Quote theredshed="theredshed"I'm not exactly sure how this cap system works? Assuming the Doc has agreed a severance package with Hock, would this not count against our salary cap for 2015? If however we have some room for an extra signing, then a hooker has to be the top priority but is there a player currently available better than what we already have?'"
allow me. There are several factors that won't be public knowledge, which means that there's a lot of educated guess work. These are:
1) whether hock took a payoff to walk away from his contract, or, koukash had behavoiur clauses in his contract which gave him grounds to terminate (aka he was sacked)
2) how hocks contract was structured and how this related to his cap value (earnings is not what the cap value is) and how any payoff would compare to his cap value.
The SC has protocols in place to allow clubs to have the option to terminate contracts and protect them from players being irreplaceable - however it is a case by case basis (to stop clubs abusing the rule I guess). If hock was pushed rather than jumped, then Salford have grounds for any layoff costs be counted outside of the cap:
Quote theredshed
(d) A Club may seek prior dispensation in writing to the HSCR to exceed the Aggregate Liability by a specified amount. In making a decision, the HSCR will act reasonably, taking into account one or more of the following factors:
(i) the Club’s Players being unavailable through injury, absence and/or termination,
'"
Meaning that the rfl will write off the termination payoff and Salford will be free to replace his cap value without breaking the SC rules.
However, if they refuse this, (I'm not sure on what grounds, usually they are only refused if the team has been proved to have been in the wrong iirc, so Hock would have to take it to tribunal) or Hock jumped and just took a payoff, then that will be put into the cap calculations.
The simplest (but probably least likely) option is Hock was paid a base salary only, took the rest of the years pay, and walked away from the 2 years after this year he had left iirc. This would be counted on the cap and be equivalent of Hock leaving for free at the end of the year.
More likely, Hock will have bonuses built into his contract, appearances bonus etc, which will affect his cap value. If he accepts his base pay as payoff, then Salford will free up the difference between his cap value and his base value.
In the unlikely event that the payoff includes the remaining years he had left, and the payoff is higher than his cap space for this year, Salford will (probably) be given the option to either take the hit if they still have the space to accommodate the extra cap, or spread the increased cap size between years up to the length of the contract hock would of had, meaning he would count on next years cap for whatever value he was paid/2 etc.
... I think!
Hope I've made some kind of sense
