Samoa meet Australia in the quarter-finals in Darwin on Friday after drawing just one its group games. Meanwhile the Irish recorded two wins and suffered one defeat in its group matches, but have been eliminated from the tournament. Wolfhounds coach Mark Aston and captain Liam Finn have questioned the logic of the format after Ireland was knocked out. But Parish has rubbished their comments, stating he couldn’t understand their frustration.
“They would have got flogged if they’ve played in our group,” he told The Sportsman.
The World Cup system of two ‘super’ groups of four teams and two groups of three teams is designed to eliminate mismatches between Australia, New Zealand and England and the rest of the competition.
The issue of equal pay for all international players has rared its head again recently, with the likes of Welsh, Scottish and Irish players reportedly on no money for the tournament.
Ireland forward Tyrone McCarthy, who plays his club football for Salford, tweeted: “$0 for Ireland per game. Some of our players lose out on their regular salary too, from having time off work. Really something International Rugby League should look at!”
The Tongan squad is on payments of $500 per World Cup match while at the other end of the scale, reigning champions Australia are on $20,000 per game. Lebanon and Samoan players are believed to be on $30 a day. Australian forward Matt Gillett has said all players should be treated equally financially: "We're all doing the same thing, we're all out there putting our bodies on the line playing for our country so there's no reason it shouldn't be.”
Several figures have voiced that this inequality needs to change but Parish believes it won’t.
“I don’t think it will change but it needs to,” he said.
“It’s such an unfair playing field. How can you play in a World Cup…. The payments should be spread across the board. We’re playing a team that are getting $40,000 to $50,000 for the tournament. Our games get $30 a day – how is that fair? We’ve played in front of two packed crowds in Auckland and Hamilton, where does the revenue go?
“Where do the profits go for the Rugby League World Cup, because they certainly don’t go back to the nations. The players are the ones giving up their annual leave, they’re the ones sacrificing being with families to play in the tournament. Why should the [Australia] players get $40,000 to $50,000 for the tournament and our guys get $30 a day? It’s just unheard of in any sport in the world, in soccer, rugby union. It’s quite amazing.
Parish said the Rugby League Professionals Association, the NRL’s player’s union, is helpless in solving the pay gap at international level.
“The players don’t talk about it but they’ve got a so-called Players Association but they’re toothless,” he said.
“They’re funded by the NRL so what are they going to do?”
