Newcastle Knights ready to retain premiership-winning stars once historic CBA agreement is formalised

The NRL and Rugby League Players Association unveiled on Tuesday key details of the five-year CBA, the first for female players.

Under the proposal, the NRLW salary cap will rise to $900,000 in 2023 and reach $1.5 million in 2027.

Players will earn at least $30,000 for their 20-week commitment, a minimum wage rising to more than $50,000 over the five years.

The agreement marks significant progress on the protracted CBA negotiations and Parr expects a formal deal to soon follow.

"I don't think any of this is going to take long to get distributed, nor will it take long to absorb," he said.

"I expect we will be able to speak and offer contracts to players in the very near future. I'm hoping it's days, rather than weeks."

Parr, who oversees all of Newcastle's football operations, cautioned the club would need to digest some of the CBA's finer details.

"It looks promising at the moment," he said.

"The money's agreed to ... but there's a whole range of subsets ... we want to make sure we're across.

"Relocation, health insurance, marquee-player [payments], third-party agreements - what is allowed and what isn't.

"There's still a few matters you need to finalise before you can go ahead."

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The formal sign-off of the CBA is expected to trigger a flurry of player signings.

Every NRLW player came off contract after last season, creating a wide-open market.

But the expansion from six to 10 teams in 2023, with the inclusion of the Sharks, Cowboys, Tigers and Raiders, makes for an even more competitive signing race.

Boasting some of the game's biggest names in Millie Boyle, Tamika Upton and rising star Jesse Southwell, the Knights face a battle to keep last season's premiership-winning side together.

"We've obviously been having discussions within the club about what we're going to do," Parr said.

"There's been a lot of uncertainty around the women's game, so I don't know if there would be too many players who have clarity on ... where they're going.

"They're really keen to find that out, so I would expect it will be fairly hectic once ... clubs are allowed to offer contracts."

READ MORE: Which NRLW players will the Knights retain in 2023?

Clubs will have to fill 24-player rosters by May 24. The season starts mid-July.

"It's not like you'll have to sign everybody in 24 hours," Parr said.

"So we've got a bit of time, but obviously you don't want to miss the boat.

"As soon as we get the green light, we'll be active."

As reigning premiers, Newcastle's 2022 player list is going to be in the hands of every NRLW recruiter.

The club is expected to lose a few players, likely to new teams, but Parr hopes to keep as many as possible on board.

"We obviously had an excellent team last season and our goal is to keep the majority of that team. Whether that's possible or not, time will tell. We will clearly have a retention focus," he said.

Multi-season deals will now also be allowed, which Parr views as a positive for both clubs and players.

'The major benefit will be to the players," he said.

"If you can offer multi-year deals, you're not negotiating every year and know where you're heading from one year to the next. But more importantly, for some of them they'll be able to secure their futures for a longer term."

The veteran administrator praised the players for growing the women's game.

"The female game has made some significant inroads in the last few years, and that's on the back of the players and what they've done on the field," he said.

"This CBA ... shows them some respect, will be a benefit to them financially and they'll have some clauses in there that help them off the field as well. It's a major step forward for the game."

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