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The RFL need Ian Schubert


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After we now have yet another Wigan-Warrington final, it's clear the talent equalisation resulting from the salary cap simply isn't working. In 20+ years of Super League we have still only had 4 teams win the trophy. As a comparison, in the same timeframe the NRL has had 12 and the EPL has even had 5 (with no salary cap).

It's getting dull seeing the same teams always winning and a majority of other clubs seemingly nowhere near winning. Small clubs are still 'selling' players to bigger clubs and are not getting better. This is all in a supposedly 'even' comp where they are all supposed to spend the same amount on players.

We shouldn't scrap the cap, as we will end up with an even more skewed league and interest waning further. We just need the cap to be more heavily enforced.

Enter Ian Schubert. This guy spent more than a decade policing the Salary Cap in the NRL and did it well, ensuring a more even league where any team can win. He was ruthless at times (see Melbourne Storm), but that is what the Super League needs. Imagine a league where clubs like Widnes, Wakefield and Castleford are a genuine chance of winning the Grand Final. That's not achievable without an effective salary cap being policed right - including making all transfer payments and club-arranged third party deals part of the cap spend.

Rebuke: 'This would punish richer teams by not allowing them to spend?' Correct, but the RFL need to agree on a SC figure that is achievable for all teams and ensure not only that they are not overspending, but also not underspending. If a club can't afford the cap, the shouldn't be allowed in Super League.

In a short time, we will see many more names on the SL trophy, which should be a big aim of the RFL. So RFL, get on the phone and bring Mr Schubert on board.

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I think that is a very general, sweeping assumption you have made GC. Some clubs in recent history have spent to the cap and still finished bottom end of the table.

I agree that the same champions over and over again is detrimental to the sport, however I wouldn't necessarily be levelling accusations that the salary cap is mainly responsible...

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No one needs Ian "Roosters" Schubert, After watching SL for years now it's become obvious Wigan, Leeds, St Helens and Warrington (And once Bradford) dominate because they produce junior talent who add depth to there first grade teams where other clubs do not.

 

NRL should scrap the salary cap I'm sick of the lets give everyone a go comp, Let the cream rise to the top I say.

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NRL should scrap the salary cap I'm sick of the lets give everyone a go comp, Let the cream rise to the top I say.

thats an easy thing to say with the backers Souths have today. I suspect your opinions would have been a little more to the left in the late 90s.
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What annoys me is when clubs like Wakefield and Castleford don't copy the professionalism that clubs like Leeds, Warrington, Saints and Wigan.

For example theres a trailer with stickers falling off advertising Wakefield vs Cas from 4 years ago on the A61 in Lofthouse. All that says to me is that the club is unprofessional and promotes a poor image.

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It's more to do with the pool of players we don't have compared to the other sports.

Agreed. Talented and motivated players in any sport want to win trophies and will gravitate to clubs where they think this will happen. As we only have a limited number that meet those criteria then they will go to the few clubs that have the loot to attract them. How we get over this when there's A.N. Other game that can offer the chance to kids of possibly getting over £100k a week just for kicking a ball round a grass rectangle for 90 minutes is the real problem.

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It's more to do with the pool of players we don't have compared to the other sports.

It is more to do with coaching and the quality of that coaching. The only country better resourced is Australia, but New Zealand with no domestic competition of note has consistently outperformed English RL in terms of bringing through players given the resources they have. 

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It is more to do with coaching and the quality of that coaching. The only country better resourced is Australia, but New Zealand with no domestic competition of note has consistently outperformed English RL in terms of bringing through players given the resources they have. 

 

Most of the Kiwi players are  brought through are by Australian NRL Clubs.

The Kiwis can not get their one NRL Club consistent and performing to its potential.

Talent is secondary to whether players are confident.

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The clubs that have been successful over the last decade or so are the ones with solid infrastructure, a heavily invested youth system and have spent money on facilities and forward planning. 

 

It is not a co-incidence and means you get 30 players capable of playing SL yet you have only to bring in 15 as opposed to clubs that don't bother with any of these spending the whole pot on 20-25 imported salaries. 

 

People ask why Saints keep staying near the top despite struggling. Well they send their academy on overseas tours and make them squad ready for starters.

 

The rest of the clubs live hand to mouth. Leigh have come into SL with no academy system and the side that drops out may well bin their infrastructure and academy. The money is just wasted on short-termism.

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Leigh have said they are reinstating the academy after closing it down to spend their resources on team building/improving, perhaps you could term their wasted short-termism as a calculated risk that if successful would award them with enough money from the central fund to finance the academy again.

"If Rugby League had never been Invented, today we would only have Rugby League"

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Leigh have said they are reinstating the academy after closing it down to spend their resources on team building/improving, perhaps you could term their wasted short-termism as a calculated risk that if successful would award them with enough money from the central fund to finance the academy again.

 

Yes but this is to the question why the same clubs always contest the GFs and the answer is they look long term. Leigh didn't look long term - that was my point.

