we need to stop the loss of quality players and fast, the rfl dont seem the slightest bit bothered about it or doing anything to resolve it. everytime one of these players leave the quality of the competition drops making it harder the sport to grow. the only quick fix solution i can think of is to get rid of the salary cap.

now i have always been in favour of the salary cap as it meant a more competitive league, however at this point in time i think there is 4/5 maybe even 6 clubs who could compete with some of the offers from the NRL/RFU. the likes of warrington, wigan, leeds, saints, hull, maybe even huddersfield and catalan and of course salford could finaincially compete with some of these offers, were they allowed to.

at the moment we have wigan warrington leeds saints huddersfield catalan hull and now salford who have the potential to contend for trophys. the rest are below that, and yes removing the salary cap would probably widen the gap for the short term. just think if these clubs were able to retain the quality players, plus have the oppurtunity to bring more in, the game would be a more attractive product, hence more income if the rfl manage it right. also a more appealing game could see more wealthy owners come into the game and buy a smaller club such as castleford for a small price and then turn them into contenders, eventually we could have just as close a league as we have now but with all the quality still there but a higher quality, more exposed product.

this isnt solely about sam burgess apparently leaving, but it has made it more urgent. when you consider the players who have left, or who will probably leave if things carry on, your looking at a list that could consist of hall, charnley, watkins, ratchford, lomax, lineham, the list goes on. imagine when we reach the point and all these exciting talents are no longer here? the game will be on its knees. the rfl need to find more ways to increase revenue instead of giving themselves a pat on the back for getting a small time energy firm to sponsor the top league. that should not be an achievement. they need to act fast.

lets look at tomkins for example, top player for wigan, if he could of got the same money at wigan would he have left? maybe for the challenge of more top opposition, but if we had clubs allowed to spend we could bring that talent here. at the end of the day its a short career and money is essential in life, any player would be stupid to turn it down, which is why we should allow clubs to match it.

Players are not going to the NRL for money. They are going to test themslves in a better competition. If we want to keep them out of the NRL we need to strengthen SL.
Players go to Union for the money and the UK wide sports publicity. Half of Union supporters won't have heard of Sam Burgess but once he goes to Bath he will be the most talked about and watched rugby player in the UK.
Separate situations and different problems.
At this stage I'm not sure our game has the resources to counter and stop either trend.
The salary cap whether there or not won't stop it happening.
The first and foremost reason for the salary cap was to stop clubs going bust.
Shows how ineffective the SC has been!

Of course money is a major factor with them going to the NRL. Say if Sam Burgess was being paid more in Super League than in the NRL would he be playing for the bunnies now ? I don't think so.

The cap needs to be removed for the sake of the sport in this country end of. Until that is so, the sport will continue to hit a brick wall time and time again.

The problem with the whole "scrap the salary cap" argument is that it assumes that all players are motivated by money.

Let's not forget that Sydney offers a bloody nice lifestyle for guys in their early-mid 20s.

There needs to concerted effort to improve the the product and improve the marketing of the product. When that happens, we'll see bigger crowds, better crowds, stronger commercial revenue, a product that broadcasters will be fighting over and a league that elite players will want to be a part of. That will mean that those players that are motivated by cash can be accomodated, whilst we have a stronger competition for those players looking for more of a challenge.

Unfortunately, that relies on two things that we don't have in British RL - long-term ambition and a desire to drive standards upwards, not downwards.

Even if we scrapped the salary cap we still can't compete with the salary RU can offer, and we can't compete with the lifestyle Australia can offer. The only option we have is to produce more players and to improve the quality of the competition at all levels. There is no quick fix

I think people really underestimate the money and where it comes from.


Lets assume you scrap the Salary cap and Warrington buy the best 13 in world RL.

How many more fans will it bring in and for how long. 1K, 2K maybe even 5K.
But after a while those top players will become the norm and those fans pulled in by a few names will drift.

In the end spending money on the top top players is not going to bring in enough revenue at the top SL clubs to cover the cost.

At a club further down the pecking order where the fan base is lower. The effect would be much greater. But still I think the cost would not be recovered for the expense needed.

We need to grow revenues to compete.

The NRL did not panic when SL and RU could buy more of their players. They imposed a cap and financial restraint with the aim of improving balance sheets. Once the balance sheets are better, you are then on a better footing to start challenging other competitions.

