL would potentially walk away. Clearly, we are some way past that deadline now, yet a deal is still very much on the table.

That is understandable. Sources on both sides of the world have stressed that both competitions wanted to finalise their respective broadcast deals before getting into the meat and drink of the NRL investing in Super League.

But with those processes now drawing to a close and Super League expected to finalise a new deal with Sky Sports soon, it’s clear all parties need some clarity on when a deal is done. It can’t drag out for much longer – probably not beyond the end of the summer.

Have the ‘red lines’ been cleared – on both sides?

Rhodri Jones spoke in great detail earlier this year about how significant red lines were in place in terms of sticking points for both parties over a possible deal.

It’s not difficult to imagine what some of them are – we’ll get to one shortly. You would suspect the last few months have allowed both parties to be able to return to the table with a clearer picture of what the other wants.

Will a new commission lead the game: and will the NRL run it?

There has been suggestions that if the NRL does come on board, there would be the implementation of a new panel that would effectively govern the sport.

This may well be a red line we’ve just spoke about. Clubs will clearly be reluctant to cede power and control given how they’ve held it for so long. In contrast, the NRL will likely insist that has to happen for them to come on board.

You would imagine that the prospect of the NRL having the majority say on any newly-created commission is going to be key to a deal. If they don’t get it, it could jeopardise the process.

Could clubs on both sides of the world link up?

The NRL wants to globalise its own competition as well as investing into Super League. That may well include utilising its own player pool to strengthen the game on the other side of the world.

Some clubs have already spoken privately about the possibility of striking up links with big NRL teams that would see players go both ways. It would be controversial, but it would be an interesting talking point..

Do the NRL see Super League as a 14-team competition: or smaller?

This is another big decision. We’ve heard plenty of speculation that the NRL weren’t particularly enamoured with Super League going to 14 teams this year – although that move has had its successes with how the three promoted teams have fared.

But if the NRL want to streamline Super League, is that a crucial part of the negotiations that could lead to some very difficult conversations in the boardrooms?

That said, there is one non-Super League club in particular the NRL will want to talk about..

Will the NRL want London in Super League no matter what?

It seems somewhat unclear whether or not London Broncos have done enough to get into the top 14 in the gradings. We won’t truly know the answer until October.

But Darren Lockyer said earlier this week the outcome of the NRL’s talks with Super League would give them a much clearer idea on whether they fit in Super League. It’s hard to imagine the NRL having a high level of control over the European game and London languishing in the Championship.

If the deal happens, London will be a Super League team.

Where will the NRL’s investment be routed?

This is perhaps the most important question of them all. Throwing money into a financial black hole – namely club losses that are currently being covered by owners – is perhaps what many envisage will happen, but that is merely a short-term solution and nothing more than a sticking plaster.

The NRL will likely have a detailed and in-depth plan for how and where their money is spent. The end goal cannot be just to replace Super League owner losses – it has to be to make Super League a thriving, vibrant and financially sustainable competition that is ready to walk on its own when the time comes for the NRL to walk away.

This, in essence, is the most important question of them all.