Quote: NickyKiss "Do you think SKD would count as a marquee player? I suppose if it comes in you could use it towards whoever you want and who you'd class as 'marquee' but I'd count SKD as more of a good player then an exceptional one and possibly not the type of player I'd expect that allowance to be used on.
I'm thinking this rule is more to try and lure the likes of Thurston, Cameron Smith, Paul Gallen etc over here for a stint. These are guys that could command 300k a year and still not put other players noses out of joint that somebody is getting paid 3 or 4 times more then them. The supposed allowance I'd guess is also to try and get the likes of Sam Tomkins, James Graham and Sam Burgess back in superleague.
I'd say SKD is a realistic signing with or without this new rule.'"
Disagree. And this is the problem with any rule called "marquee exemption". SKD is on around 350k ( after 3rd party addons) and it isn't reasonable for any club on the cap with serious intentions, you simply can't fit a squad around it.
Sam Tomkins will only be affected by this rule for Wigan, similar Graham for Saints and Burgess for Bradford. Whilst it's looking like that's great for Wigan, Graham has been over there slightly longer, and embedded himself as one of the worlds top players. He's tied into a 4 year contract, that even if we were to match, still probably wouldn't be enough to convince him back over. There's as much an issue of glamour in our competition as there is money. I've said it for a couple of years now, you can't convince the top class of Aussie players over whilst their media refer to us as a feeder competition. Going after the 30+ has beens won't change that, as much as the "name" appeals right now.
Whilst I agree we could have been more ambitious on the topic, and this is what I'd call a "toe dip" into the rule, it is a freebie for us, as Roby probably already qualifies for the homegrown exemption. If more ambitious options become available, we're looking for 200 k out of our current cap, and with Masoe, Hohaia, Wellens ooc who are all big earners, I dont think its too unreasonable to say we'd find it,
Also, SKD in the Saints team last night and we'd of won imo. We didn't have a game breaker and he's capable of that. That's what you want to say about potential signings!