What we need are clubs aimed at improving revenue and controlling costs. Warrington are a great example in that they could probably make more money without a RL team than with it.

13 home game even 20 home game a year with 10k in attendance is not enough for clubs to push forwards.

We need clubs that are better at marketing, better at sales, better as corporate clients and better at off-field activities.

Once clubs are generating profits off their own backs, then the SKY money becomes a real bonus as opposed to the current necessity for clubs to survive.

I'm not a fan of the cap, but I am a fan of financial probity. I'm not sure how you could work it, but a breakeven cap has to be the target. If chairmen want to put more money in above that, then fair enough, but it has to be real capital investment and not club loans. Which in the end just defer the debt to future years once the stars have left leaving a club bankrupt.

In the end though we need to generate money as the money in Union comes from area's that we currently can't tap.

ie Twickenham selling out internationals 5- 10 times every year + sponsorship for that ,being fed down to the union clubs.

On a club basis we compare favourably, but the big international money is where we lose out and Union have progressed ahead.

I don't remember hacking your account but judging by the outstanding post above I did....sorry!

It's not just RL that relies far to heavily on TV cash, but professional RL would certainly die a death if the TV money wasn't there.
Simply put, more fans = more ticketed revenue, more residual revenue (shop/bar), more interest from corporates, more interest from sponsors and more exposure. Start with getting more people to come to games......sticking posts in the ground and announcing KO times isn't marketing and NEITHER IS DISCOUNTING TICKETS!

It is no secret that the clubs in SL that in the least financial mire are the ones who have built their supporter base as a foundation for building a business.........it is also no surprise to see the connection between financial struggles and the foot of the table both on and off the field!

Jean - Rugby League (especially in this country) cannot compete with Rugby Union. It's as simple as that. It's not defeatist. It's just reality. There just isn't the money in Rugby League. Sure - you could go on a massive expansion drive and set up "pop up" clubs in fanciful areas. You'll be pi55ing in the wind. And yes, I know the earth isn't flat and we've invented the wheel. I get that. Stop bleating and make the best of what we have with the LIMITED resources we have.

I agree about acceptance, but not passive acceptance!
Melbourne Storm are a good example of how a games governing body and premier competition, in conjunction with major media partners, can establish a professional sports club in a new region with a view to it being close to self sufficient within 2 decades. It takes hard work and a lot of investment and then an awful lot more hard work, as well as total transparency as to the funding model being used.

If you want to see how not to do it, check out the rabble squatting at the Hive this year

People have always moved jobs for money and prospects.

Why does anyone think this is any different?

People change clubs for more money and prospects.

The game carries on.

The Union player drain is simple.. internationals! We need more internationals on the BBC and to be played in big stadiums, your Wembleys, Old Traffords, Etihads etc. I believe England will be on the BBC until 2017, which is excellent, but we're not sure what the venues will be like. The RFL should be looking into the next home Four Nations right away, get booking out the big venues. The RFL should look into teaming up with a marketing or PR company to help boost the sport's and top names' profiles.

As for the NRL, it's not such a big problem to me, as it least it's still RL, even though the rules seem to be completely different over there. I don't mind having a few over there, as it will give the English players a different environment and mindset, but I don't want all the superstars to leave otherwise it could end up like the NBA or something, where all the top names are in one country.

yes lets remove the salary cap so 4-5 teams can continue to dominate over the poor sides at will find their level or we could do as been mention about the marque signings being exempt and funded separately, then that way at least all clubs can get a chance depending on their ability to raise interest on the player

Like that young Kyle Eastmond chap, splendid talent and setting the the RU world ablaze..........

Seriously though RU and salary caps have their own issues like Welsh players moving to france en mass and the WRU centrally signing the national captain with the intention of him being loaned out. Forgetting of course there is not actually an agreement between the regions to do this.

I think things do need to change as for how ditching the cap is not a great way to go. Central contracts are an option though i'm not a fan.

Perhaps an IPL style auction

They are.....what are the home international fixtures for 2014?
Signing up to show internationals on FTA is only really worth while if you're going to then have some international RL matches to show.....and 7am on a Sunday morning isn't exactly what you'd expect to be the only games on offer