Quote: Sal Paradise "WThe sport is in a catch 22 position it needs money to attract better players but it needs better players to attract the money. One thing is certain unless things improve on the field the financial status of the game will continue to decline.'"
The only thing I'd add to that is that the sport needs money to attract better players to clubs other than the usual suspects (ie the five teams who you can even now predict will be in the playoffs).
Its absolutely pointless to let the usual suspects sign the best players with this "wishlist" of more money, if this wishlist came true then you need central contracts and players allocated to the clubs who DON'T regularly make the playoffs, however that would need a massive change in the way that club owners and more especially supporters cling to their own club interests - very few people in and out of the game have the actual concept of professional rugby league at heart, I'm convinced that most of what is now down to a hardcore of club supporters are quite happy to see their own team walk all over opposition teams by 50 points every week - its extremely short sighted.