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Most of the Kiwi players are  brought through are by Australian NRL Clubs.

The Kiwis can not get their one NRL Club consistent and performing to its potential.

Where did most of those players learn to play RL ? They were actively picked up by NRL clubs because of their ability to play RL. By the logic of "the numbers" only a few KIwis would be playing for NRL clubs. The issue of the warriors is not related of the Kiwi system being unable to develop players. The point still stands the biggest impact on the quality of players produced is mostly dictated by motivation of the players and the standard of coaching. Motivation is quite clearly not an issue but the standard of coaching is way below the standard found in NZ.

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With most teams now spending full cap, the idea that the only thing holding us back from a more equal competition is a more rigorous enforcement of that cap is misguided. The salary cap might be equal for all clubs but what you get for the cap certainly isn't. Players aren't entirely mercenary and the market isn't an entirely free one. In the next few weeks, Zak Hardaker will be fielding offers. Let's say Leigh offer him £160k a year, Warrington £130k and Wigan £120k. Which club would he sign for? The fact is the big clubs get more, in some cases a lot more, bang for their buck.

 

This is, in theory, a bit of a chicken/egg issue but all the off-field advantages Leeds and Wigan etc have are structural to the degree that they are almost always likely to be challenging at the top.

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Where did most of those players learn to play RL ? They were actively picked up by NRL clubs because of their ability to play RL. By the logic of "the numbers" only a few KIwis would be playing for NRL clubs. The issue of the warriors is not related of the Kiwi system being unable to develop players. The point still stands the biggest impact on the quality of players produced is mostly dictated by motivation of the players and the standard of coaching. Motivation is quite clearly not an issue but the standard of coaching is way below the standard found in NZ.

I was always under the impression that many of the Kiwis were brought through the Australian School system as they had immigrated to Oz as kids or often Rugby Union players in NZ that had been scouted by Oz league scouts.

How many Schools in NZ play our code?

Talent is secondary to whether players are confident.

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With most teams now spending full cap, the idea that the only thing holding us back from a more equal competition is a more rigorous enforcement of that cap is misguided. The salary cap might be equal for all clubs but what you get for the cap certainly isn't. Players aren't entirely mercenary and the market isn't an entirely free one. In the next few weeks, Zak Hardaker will be fielding offers. Let's say Leigh offer him £160k a year, Warrington £130k and Wigan £120k. Which club would he sign for? The fact is the big clubs get more, in some cases a lot more, bang for their buck.

 

This is, in theory, a bit of a chicken/egg issue but all the off-field advantages Leeds and Wigan etc have are structural to the degree that they are almost always likely to be challenging at the top.

The theory that players are motivated by ££££££ is vital to the success of the SC. in theory, if Hardaker wants to go back to Leeds, they may be only able to pay him say, £100k (because they have a strong squad to maintain), so theoretically a club like Wakefield may be able to afford to offer him £300k as they have a weaker overall squad.

But it doesn't seem to work that way as he'll still seem to earn more going to Leeds.

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It's catch 2-2 in SL.

For sake of making a point and in no way to be used as likely figures, Hardaker can command £100k at Leeds, Wigan, Saints and Warrington because they have a more professional set up to support him as a professional player and a higher likelihood of achieving success.

Alternatively he can command £150k at Widnes who have now reduced their cap by an extra £50k than the big four would have. Hardaker receives montary compensation for joining a club with a lesser setup and less likelihood of succeeding in the near future. Now Widnes are even more reliant on him be successful and injury free in order to compete, being less money available to buy other key players....

The NRL have more options than the salary cap to neutralise the competition than are currently available in the SL. In most part, they have a shorter competition which is not a full home and away system. In the NRL, the premiers and top clubs from the previous season usually play more stronger teams twice than weaker teams.

This is significant in equalising the competition.

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Agree, yet another Wigan-Warrington final. After one in 2013 and before that a cup final in.. 1990.

Yes, how tedious.

I can confirm 30+ less sales for Scotland vs Italy at Workington, after this afternoons test purchase for the Tonga match, £7.50 is extremely reasonable, however a £2.50 'delivery' fee for a walk in purchase is beyond taking the mickey, good luck with that, it's cheaper on the telly.

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It's tedious watching Wigan beat Wire in finals :tongue:

I agree with that, I'm only old enough to have seen it once and it was more than enough.

I can confirm 30+ less sales for Scotland vs Italy at Workington, after this afternoons test purchase for the Tonga match, £7.50 is extremely reasonable, however a £2.50 'delivery' fee for a walk in purchase is beyond taking the mickey, good luck with that, it's cheaper on the telly.

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No one needs Ian "Roosters" Schubert, After watching SL for years now it's become obvious Wigan, Leeds, St Helens and Warrington (And once Bradford) dominate because they produce junior talent who add depth to there first grade teams where other clubs do not.

 

NRL should scrap the salary cap I'm sick of the lets give everyone a go comp, Let the cream rise to the top I say.

Certain clubs need to wake up to the benefits of Junior development

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