On Saturday, 16 November 2025, Zac Lomax walked out of Parramatta’s training facility for the last time as an NRL-contracted player.
Three years and roughly A$2 million remained on the four-year deal he signed ahead of the 2025 season. By Monday morning, the Eels had granted him an immediate release “to pursue opportunities outside the National Rugby League”.
The phrase was corporate code. Everyone inside the game knew exactly where the 26-year-old NSW Origin and Kangaroos centre was heading: straight into the arms of R360, the Dubai-backed rebel rugby competition that the entire rugby world has spent the past six months insisting is dead. It isn’t dead. It might just be waking up – and it is doing so with a ferocity that has caught even the most cynical observers off guard.
What started as a fringe idea – a city-based, globetrotting “Grand Prix” style rugby league launching in October 2026 – has, in the space of one weekend, become the most serious existential threat rugby league in Australia has faced since the Super League war of 1995-97. And unlike Super League, this one is not fighting for television rights inside Australia. It is fighting for the very souls of the best players in the game, armed with Middle-Eastern money that does not need to turn a profit this decade – and, most crucially, money that is structured to be almost entirely tax-free.
The Tax-Free Bombshell That Makes the Maths Brutal
Agents are running these numbers for their clients right now, and they are brutal for the NRL. Take Zac Lomax. He is on roughly A$650,000–700,000 a season at Parramatta. After the Australian Tax Office takes its 45% plus Medicare levy and superannuation guarantees, what actually lands in his bank account each year is closer to A$400,000 a year.
Ryan Papenhuyzen, coming off his Melbourne deal, is in the same boat – around A$650,000 gross, A$380,000 take-home after tax. Even a solid mid-tier Origin regular on A$900,000 gross is only clearing about A$510,000 once the ATO is finished.
Now look at the R360 side of the ledger. The opening offers being tabled to players of that calibre start at the equivalent of A$1.5 million and climb toward A$2 million or more. Because the contracts are domiciled in Dubai – a zero-income-tax jurisdiction – and players are encouraged to relocate and obtain UAE tax residency (a straightforward process for high earners), the core salary is effectively tax-free.
A player can still have some Australian tax exposure on endorsements or if they keep too many ties Down Under, but the salary itself? Almost all of it stays in their pocket. That means Lomax could go from clearing A$400,000 a year to pocketing A$1.45 million or more – a real-world multiple of 3.6 to 4 times what he takes home today.
Papenhuyzen jumps from A$380,000 to the same A$1.45 million-plus – nearly four times his current net. Even the better-paid mid-tier Origin player leaps from A$510,000 take-home to A$1.9 million-plus – still 3.7 times more money in his actual bank account. And remember: that R360 money is for a 12–16 game season. No Tuesday night in Wollongong. No three-game Origin camp. No wet-weather slog in Christchurch. Just private jets to Dubai, Vegas, Miami, Tokyo, London, and a week off in between. It is not double the money. It is nearly four times the money that actually reaches a player’s family, for half the punishment, and a lifestyle that looks like a rock-star world tour.
This tax advantage is no accident. Dubai’s residency rules allow high-earners like athletes to qualify as tax residents by spending at least 183 days in the UAE over a calendar year, or 90 days with significant ties such as a UAE visa or employment contract.
For R360 players, basing themselves in Dubai during the off-season and tournament windows makes this achievable. Many international athletes already use similar structures in places like Monaco or the UAE to minimise tax on global income. The result? A net pay packet that dwarfs anything the NRL can offer under Australia’s progressive tax system. That is why Zac Lomax, at 26 and in the absolute prime of his career, just tore up three guaranteed years at Parramatta without a backward glance.
Peter V’landys Fires Back – But Some Claims Don’t Hold Up
In a series of interviews on 17 November, ARLC chairman Peter V’landys went on the offensive, telling 7News and other outlets he felt “very sorry for Zac” and warning players they were being “ill-advised” by “pirates”.
The quotes were extensive and emotional: “I felt very sorry for Zac. I think he’s being very ill-advised… he could be foregoing millions of dollars on something that may never eventuate… So I feel sorry for Zac, because anyone can say they’re going to give you millions… if they can deliver, it’s another thing… They haven’t got a broadcaster, they’ve got no business model… If I were him, I would be asking them for a bank guarantee… The other misinformation is tax-free. If you’ve got assets, residence, etc., in Australia, it’s not tax-free. They are going to be in for a shock…”
V’landys is factually correct that players who remain Australian tax residents will still pay tax on worldwide income. However, he is deliberately downplaying the reality to scare players. Smart agents are already structuring these deals for full Dubai tax residency – selling or renting out Australian homes, moving family if necessary, and obtaining UAE tax certificates. In those cases (which are common for players who spend seasons in Japan or France), the core salary is genuinely tax-free. V’landys knows this perfectly well – the NRL has seen dozens of players do the same thing for overseas contracts – yet he frames it as “misinformation” and “they’re going to be in for a shock” to make the offers sound far less revolutionary than they are.
