I wish I was drunk.......


Anyway, the last bit was purely mocking and was of course not serious. You gotta admit though, the claim that they're going to leave a big space in the cap does kind of contradict the earlier statements that the top players aren't actually on that much

I honestly have no clue on numbers. I wouldn't even have any idea what a decent RL player earns and what a crap one earns. I trust that the cap is being adhered to by at least 12 clubs and slightly question 2 (who I won't name as I wouldn't want to post anything that needed to be removed. Sufficed to say, I don't means Leeds).

Questions of Leeds being over the cap IMO aren't accurate. Yes they have some star names, but they also have a lot of "average joes" so to speak, in the likes of Kirke, Ablett, Ambler etc.

It doesnt have to be enforceable by law. Its an agreement between the clubs and the RFL and is a pre-condition of entry to SL. If Leeds tried to challenge it in a legal sense they would have their franchise withdrawn. This is something all clubs agree to upon gaining their franchises. Its also the reason why its worded as non federation trained / overseas trained etc instead of old kolpak, australian etc wording.

They can get round it the same way that the Premier League are about to do (or so I was recently told).

They don't discriminate against Nationality, they say you need to have so many that were trained in England up to a certain age (i.e. they must have spent 3 years or more at an English club before they were aged 21). That way they're not prejudicing against any nationalities, but are effectively limiting the "journeymen" antipodeans.

That's the way I understand it anyway, I've never actually read the rules or had them explained. Mainly because it all seems way too complicated to be ar5ed with.

you've got it exactly right Dilligaf. Thats exactly the way the quota rules are worded and is the reason they set up like that. It was talked about a lot at the time they came in.
While they might be open to a legal challenge the clubs agree not to challenge them as a condition of their franchises too to prevent them trying to challenge it legally.

Its not though, Wilks, cos he was of course employing irony to the full. In fact, and as you well realise he caught you good and proper with his irrefutable argument. You are normally a slippery one to catch, but even you'd need the mother of all shovels to dig yourself out of that particular hole! And no amount of trying to divert the argument away - one of your standard tactics when found out, as you well know - will make that shovel any bigger!

Anyway, one thing so many of you guys keep forgetting: when most of the longer-serving antipodeans signed, the AUD was around 2.40/£. Now its around 1.60. On top of that, the excessive image rights, EBTs and other devices previously employed (I refer the honourable gentleman to the Leeds Rugby accounts, and in particular the contingent liability note therein) have been very much neutered by the HMRC investigations (something that is regularly referred to in the Oz press). This, plus serious tax increases here, means that your average NRL ocker aspiring to a spot of OE will probably get net little more than half what he might have done a couple of years or so ago.

So SL is far far less attractive financially than it was, especially with mooted big salary cap increases in oz on the horizon. And so you'll almost certainly get far less bang for your bucks with the next generation of imports than you did with the last.

Happy to help.

Yup. Wilks should have known better than to go up against Mat our resident quota expert!

He's not having a good day, is he?

I'm just looking forward to seeing a good game.

You lucky sod!!! BIG jealous now!!!! Whereabouts you going?

Feels like a crossroads. A win in front of a decent crowd would hopefully help reverse the decline in crowds and set up a serious challenge for a top four spot. A defeat would mean we were unlikely to finish above fifth and the floating voters would tag what renaissance there has been as a false dawn.

Week after against Wire on national TV is pretty important as well though. Wake me up when it's all over.

Looking forward to the game on Sunday I reckon Leeds will be favorites but hopefully we will win Im also hoping for a decent crowd I made a point last month about the decline in crowds for these games and with it been a sunday hopefully people will turn up.

It's do or die for both teams mate! both our next 2 game hinge our season! It's not just our game, it's the teams around us too. Then the cup ties which are massive. Leeds could be 4th or 8th come Sunday night! It's massive for the rhinos! Massive.