Salary Cap

[John Drake]

This month's Rugby League World fans feedback is all about the Salary Cap.

Following on from the feature by Dave Hadfield and Steve Mascord in the current issue (no. 354), it's over to you.

Should it stay or should it go? Increase it, decrease it, forget it? Has it served its purpose, achieved its aims, been a force for good or is ti too restrictive and holding the game back? Let us have your views on this and anything else cap related by posting it on here or emailing feedback@rugbyleagueworld.net (remembering to provide your name and town in which you are based if replying by email).

We'll publish a selection of the best comments in the next issue, on sale 1st Oct.

[shrek]

This month's Rugby League World fans feedback is all about the Salary Cap.

Following on from the feature by Dave Hadfield and Steve Mascord in the current issue (no. 354), it's over to you.

Should it stay or should it go? Increase it, decrease it, forget it? Has it served its purpose, achieved its aims, been a force for good or is ti too restrictive and holding the game back? Let us have your views on this and anything else cap related by posting it on here or emailing feedback@rugbyleagueworld.net (remembering to provide your name and town in which you are based if replying by email).

We'll publish a selection of the best comments in the next issue, on sale 1st Oct.

In light of recent articles about the salary cap in the NHL were a club tried to sign a chap to a 17 year contract taking him to the age of 44, do we have a ruling on the maximum length a players contract can be for?

The following article still shows how some NHL clubs can cook the books and still pay a player into his 40's.

Long term NHL Contracts

[GazCoops]

It should stay, its probably one of the best things to happen to our sport imo but I think it needs to be tweeked a bit. We need to have extra room for loan signing that need to be brought in due to injurys at the club. I know we are allowed 50k extra to players outside the top 25 high earners but sometimes these youngsters aren't ready for SL and loan signings need to be brought in.

I think clubs should be rewarded by having more club trained players in the top 25 earners, at the moment the minimum limit is 8 in the squad but you see clubs putting youngsters in the squads just for the sake of making the numbers up, with no intention of using them. I think you should be allowed x amount extra of the cap for every home trained player(above the 8 limit) in the top 25 earners, e.g. starting at the 9th player onwards. Therefore if clubs who have invested in the young players and are now a big part of their first team will be rewarded.

[Exiled Wiganer]

I think it should stay, but there are lots of ways it could be uesfully tweaked -

- greater emphasis on contracts awarded to home grown players;

- some marquee player allowance to allow the game to keep its best players from union and the NRL;

- I think that the game has lost some of its colour through not attracting big name union players, and would go with Noble's proposal to allow clubs to sign a union player outside of the cap. In a perfect world we would not need it, but the game and the international sides could benefit interms of publicity and performance. This would be particularly helpful for outside backs and developing a Welsh team for the nation to get behind;

- there should be a minimum cap, particularly in these days of 3 year franchises; and

- it should be net, or at least it should not allow the best tax dodgers to prosper for moral and competition integrity reasons.

[DAZROVER1985]

I thought the whole point of the salary cap was to make super league a much more level playing field, where all the teams have a chance of the title. But to me its done nothing to encourage that as we look like we are heading towards yet another contest in the Grand Final between Leeds and St Helens. So i dont think it is working at the moment but with changes it could produce a more exciting competition.

[TheDuke]

i think it has evened things up a bit,

making marquee signings should be exempt from the cap

[deluded pom?]

I can't get my head around the "marquee player" (horrible expression) theory. Just who would these players be at each club? I know full well if I was at a team and one player was on far more than me but wasn't anything strartling then I'd have something to say on the matter. Who would be the MP at Crusaders/Salford etc.? Is an MP just for one season? e.g Player A is the MP at a club who the next season go out and sign a current GB international who then becomes the MP. Do you then reduce the salary of player A who would have signed contract and give the money to the new player or does the new player then get even more than player A? It's s ridiculous concept.

Edited September 17, 2010 by deluded pom?

[steef]

I think we are only just starting to see the benefit of the cap and probably won't see the full benefit for another decade. The only tweak required for me would be some dipensation for homegrown players. I'd like to see it raised slightly in a few years purely as our players deserve to be much better paid than they are.

[Old Frightful]

I know I'm gonna get flack for this but if the salary cap was enforced strictly, and IMO it doesn't seem to be (alledgedly!), then I think the competition would have evened out a bit more than it has by now.

When I look at certain team's squads, and the way players are attracted to them like wasps to a jampot, I can't help feeling that all is not right in the SL salary cap world.

