REPORT: New Zealand Rugby League investigates the playmaker’s injuries and disappearance $175 000.
At a meeting with the NRL on Monday, the peculiar case of Ronald Volkman, his injured shoulder, and who is responsible for the $175,000 owed to the clubless playmaker will be discussed.
On December 3, the former Warriors half Volkman was heralded as a major recruit by St George Illawarra, despite the fact that the team had not yet officially registered his contract. Even so, on January 4, Volkman was wheeled out for a Dragons training session even though it was obvious to potential employers that he had arrived with a shoulder injury that required surgery.
The Samoan international’s Red V contract was set to expire in2024, and the Dragons decided not to move forward with the transaction after learning he wouldn’t be able to play.
The Warriors had already finished Volkman’s deed of release, which entailed paying him over $200,000 to remove him from the records, by this point. The $175,000 gap owed to the 21-year-old for the current season was about to be paid by the Dragons. But while all the players assign blame to one another, Volkman is still without a team and without money.
Answers to a plethora of questions will be required. Had Volkman had surgery when he was still under contract with the Warriors, would it have been better? Did the Dragons make a legally binding agreement, whether verbal or written? Will the $175,000 they must pay Volkman be deducted from their wage cap?
Long after the Rugby League Players Association originally brought up a disagreement with head office on Volkman’s behalf, the issue is only now reaching a boiling point.
RLPA CEO Clint Newton stated, “The facts are that this process has gone on for far too long.”
“On January 19, we sent the NRL a notice of dispute. The incident took place around the end of December. Ronald is the only one who actually suffers as a result.
“A speedy conclusion that gives Ronald positive assurance and holds the party or parties at fault accountable for what has happened is the greatest thing that can happen from this point on.
“We are at odds because we believe there have been numerous, blatant violations of Ronald’s playing contract, the CBA, and the NRL regulations. Beyond that, there’s not much more to say because those are the facts.
Volkman may now resume playing after a successful shoulder operation. The operation’s cost and any related rehabilitation expenses will be the Warriors’ responsibility under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
Volkman, though, is stuck in limbo until the issue is fixed. It’s uncertain when or if he will be able to increase his total of five NRL appearances.
In January, Volkman told this masthead, “I haven’t fully processed it all yet; the RLPA have been helping me heaps with my mental health.”
It’s terrible that this injury has occurred because the Dragons were eager.
“The fact that I won’t be playing this season hasn’t really hit me yet. My goal as an NRL player was to dive in headfirst and establish myself. I have a lot of reserve grade experience. I was excited about the 2024 NRL challenge, but it was canceled before the trials ever began. It’s been challenging for me.
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