EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Johns calls for NRL to introduce transfer window amid aftermath of DCE and Dylan Brown contract saga
Andrew Johns has called for the NRL to introduce a post-season transfer window amid the fallout of the Daly Cherry-Evans and Dylan Brown contract saga.
Brown and Cherry-Evans were at the centre of the headlines after the pair announced their surprise departures from their respective clubs after length stints in the league.
It remains unknown where Cherry-Evans will land next season, though Parramatta fans have come to learn Brown accepted a $13 million move to Newcastle.
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Wayne Bennett elevated calls for a transfer window on Thursday after he slammed the NRL for allowing the "self-destruct" button to be hit in the opening stages of the season.
"It does nothing for the game, does nothing for the club and it's wrong and I wish we'd fix it," Bennett said post-match on Thursday.
"Aussie rules – this doesn't happen in their game, they're our major competitor.
"The whole focus is on what a couple of players have done [off-field] … It just shouldn't happen. It shouldn't be allowed to happen. Distractions don't help."
Wayne Bennett during his press conference on Thursday night. NRL.com
The AFL's trade window begins after each year's grand final, with all 18 clubs able to exchange players and draft picks in a formal 10-day setting.
Such procedures were praised by Johns, who noted that majority of sport's globally use the same formula to assist with the movement of players.
Debate around the transfer window has often referenced the need for players to sort out their plans to make a move but Johns says the league needs to just make the call.
"We gotta sort this out," he said on Wide World of Sports' Immortal Behaviour.
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"Whether it's a transfer window - every other sport in the world does it.
"There are excuses about how (are) the players have to plan for kids going to school, finding and renting a house... let's just get it done.
"I reckon end of the year [there should be] a transfer window or even after Origin.
"I think the players association don't want [a transfer window] because they want players to have time to plan their move from Manly to Newcastle, for example. But honestly they can get it done.
Johns admitted the early signings of players in the season continues to "drive fans mad" as they are left in a state of unknown about the future of their team.
"Imagine being a Parramatta fan," Johns began.
"They have had Dylan Brown for seven years and all of a sudden they know he's going.
"There are already calls from former players and fans for him to go now.
"[Early signings] just leaves a bad taste in the mouths of fans."