Some teams have squads almost full of international players. If the salary cap was truly enforced, why don't some of those players earn a better wage being at a club with not so many capped players?

I know folk will say players want to win trophies, but a RL career is a short one and surely they will look for the biggest salary they can obtain.

[1976PMJwires]

I know I'm gonna get flack for this but if the salary cap was enforced strictly, and IMO it doesn't seem to be (alledgedly!), then I think the competition would have evened out a bit more than it has by now.

When I look at certain team's squads, and the way players are attracted to them like wasps to a jampot, I can't help feeling that all is not right in the SL salary cap world.

Some teams have squads almost full of international players. If the salary cap was truly enforced, why don't some of those players earn a better wage being at a club with not so many capped players?

I know folk will say players want to win trophies, but a RL career is a short one and surely they will look for the biggest salary they can obtain.

Spill the beans.... Which club are you thinking about ???

[Old Frightful]

Spill the beans.... Which club are you thinking about ???

More than one mate.

[The Parksider]

I know I'm gonna get flack for this but if the salary cap was enforced strictly, and IMO it doesn't seem to be (alledgedly!), then I think the competition would have evened out a bit more than it has by now.

When I look at certain team's squads, and the way players are attracted to them like wasps to a jampot, I can't help feeling that all is not right in the SL salary cap world.

Some teams have squads almost full of international players. If the salary cap was truly enforced, why don't some of those players earn a better wage being at a club with not so many capped players?

I know folk will say players want to win trophies, but a RL career is a short one and surely they will look for the biggest salary they can obtain.

Great post.

Why would you get flack?

Mason himself was happy to come over and get X pounds as long as it was with a top side who could win things.

I am sure there are plenty of players who would, and have, taken less money to be in a top side.

So the fact is the salary cap is partly defeated by player attitudes.

With as many fans as Wigan through the turnstiles your club shouldn't be picking up also rans.

But give 20 players of various note a choice between Wigan and Hull which would they choose?

[The Parksider]

I thought the whole point of the salary cap was to make super league a much more level playing field, where all the teams have a chance of the title. But to me its done nothing to encourage that as we look like we are heading towards yet another contest in the Grand Final between Leeds and St Helens.

You are right it was to make for an even competition.

However clubs who bring through great young players, or have loyal great old stagers have the edge.

That's Leeds and St.Helens and Wigan.

The problem is that if you haven't got good young players coming through you are at a disadvantage and have to pay top price for established players on the open market. Often some are on their way down.

SL is full of clubs who don't produce many quality youngsters. Leeds, Saints and Wigan do, so they are top.

Fartown and Wire have started to do this so they are following......

The salary Cap is a wonderful thing but cannot work properly until all other factors are even.

Once all clubs have the same quality of junior development coming to fruition then the salary cap will start to work well - like in Australia.

It's a nonsense to me to beef about the salary cap, when the problem is player production.

Until all clubs are bringing through decent young players, the cap is there waiting to do it's full job....

[Bitofaboogie]

The salary cap was never about evening up the competition, the salary cap was never about producing financial stability for clubs and even if it ever was about these two things it has clearly failed miserably on both counts as some clubs are still in the financial mire and we are looking at a Grand Final between then same two clubs for the 4th consecutive season. It is no wonder that the two clubs in question are the two biggest cap abusers and tax dodgers in the league and that close on their heels in both departments is the cup winners for the last two seasons.

The salary cap was only ever about one thing - cutting the ###### off Wigan and so long as it was performing that function there was never going to be any pressure to remove it. Now that Wigan have their cap sorted out, are producing quality young players for fun and are once again threatening to rise to the top then it is no surprise that a debate about the removal of the cap has begun as the club chairmen that have promoted the cap and the RFL officials with whom they have colluded now need to find a new way to keep Wigan away from the trophies.

Rugby League must be a in a very fortunate position indeed at the moment because in the present economic climate it must be the only business in the country that is advocating wage inflation as a response to its consumers having less money available to spend on their product.

[terrywebbisgod]

The salary cap was never about evening up the competition, the salary cap was never about producing financial stability for clubs and even if it ever was about these two things it has clearly failed miserably on both counts as some clubs are still in the financial mire and we are looking at a Grand Final between then same two clubs for the 4th consecutive season. It is no wonder that the two clubs in question are the two biggest cap abusers and tax dodgers in the league and that close on their heels in both departments is the cup winners for the last two seasons.

