...unfortunately contracts mean nothing these days, and the very next year you could be on the out....
Not true..........All NRL contracts are legally binding agreements.
Remember this time last season with the Seymour/Hannay situations. Both players were not in Stuarts' plans for the Club......so he dropped 'em to park footy, yet the Club still had to honour the monetary side of the contract.
Players may ask their Club for a release from their contract, and by the same token the Club can suggest a release to a player......but none are gauranteed. Players may retire completely from playing the game (or indefinately - Tim Smith), however will forfeit the remainder of the benifits their contract provided. A player can tell their Club to go fvck 'emselves.........but the Club will have the right to fine them for not turning up to training/games/functions etc, as well as stopping them from playing League anywhere else until the contract expires.
Having said all that, most contracts will be a standard, with individual clauses written into the agreement taylored to suit Club and player alike.
It is the full responsibility of the player and their Manager to understand completely the details of the contract (Kirk Reynoldson), because you can be sure as sh!t the Club understands it (Newcastle). We've often seen players fined or sacked for breach of contract, but who can recall a Club being successfully charged by a player/Manager for breach of contract?
The bottom line is really that players want to play footy in an environment that they're happy with, and get paid properly for it, and the Club want to have a cohesive unit, but is confined by the salary cap. If things aren't working out for either of the parties it's in their vested interests to mutually agree on transfers etc etc so as the precious money doesn't go to waste.