Seriously...I understand that you dislike the licence/franchise situation and the way in which the RFL are running the game in general, but are you seriously suggesting that players were selected for the academy squad on anything other than merit
Are you hinting that our player was only selected because he's from London and it makes the RFL feel all warm and fuzzy when they seem to have done something right?

I would say that the squad that was assembled for this series was the best available........unless you can prove otherwise

yes, Hull KR as a club were given a special dispensation that applied only to them, cas and catalans were also given a dispensation, Cas is no longer relevant, and as far as i am aware Les Catalans is still in place, but it is different.

That is only what i have argued. That Hull KR's special dispensation means that at the time the rules changed, they had more overseas players than the rules allowed, in effect giving them a dispensation from the rules as they are now in all but name.

I'm not sure how important the dispensation was in getting us to the current situation, tbh.

In 2008 you were allowed 10 non-fed and we had 11 foreigners at any one time (Dobson coming in after James Webster was released). I think Vella might already have become non-quota (Maltese) and fed-trained (here for 2007 - before that deadline was subsequently extended for a year). I'm not sure. Fisher maybe too.

In 2009 the quota fell to 8. And yes, Aizue, Gene and Lovegrove did get (initially club-specific) exemptions. With Crossman leaving, we were possibly technically a couple of spots under quota! Those exemptions ceased to be club-specific or even necessary as the rules 'evolved'. Gene and Aizue are gone, so the only remaining benefit we feel is that we were able to retain Lovegrove who qualifies as club-trained, as currently defined. A bridging exemption, as it were.

The universal 'by-2008' change made Aizue and Gene's club-specific exemptions redundant and later led to Galea and Newton qualifying as fed-trained. Hull KR ultimately benefitted from this more than most, but it wasn't club-specific and those players were free to take their exemptions with them to other teams. We were lucky that of our recruits for 2008 Newton and Galea were 'hits' and eligible for EU passports, no doubt about that.

The one place I think we might have had an advantage over other clubs in 2008 is in the number of 'old quota' players we could include in our 2008 10 non-fed. For most clubs it was 5 and 5. James Webster (later replaced by Dobson), Jake Webster, Crossman, Galea and Fitzhenry were 5. Not sure whether Newton initially non-quota non-fed (Kolpak equivalent) - but I don't see why not as his mother is English iirc.

You have missed a little out, because the club specific exemption was superseded by the universal exemption. This is where Hull KR were still receiving the benefit of the exemption.

Had they not been in receipt of the club specific exemption, they would have had fewer players eligible for the universal exemption.

Gene, Aizue and Lovegrove. For 2 of those the residual benefits have passed. Lovegrove I accept. If it had come down to it, we'd have released Gene and Aizue rather than Galea and Newton - contracts and importance to the team indicate that pretty clearly.

Beyond that, if you look at the numbers it isn't easy to see where we used a bigger quota than the normal rules allowed.

2008player exemptions for Vella and/or Fisher.
2009club-specific exemptions for Hull KR were either not huge or not fully used, and have mostly now lapsed.

from 2009 you havent been under, still over, but having players exempted because you received dispensation in 2008.

Had you not had that exemption then you would have had at least one overseas player every year after. I doubt there was 'likely' player exemptions otherwise why ask for the dispensation?

Only if you look at it as foreigners, rather than fed-trained as the rule is/was applied. The temporary exceptions of Gene, Aizue and Lovegrove apart, as discussed above.




Well Crossman's departure wasn't planned for - he had another year on his contract. When Aizue and Gene each got an extra year we didn't know that Crossman was going, iirc. Lovegrove's dispensation made him 'club-trained' so may have been as much about meeting that minimum as getting under the non-fed maximum.
Exemption may be a poor choice of words for Vella's situation - once he got his Maltese passport he was off-quota and fed/non-fed hadn't started. Never known what the deal with Fisher is - my guess is that it is similar.

If Rovers club exemptions did extend beyond Gene, Aizue and Lovegrove, it isn't clear to me how and so it is difficult to assess its impact. Could Wood have been referring to a dispensation on the old quota during our first season in 2007?

what would be the point of looking at it any other way? HKA's attempts at circumventing the quota dont justify or mitigate it.

Nobody other then you seems to care Sad Act.