The RLPA, as it is more commonly referred to, is the representative body of elite rugby league players, protecting and promoting the welfare and interests of its members.

In November 2017, the RLPA negotiated a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the National Rugby League that secured the biggest pay increase for players in the game's 109-year history.

In a show of unity and solidarity behind the RLPA in the ongoing negotiations, NRL players wore branded caps throughout State of Origin press conferences and green tape in Round 21 of the 2017 season.

[17][18] As part of the standoff, RLPA members covered up the NRL logo on their jerseys during Round 22's matches, refused to speak to the media on game days, released a video titled Stand With Us aimed at garnering support from fans, sent letters to the club chairs and main sponsors of the clubs and the league to complain about the lack of progress in negotiations and asking for support, as well as threatening to delay match kickoff times and boycott the Dally M Awards ceremony.

[19][20][21][22] The standoff ended on 10 August 2023 after the NRL and Rugby League Players Association settled on an in-principle collective bargaining agreement (CBA), with the league’s first billion-dollar CBA, which lasts until 2027 and covers men’s and women’s players, expected to be finalised over the coming days, pending documentation and ratification.