The salary cap was only ever about one thing - cutting the ###### off Wigan and so long as it was performing that function there was never going to be any pressure to remove it. Now that Wigan have their cap sorted out, are producing quality young players for fun and are once again threatening to rise to the top then it is no surprise that a debate about the removal of the cap has begun as the club chairmen that have promoted the cap and the RFL officials with whom they have colluded now need to find a new way to keep Wigan away from the trophies.

Rugby League must be a in a very fortunate position indeed at the moment because in the present economic climate it must be the only business in the country that is advocating wage inflation as a response to its consumers having less money available to spend on their product.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Can somebody get his medication.

Edited September 18, 2010 by terrywebbisgod

[Wilderspoolmemories]

Lets get rid of it,Warrington are

[1976PMJwires]

Lets get rid of it,Warrington are

[dkw]

The salary cap was only ever about one thing - cutting the ###### off Wigan and so long as it was performing that function there was never going to be any pressure to remove it.

Jesus, do you wear a tin foil hat too?

[Bitofaboogie]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Can somebody get his medication.

Why not try answering the question Terry?

Why would you want to put your wage bill up when your customers are going to have less money to spend on your product in the coming years?

This economic dowturn may take 10-15 years to sort out and once the effect of public sector cuts starts to bite then there is going to be a lot less money available in the economy to spend on anything other than essentials - this is going to be especially true in the North (a.k.a. The RL Heartland.)

I do not agree with the cap and never have agreed with it but the last thing that any business wants to be doing at the moment is increasing its costs and therefore its liklihood to have to borrow.

So why do certain clubs want to scrap the cap all of a sudden?

Could it be that some clubs are now in a position to declare unprecedented profits and want use them?

It couldn't just be good old self interest at work now could it?

I feel the heavy hand of the special relationship at work.

[Bitofaboogie]

Jesus, do you wear a tin foil hat too?

Answer the question.

[dkw]

Answer the question.

Btu surely for what you wrote to be true then Wigan would have had to have been in a superb financial state, and they clearly werent. They had a castle built on sand and all it took was one poor season to see it sink.

[terrywebbisgod]

Why not try answering the question Terry?

Why would you want to put your wage bill up when your customers are going to have less money to spend on your product in the coming years?

This economic dowturn may take 10-15 years to sort out and once the effect of public sector cuts starts to bite then there is going to be a lot less money available in the economy to spend on anything other than essentials - this is going to be especially true in the North (a.k.a. The RL Heartland.)

I do not agree with the cap and never have agreed with it but the last thing that any business wants to be doing at the moment is increasing its costs and therefore its liklihood to have to borrow.

So why do certain clubs want to scrap the cap all of a sudden?

Could it be that some clubs are now in a position to declare unprecedented profits and want use them?

It couldn't just be good old self interest at work now could it?

I feel the heavy hand of the special relationship at work.

Again BOAB do you have EVIDENCE of this so called "special relationship"(not just your paranoid delusions)

The salary was brought in to create a level playing field and not to "cut the ###### off Wigan"who coincidentally have breached the salary cap twice.

I agree that clubs are going to struggle in the current economic climate and your veiled dig at Leeds for wanting the cap removed is as usual pathetic.

Leeds have announced profits and have stated that the profits will go to improve Headingley stadium.Do you have a problem with that.Surely improving the facilities for fans should be a priority for clubs.Any chance to have a dig at Leeds,Saints or Wires though eh.

[Bitofaboogie]

Btu surely for what you wrote to be true then Wigan would have had to have been in a superb financial state, and they clearly werent. They had a castle built on sand and all it took was one poor season to see it sink.

Answer the question.

[Bitofaboogie]

Again BOAB do you have EVIDENCE of this so called "special relationship"(not just your paranoid delusions)

The salary was brought in to create a level playing field and not to "cut the ###### off Wigan"who coincidentally have breached the salary cap twice.

I agree that clubs are going to struggle in the current economic climate and your veiled dig at Leeds for wanting the cap removed is as usual pathetic.

Leeds have announced profits and have stated that the profits will go to improve Headingley stadium.Do you have a problem with that.Surely improving the facilities for fans should be a priority for clubs.Any chance to have a dig at Leeds,Saints or Wires though eh.

Wigan has never broken the salary cap.

So, if clubs are going to struggle in the current economic climate, do you think the cap should stay or go?

[dkw]

Answer the question.

Which question exactly?