Quote JEAN CAPDOUZE="JEAN CAPDOUZE"Former Australian international Israel Folau, now 23, has left the AFL after 2 years struggling to perform at the sport. He is likely to join the NRL, where Parramatta is very keen to sign him. www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... 28myq.html Why have Super League clubs Leeds been so slow to react on this matter? '" they were'nt slow to react...infact by the time super league clubs went bed on wednesday night and woke up thursday morning everything had already happened......trust me i followed it live as it happened while listening to sydney radio station 2gb while at work GWS AFL club announced a press conference.. izzy announced his "shock retirement" immediately linked with parramatta... all that was by 2am to 4am our time.....i even thought,like you have....leeds are after a centre..... but theres nowt they could have done as it all broke while they where asleep lol

Quote JEAN CAPDOUZE="JEAN CAPDOUZE"Former Australian international Israel Folau, now 23, has left the AFL after 2 years struggling to perform at the sport. He is likely to join the NRL, where Parramatta is very keen to sign him. www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... 28myq.html Why have Super League clubs Leeds been so slow to react on this matter? '" they were'nt slow to react...infact by the time super league clubs went bed on wednesday night and woke up thursday morning everything had already happened......trust me i followed it live as it happened while listening to sydney radio station 2gb while at work GWS AFL club announced a press conference.. izzy announced his "shock retirement" immediately linked with parramatta... all that was by 2am to 4am our time.....i even thought,like you have....leeds are after a centre..... but theres nowt they could have done as it all broke while they where asleep lol

Super league has bigger problems than not been linked to Folau.

European RL hasn't had any of the best talent from the SH for a long time, I don't understand why anyone would think that now of all times (NRL getting much richer) would signal a change.

Agreed Bovrick.
Very few of the top Stars have played in Super League in their prime at their best.
You can count them on a couple of fingers.

Cap, exchange rate, closing of tax loopholes. SL can't compete for decent NRL players anymore.

Next years NRL salary cap will be 3.2million pounds

Who are we kidding? Really? Issy was earning AUS$1 million a year playing AFL and he was absolutely terrible at it. It was a ploy by the AFL to try and get more backsides on plastics. They were/are on a massive charm offensive at the moment with trying to get people interested. AFL has a few little problems going on at the moment and their boss is coming under a bit of scrutiny. They are playing a game at the Oval this weekend (i think) and that hasnt really caught any interest whatsoever.

SL clubs were never going to be in for Issy. Parramatta have been nudging him all along and offering him buckets and buckets of cash. Something that they might not really be able to afford. Origin will have been a big factor too. The NRL would have to implode for anyone like Folau to even consider Super League. I cant remember the last time a player of Folau's calibre was in Super League. Lyon maybe? But maybe he didnt even have the all round game that Issy has.

I just think its good to have players like him and (less so) SBW back in Rugby League.

It is not a problem with English or french players going to the NRL they can always be replaced by the next genaration while the International side benefits from a greater pool of players (every English/Frenchman in the NRL is one less place for an Aussie) & let Aussie TV pay our top players.
The only thing I agree with you is that we should have another french team in super league but not by throwing away any that are already there.
If France is so full of cash that they can pay above the current cap then form your own league & invite Leeds Hull & Wigan as well as the London clubs to join you. It is the same old drivel people who dont have the money telling others how to spend money they dont have. To Quote Mr Heatherington "to make a small fortune at rugby you start with a large one".

Perhaps, if this trend continues for a few years, it will be possible to build an England team composed largely of NRL players. This should mean that England are eventually able to compete with Australia (as NZ do), at least to the extent that we are capable of winning the odd one-off series. When this happens, it will be a shot in the arm to the game in the UK, raising its profile and levels of support, and thus turnover and income.

Perhaps things just have to get worse before they get better. But we need to make sure UK talent leaving SL is going to the NRL and not Union.

I think not being able to afford these players COULD be a great thong for British RL, if and its quite a big if, the money is spent on home grown talent rather than below average NRL players who get signed just because the have a high rising terminal in their accent.

A fellow beliver? Let the Aussies pay the big money we get well prepared English players, English lads get a chance to earn good money, they free up more places in super league clubs, they stay in the game & we have fewer places for Aussies in the NRL. Its win win win.

Who replaces the best british players who are now moving to Australia? And how do the young British players improve playing in SL when the standard of SL drops because all the best players are playing in the NRL?

I can't see how the standard of super league will drop if teams start promoting more youth players and stop signing second, third rate aussies, Let players like Hock, , go to NRL it is only good for British game and he will come back a better player in 3 - 4 years time. And some more exciting youth players can come through to take their place.