What exemptions do you think homegrown players have? The only allowance home grown players have is a one time “home grown player allowance” which counts for £5,000 pa for up to 10 players (up to a total of 10 players). The 10 players don’t need to all be at the club and can be playing in the UK, France or Australia for the club to maintain the benefit.

There was a period where Lomax was on a central contract along with a couple of others but I thought that stopped a while back?

You can argue that they’re on cheaper contracts due to being homegrown rather than being bought in, but that’s about it. The marquee rule is the only benefit now to recognise home grown; which is why the new rules ultimately won’t work; yes it may allow clubs to protect one junior from being poached; but what happens when the next one comes off the production line? Anything to help the clubs deal with poaching needed to be across multiple home grown players (for example by increasing the minimum earning threshold before being counted on the cap for young/ homegrown players way more significantly; whilst the 30k is a move in the right direction, NRL clubs can offer 80k as their minimum contract without blinking so there’s still a huge discrepancy. Allowing teams to have the first 50k would be a better step).

As for Saints specifically, our youth development seems a little odd at the moment. We seem to be incredible at developing spine players and props (watch out for Roberts, Robertson and Whitby in the halves in the near future; the latter of which has been compared favourably to Dodd, and similarly Delaney, Stephans and Cowen are all tipped to follow the likes of Thompson and Lees) but can’t seem to bring through an outside back or backrower for love nor money at the moment. Maybe it is luck (all youth development is to a certain extent) but there also seems to be a pattern.

I’d say Holdroyd / Newman. Both are going to be the best in SL and NRL worthy

Luke Brooks being linked with us again.

The new marquee rule might make it more viable?

Harry Newman is not the hot property most are making him out to be and I’m starting to doubt a top club would risk offering a big contract.

If he went to the NRL/RU right now he'd have clauses letting them stop paying if he got injured. No way would they take a risk on a long-term deal, as no insurer would cover it.

What Sts have shown (and Leeds before) is that if you get the core of the team right, and its competitive every year, then a bunch of other players will stick around for a bit less than they could earn elsewhere. Some will chase the cash in the short-term, but more than people might expect would be willing to earn a bit less and win things. Its not life-changing money in RL regardless of the team you play for.

Wests want to keep him now, I think.

Given whose available, I'd definitely take Brooks. Decent age, and doesn't seem to be injury prone, and better than what we currently have.

Sheens has said he wants to offer him a contract. How much that contract will be worth and for how long are the crucial questions. Suspect Leeds would be prepared to offer him more over a three/four year period.

We have to sign top quality and 1 and 7,if we don't it's another year like this.
A good Centre or winger too and maybe more if Bentley and/or Lisone go to Aus

This whole marquee thing is a farce and we should be scrapping it, rather than increasing it. Back to set salary cap, and that’s it. We have no players who should be marquee, and none moving forward. I’m finding it a bit annoying how some players are so over rated on here, and others given most harsh criticism. Let’s look at what players actually offer, how many minutes they play, rather than just perpetual potential!

The cap The salary cap spend amount hasn't changed its still £2.1m

I agree, but raise the cap to 4 million or 60/40 of gross turn over.