'Can't compete': Super coaches weigh into PNG Chiefs debate The National Rugby League's decision to grant tax free wages to the incoming PNG Chiefs has highlighted a long standing weakness in the competition: its inability to maintain a level playing field.
The NRL has consistently touted itself as a meritocratic league where talent and hard work are rewarded, but with the influx of big money from the PNG Chiefs, that ideal is rapidly becoming a distant memory.
Trent Robinson and Ivan Cleary, among others, have been forced to confront the harsh reality: their clubs simply can't compete with the tax breaks afforded to the new franchise.