On the broadcaster front, V’landys claimed “they’ve done a deal with YouTube”, implying a cheap fallback that would cost $200–250k per game to produce. This appears inaccurate – no confirmed YouTube deal has been publicly announced, and earlier whispers of a YouTube partnership remain unverified.
The absence of any major platform remains the biggest hole in R360’s plan, but V’landys’ presenting it as a settled fact is premature. He also confirmed the 10-year ban applies even to free agents the moment they play a single R360 game, extended it to agents, and left only a tiny crack for returns (“we will judge it on the merits… if they were totally hood-winked”).
He insisted the NRL pathways mean “there will be somebody else who will come through just as brilliant”.
These are not new tactics for V’landys. Back in 2020, during the COVID crisis, he vowed to protect player contracts and avoid salary cap cuts, telling ESPN: “I gave a commitment to the NRL players that I would do my best to keep their contracts whole moving forward and that remains my objective.” He delivered, but only after players took a 20% pay cut that year.
In 2022, he tabled a $1.32 billion collective bargaining deal that made NRL stars the highest-paid generation in history, with the cap rising to $11.25 million for 2024. He has even floated salary cap exemptions for code-switchers from rugby union, saying in 2023: “We have been looking at bringing in salary cap exemptions for players from other countries for some time.” Yet despite these pro-player moves, the cap has lagged behind revenue growth, fueling the current resentment.
The Spark That Lit the Fuse: From Whispers to Walk-outs
Lomax is not fringe talent. He is a current NSW Origin centre, a Kangaroos tourist, and coming off one of his best seasons, where he ranked among the top metre-eaters in the competition. His immediate release is the first genuine crack in the dam V’landys spent all of 2025 building – a dam of bans, warnings, and coordinated resistance with eight major rugby union nations.
Ryan Papenhuyzen was released weeks earlier from his final Storm year. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is expected to walk when his Warriors deal expires in 2026. Payne Haas reportedly has a $3m+ tax-free offer on the table that Brisbane refuses to match or release him for. The names are real, marketable athletes prepared to burn their Origin and Kangaroos futures for financial security that the NRL simply cannot provide.
Outside of Haas, these are not the absolute elite – the Clearys, Walshs, Munsters who command $1.2–1.3 million gross in the NRL (per the 2024 NRL Rich List from Code Sports). But they are the next tier down, the players who make the competition exciting but take home far less after tax.
The average NRL salary in 2024 was around $400,000 gross, per industry reports – or about $240,000 take-home after deductions. For these players, the R360 maths is not a gamble; it is a no-brainer.
The Grievance That Fuelled The Fire: Profits Over Players?
This did not come out of nowhere. In 2024, the NRL posted central revenue of A$745 million and a surplus of A$62.3 million – the highest in history.
Peter V’landys reportedly earns A$2-3 million a year across his dual roles as ARLC chairman and Racing NSW CEO – more than any single player in the competition after tax. Players watch the league bank record profits, expand to Vegas, and boast about being in the “strongest financial position in our history”, while their own take-home pay has barely moved in real terms since 2020. They absorb 25–30 contacts a game, risk CTE and early retirement, and see the average salary stuck at $400,000 gross despite the boom.
As a rugby league supporter put it: “The players are the product. People tune in for Lomax sidesteps, Papenhuyzen flick passes, Haas charges – not the CEO’s media conferences. If Joe Blow were CEO tomorrow, the ratings would be 98% the same. Yet Joe Blow gets paid more than any one of them after tax. R360 just offered a correction – tax-free.”
This sentiment echoes through dressing rooms. The NRL salary cap for 2024 was $11.25 million for the top 30 players per club, plus $0.3 million for veterans – a modest rise from $11.05 million in 2023. But with revenue jumping 50 per cent post-COVID, players feel the pie is growing while their slice shrinks to around 30 per cent.
V’landys has defended this, arguing in past interviews that the cap protects competitive balance and sustainability. But for players staring at $1.5 million tax-free offers, “sustainability” sounds like code for “headquarters keeps the surplus”.
The Kerry Packer Parallel – With a Tax-Free, Gulf-Money Twist
History rhymes – loudly. In 1977, Kerry Packer was rebuffed by the Australian Cricket Board for exclusive TV rights. His response? Secretly sign nearly 70 of the world’s best players, including stars like Greg Chappell, Viv Richards, and Clive Lloyd, for salaries three to ten times what they earned in Test cricket. World Series Cricket (WSC) launched with 16 “Supertests” and 38 one-dayers over two seasons, introducing innovations like coloured clothing, helmets, white balls, floodlights, and drop-in pitches.
Dubbed the “Packer Circus” by critics, it drew poor crowds initially and lost Packer A$10–20 million. Players faced lifetime bans from Test cricket. But Packer’s vision – TV-friendly cricket with professional pay – won out. After two years, he got the rights, the bans lifted, and cricket was transformed: night games became standard, one-day cricket exploded, and player earnings soared.
