Newton first started playing the game while a student at St Mary’s Catholic College Gateshead, near Newcastle, and continued when he moved to senior school at St Francis Xavier’s College Hamilton. Starting school at age four, he was small for his age throughout his education. Some people said he would never make it in rugby league, but with the support of his family, he stuck to his guns and eventually signed with the Newcastle Knights in 2001.
He became a union delegate as a 22-year-old, and returned to an active role with the RLPA after playing in the UK. He credits his parents for instilling a belief in workers’ rights, social justice and integrity in sport in his personal credo.
“Sport gives you a mindset that when you must do things that are uncomfortable, you say the alternative – retreating or surrendering – is not an option. You have to stand your ground on things that matter.”
Clint said a breakdown in trust lead to the dispute dragging on for 20 months.
“It’s been a systemic problem in our game for quite some time. I think it got brought to the forefront in COVID when the game was relying on players to pitch in even more than usual,” Clint said.
“The players now are significantly more educated. They are much more aware of their rights, they have a greater level of attention to detail than they’ve ever had before.
“I think the inclusion of women has been a significant step forward for our game on multiple fronts, but from a representation perspective, the women bring a different mindset and a new lens when looking at different parts of the negotiations and the detail which I think really strengthens the association and the code.
“They have consistently stood up in a difficult and volatile situation where they didn’t have the certainty that the men have, and they still managed to front up.
“We now have a strong, comprehensive, codified CBA that values the players from a respect perspective, but also gives them the safety and the protection that they deserve, particularly given the critical role they have in the industry.
“Not many people know this, but [league legend] Dally Messenger [one of Australia’s first professional rugby league players] was a huge advocate for workers’ rights and a massive advocate for women. Women have been playing rugby league for 100 years, but somehow, they fell off the radar. Now, with everything that’s happening, we’ve got a stronger playing group to ensure that the game keeps moving forward.”
