It seems ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has put the fear of god not just through the NRL’s playing ranks, but also its player agents as rumours continue to swirl around rebel rugby union competition R360.
According to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald one of Australian rugby league’s leading player managers Clinton Schifcofske has declared he will not negotiate with R360 on behalf of players through concerns of being slapped with a career-threatening NRL ban.
Schifcofske is a co-director of GS Sports Management alongside fellow director Steve Gillis, one of rugby league’s most experienced and respected player agents.
GS Sports currently has many of the game’s biggest names on its books - significantly these include two stars who have been heavily linked to the rebel rugby union competition, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Zac Lomax.
Both players have gained releases from their NRL clubs since the conclusion of the 2025 season, allowing the pair to explore other opportunities ‘away from rugby league’.
Schifcofske’s decision comes after repeated warnings from the NRL, threatening 10-year bans for agents and players who negotiate with R360.
“I’m stepping away,” Schifcofske confirmed on Wednesday.
“The rules have changed so I have to play by the rules.
“I’m still doing all their (Papenhuyzen’s and Lomax’s) NRL stuff if they choose to play in the NRL and I will do all their rugby for every other sanctioned competition around the world.
“(But for R360) they can get another agent or my advice was to get a lawyer.”
Other NRL stars currently managed by GS Sports include Adam Reynolds, Harry Grant, Ben Hunt, Cam Murray, Sam Walker and Jye Gray.