We also know that the kids starting to play the game do so because they enjoy it, and because they wish to emulate their heroes at whatever club they support.

Or maybe they stumble across it, and curiosity drives them to try it out.

The idea that there's a load of 7 year olds out there with calculators mulling over the implications of the salary cap is laughable.

Which leaves established athletes who might be tempted to join in; unless they're top level athletes, football or RU players, they'll make more money as a SL standard RL player than they will professionally plying their trade in their current sport.

And I don't see many top level track and field suddenly deciding to play RL instead of whatever they're doing. Even if they did, there's no guarantee they'll be any better than what you have in your academy who play for buttons.



We also know that RU had more British players and a higher profile when it was technically amateur. Bang goes the vast majority of your "more dosh" argument.

There were more British players in the top flight when footballers were paid far less than now. Bang goes the vast majority of your "more British players" argument.

Amateur athletes like boxers and runners etc can be every bit as fit as pro RL players. It's certainly possible to be that fit on less money if you want to. Bang goes the vast majority of your "fitness" argument.



He made the choice to play RL, it's hardly come as a surprise to him that he's suddenly out there on a RL pitch getting battered around.



[iMaybe?[/i

so your little diatribe comes down to a maybe about one player?

Big boys who had to sell their stadium to ease the financial burden? Jog on pie man.

But the league isn't just made up of "Big Boys" is it? Look at Wigan when they were successful, they won everything for such a long time, but managed to bring the club to its knees financially. The cap is needed to keep thgame stable.

Exactly, and the club has lost players for that reason.

The choice to the player is simple. You can accept what Leeds will offer you, factoring in your own personal (family, career prospects, etc) or you can seek more money elsewhere, such as at Wigan, where your career will stagnate due to poor coaching and incompetent management.

Isn't that right Mr Calderwood?

And Kenny, your claim that the Grand Final "didn't feature the best players" on the basis that they aren't the best paid is an absolute nonsense.

Assuming your ideal scenario of each club spending all they can afford on salaries (not sure why you want clubs to overpay players but lets assume they do so to their spending capacity). Then there is a vast difference in the spending by each club in SL. From that we get a vast difference in the quality of each team in SL. This results in the vast majority of matches being completely uncompetitive, spectators deserting the sport in their droves, followed closely by sponsors, advertisers, TV companies and all the money they bring. Result: players not being paid at all. And that's the best possible outcome.

Ahh the irony.


You do actually realise what has happened to the CC in recent years don't you?

If the reason for the CC was to preserve clubs financially (about the only part of the CC I can see a possible value in), then you would have a % based cap, not a "hard" cap.

It's only a competition on the pitch; off the pitch it's very much a partnership. The clubs need the other clubs to survive.

Would you be happy with a two team free market Mega League, containing only Leeds and Wigan? Or would the rest of us be expected to play amongst ourselves and provide cannonfodder for the big two, like in the good old days?

You might say that the cap rewards mediocrity, but removing it isn't going to see loads of new cash flowing into the game. In fact, I suspect the opposite will be true, it'll be less competitive and interest will fall. Clubs can then be allowed to fail and we can all watch the Warriors and Rhinos for ever. A bright future indeed.

and some are just talented athletes we give a shot to, and a career to



good job no one has put this idea forward then isnt it


or if their a top level sprinter,

but you are forgetting the youngsters who play RU and RL as youngsters, and go on to choose RU, the ones who play football and RL and choose to earn more as a 3rd division football player than an England international RL player

the kids who at 14/15 are playing 3 or 4 different sports and see a better career in pretty much all of them to RL




well why bother even paying them at all,

did it? you may want to check that out, you will be surprised

there are however, more british players playing at a higher level than when they were paid far less than they are now, they are also a lot better players, and more of them



nobody has said he is surprised, simply that you cant blame him for earning more money in a short career where he will likely be battered

That is the whole point , everybody has that choice , the choice is if you want to play RL then your wage will be limited , if you want to earn more , go and do something else

You argue long and hard about other things that are for the ' good of the sport ' , the salary cap is there for the good of the sport , just as franchising is there for the good of the sport , unfortunatley you want your cake and eat it

Re-read my post.


I said that the fact you had those players on display in the GF was more to do with players accepting wages that were below market value. If the players didn't make this concession (and frankly why should they be asked to?) then the quality of the final would have been lower.

no better management was

Is it?

Long term it isn't, as it can only deter people from taking up/continuing with the game.


The CC was also brought in to protect clubs from going bust. It was NOTHING to do with "protecting the sport" or "Levelling the playing field".

That was added later by the appropriately named red hall.

so its good we have a strange inverse relationship between success and reward?


no, it didnt feature the best players because the best athletes in this country dont play RL, and the best RL players in the world arent in SL

What's the CC? Are you getting confused with the Challenge Cup? Wigan haven't won that for years. Salary Cap - SC.

HTH