This is the best compromise, but I think 5 may be too high. Our domestic soccer league has a system which allows for 2 players to count for a modest hit against the cap, but they can be paid whatever amount in reality. It helps the teams who can afford big players and yet the clubs who choose not to go that route often remain competitive. It's a good balance, I think.

Exactly. Union are having the same trouble that League is having ie loads of good forwards but very little class in the way of backs. Why else are Union clubs poaching League backs? It's because they're having trouble developing their own. So instead of going looking for big names to throw cash at, why not pump that money into something more long term worthwhile?

Say several national Academy of Excellence style structures to help nurture and develop a bigger player pool?

Clubs want to spend more money on players. That's fine if there's enough quality to go round. But at the moment in this country there isn't.

Exactly. Just because players get paid more doesn't make them better.

I remember when Kevin Penny came through there were RU clubs after him and Warrington gave him a good deal to keep him in rugby league. You can bet if we hadn't come up with the goods to keep him everyone would have been saying it was a crying shame for the game to lose possibly the greatest talent since Offiah to have come out of rugby league, and that the money spent bringing a 30 odd year old Chris Hicks would have been better invested in Penny.

I think Manchester City show why salary caps are needed

I like to think of it like F1. If the cars werent restricted by rules then Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull would be even more dominant than they already are as their money, which already funds far superior development anyway, would put them miles in front of all the other cars on the grid because they financially cannot keep up and require the help of the restrictions to stay moderately competitive.

For example:
British GP 2011
Gap between 1st and 19th (lowest placed finisher after retirements) 3 laps
British GP 1992 (some restrictions in place but not to the level of now) 1st and 16th gap was 4 laps

Now I know that might not sound a lot but 1 lap is HUGE in F1 so to have made it that much more competitive is exactly what the FIA are after.

And this is what the RFL are after but these things take time. Once the lower teams start to learn from the higher, richer teams how to develop cars/players depending on the sport then the sport will become closer.

I think the next step forward is to restrict the number of outside players allowed in a team not just foreign players for example I will use Wigan vs Wire (only other team I know about really)
Using the teams used in the last game between the 2 last season:

Warrington:
Riley -Academy
J Monaghan,- Overseas
Bridge - Bradford
Atkins - Wakefield
King - Overseas
Briers - Saints
Myler - Widnes
Morley - Lets just say elsewhere
M Monaghan - Overseas
Carvell - Again just elsewhere
Anderson - Overseas
Grix - Halifax
Cooper - Academy

Replacements:
Harrison - Academy
Clarke - Wigan
Mitchell - Academy
Blythe - Academy

Just 4 players that were grown by Wire themselves. However I think if they are there as long as Briers and Clarke was then maybe they should be allowed to be counted in the academy figure.

Wigan:
S Tomkins - Academy
Charnley - Academy
J Tomkins - Academy
Carmont - Overseas
Richards -Overseas
Deacon - Bradford
Finch - Oversea
Coley - Salford
Leuluai - Overseas/Quins
Lima - Overseas
Hansen - Overseas BUT our academy trained. There are arguments over this but if Man Utd bring a Welshman through their academy is he not Man Utd Academy trained? (Giggs )
Hoffman - Overseas
O'Loughlin - Academy

Replacements:
McIlorum - Academy
Prescott - Academy
Farrell - Academy
Hock - Academy


The reason, like I stated above, I chose Wire was because I know a little about their team and alot more compared to others in the league, for example picking on Hull or Hudds wouldve been better but wouldve required more research haha.

Anyway the point is that the sport requires time to develop Wigan have developed that team over many years Wire are only just now starting to build a team based on their own talent which is why they must buy in so many other players because their own are simply not ready yet or they simply havent learnt enough yet on running their academy/scouting in the same way Wigan can.

I know for a fact that my brothers friend is in the current crop of Wire youngsters (17 atm) and hes going to be a good player and theres better because I've seen it. Not meaning to compliment another team but Wire have big times ahead in their forwards if they nurture these guys properly. Wigan have known how to do this for years, as has Leeds and Saints and its the rest of the leagues time to start catch up and for me limiting the number of non-academy players in a team (in a 25 man squad) would be the best step to take rather than a salary cap. I think the salary cap should only be a last resort. Imagine a league where noone ever lost players to union or NRL. Imagine a league where Saints still had Graham and Eastmond. Wigan still had Ashton and the other youngsters from a couple years back like Thornley.

The kids are the future. NOT the salary cap.

Yes.

Other clubs have had long enough to sort themselves out finacially. If others clubs bring more money in then they should be entitled to spend more.