R360 is running almost the exact playbook – except the money this time is not from a profit-driven Australian mogul who eventually wanted his investment back. It is from Gulf-based investors (Dubai/Emirati private equity, with whispers of Saudi PIF entry) whose primary motivation is soft power, prestige, and long-term influence in Australia and New Zealand.
They do not need to break even in 2026 or 2030. They just need to exist, keep paying the best players four times their current take-home (tax-free), and wait for the old structures to crack. That is the difference that keeps administrators awake at night.
Packer’s war was short and sharp. This one could drag on for a decade, hollowing out the NRL from within.
The LIV Golf Blueprint – Now With Zero Tax on the Core Income
We have seen this movie before – and it is still playing out in golf. In 2022, LIV Golf launched with Saudi PIF money, signing stars like Phil Mickelson ($200 million upfront) and Dustin Johnson ($125 million). The PGA Tour banned participants for life. Ratings held initially, but by 2024–25, more jumped: Jon Rahm for $500–600 million, Tyrrell Hatton, and Adrian Meronk. PGA viewership dipped 5–20 per cent on average events, while LIV struggled with format issues (54 holes, no cut, team play) but built star power.
By mid-2025, merger talks are ongoing, but the damage is done: the PGA is fragmented, younger fans watch LIV highlights on so-cial media, and the Saudis effec-tively own the premium product. LIV lost $2–3 billion in its first three years and did not care – it was about soft power. R360 has the same patience – and a tax advantage LIV never had. Golfers still pay U.S. or European tax on portions of their deals. R360 offers Dubai residency, where athletes like tennis stars and footballers already base themselves to shield their income.
The UAE requires 183 days of presence or 90 days with ties for residency – easily met by R360’s touring schedule. The result? A net pay packet that dwarfs LIV’s allure.
The Union Side: Why the Bans Bite Harder There
R360’s biggest hurdle remains rugby union, where the internanional game is sacred. Eight tier-one unions (including Australia) have issued permanent Test bans for participants – no World Cup 2027, no Lions tour 2029. For prime-age stars like Antoine Dupont or Ardie Savea, that is a deal-breaker.
Union players earn decent money in uncapped leagues like France’s Top 14 ($500k–$1m+ gross), but capped competitions like England’s Premiership ($400k–$800k) lag. The grievance is similar, but Test rugby’s emotional pull – unlike league’s Kangaroos Tests, which often feel like exhibitions – keeps most locked in. NRL converts like Lomax face less pain: Origin is the pinnacle, and Kangaroos eligibility is secondary. Australia’s dominance in Tests (80 per cent win rate since 2000) makes them less compelling than union’s fierce rivalries.
Where This Goes From Here: Avalanche or Fizzle?
As of 18 November 2025, momentum is suddenly with R360. The Lomax release is proof of concept. Clubs are blinking. Agents are talking. The first official signing announcement – expected in the coming weeks – will be the moment of truth. If it is Lomax, Papenhuyzen, Tuivasa-Sheck and five-to-ten more genuine NRL names, plus a credible global streaming partner (Netflix, Amazon, DAZN, Stan – someone), then the snowball becomes an avalanche. More players follow. Salaries double again by year three – all effectively tax-free for relocated players. The NRL plays catch-up from weakness. V’landys’ hard line bought time, but some of his public claims (on tax and YouTube) stretch the truth to scare players. The grievance is real, the money is real, and the tax advantage – when structured properly – is real.
The Long-Term Risk: V’landys’ Chase for Profits Could Back-fire
V’landys is betting on short-term resilience: lose a few players, promote juniors, bank the surplus. The NRL is bulletproof in Australia for Origin and big games – no rebel league kills that overnight. But if R360 survives three seasons (even loss-making), attracts a streamer, and keeps tripling salaries with Gulf money that ignores profit, the momentum flips. Young talents choose R360 pathways. Streaming fragments audiences. The NRL becomes the “tough domestic league” while R360 is the global glamour circuit. We saw it in cricket: Packer’s two-year war modernised the game. In golf: LIV’s persistence forced a merger. In league: Super League split for two years, then merged into a stronger league. But with unlimited patience and tax-free lures, R360 could be the first to create a permanent split.
The Final Irony: A Saviour’s Potential Undoing Peter V’landys saved rugby league in 2020. He dragged it through COVID, secured the broadcast deal, and put it on the map in America. He deserves enormous credit. But his relentless focus on the bottom line – banking surpluses while player take-home pay stagnates and he earns more than any individual athlete after tax – may yet be the very thing that breaks it.
Zac Lomax did not walk away from Parramatta because he hates the NRL. He walked because someone finally offered him four times the money he actually saw in his bank account, for half the work, on a world tour, largely tax-free.
Until the NRL is prepared to come somewhere close to that reality – perhaps by hiking the cap to 40 per cent of revenue, as in the AFL – the threat will not just remain. It will grow. This is no longer a fringe story. This is the biggest fork in the road rugby league has faced in thirty years. And for the first time in a very long time, Peter V’landys no longer holds all the cards.
– Tully Potts
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