Could there be some sort of exemption for players from 'emerging nations' to be incorporated into the salary caps? Maybe 2 per club?

For instance, players from Italy, Russia, Lebanon, Greece, Ukraine, Malta become exempt.

I've not included France in that list as that would obviously decimate Les Catalan, nor Ireland, Wales or Scotland as we'd get a load of players with long lost great grandparents.


This experiment by Warrington goes to show that there are the 'athletes' out there, and if they had access to decent coaching / playing standard from an earlier age, they could've had a better shot at making it.

It would obviously not pay dividends right away, but if clubs had that incentive of the exemption, they ould bring a player over at 18, invest time in their coaching, and hopefully after 2-4 years exposure to that coaching and playing with 'home' players, they'd be ready.

There are plenty of examples where players have come to rugby league 'late' and still managed to make it, Konrad Hurrell is a perfect example.

I'd have a two player cap exemption for any players signed from developing nations. Criteria
Must have a passport for that country
Must be eligible to play for that countries national team
Must not have played SL or NRL previously

It would be great for the game if we could have exemptions for players from emerging countries - however I would like to see it as country of birth, not where there parents came from!

I wonder how these got on? www.rlef.eu.com/serbia/news/arti ... e-and-hull www.hullkr.tv/?v=428&view=free

I wonder how these got on? www.rlef.eu.com/serbia/news/arti ... e-and-hull www.hullkr.tv/?v=428&view=free

Quote: Easty "I wonder how these got on? www.rlef.eu.com/european_shield/ ... LE00000547

Quote: Easty "I wonder how these got on? www.rlef.eu.com/european_shield/ ... LE00000547

This^^^

Given the sprinting abilities of the Caribbean Islands you'd think there would be some potential over there?

Right now it would be a stretch to find 60 players from emerging nations - that's two per NRL and ESL club - but it won't be long with the number of PNG, Fijian and others starting to emerge.
I can see Italian, American, Canadian, Serbian, Lebanese and Russian players filling these quotas, but at the moment the largest numbers would come from PNG and Fiji.

You could find 60 20 year old png problems with real potential alone. Throw in Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga, USA and Wales and it wouldn't be hard.

I would hope that every club that takes 2 players from developing nations would take 2 from the same country, as happened with the Serbs at Warrington. That way it will diminish to some degree the impact of loneliness and homesickness.

I remember when Wests Tigers had a Russian RL player on their books for a few months. Short stay and i'm sure he learnt a lot. www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Wes ... 12753.html

I remember when Wests Tigers had a Russian RL player on their books for a few months. Short stay and i'm sure he learnt a lot. www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Wes ... 12753.html

a fast player's not good unless he's been playing good level rugby since a relatively young age. Being an athlete alone is generally over-rated in RL in this country. Countless London juniors have come through as the next big thing based on speed (Caro, Worrincey....) and turned out to be fairly poor RL players. If you haven't got a football brain and an RL heart you have no chance.

We had a Serbian at Wakefield - Liam Higgins

True but speed and physique and get them early enough and you have a new talent pool of speedy wingers. Identify at 16 , get them in an elite training program in their country and take the best 18 year olds into SL and NRL systems.

Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, Konrad Hurrell came to RL quite late, as did Tom Lineham at Hull.

Both are terrific athletes who are still learning the basics of the game in reality.