So is this the first season where we see the intended effect of the Salary Cap? So many games that can’t be called, a real squeeze at the top which I can’t remember ever seeing this far into a season. Leigh doing fantastically well based on recruitment of some expensive players and some not so expensive (their reserve team perhaps belongs on a different topic).
Wakefield who we all assume are nowhere near Salary Cap limit well adrift.
All makes for an interesting 2nd “stanza” as a certain bald commentator used to say.

Wire are somewhat short of full cap, as are Salford.

I hope so, but it might just be a coincidence. I doubt many would put a lot of money against 2 of St Helens, Wigan and Leeds being in the final and even less on one of those three winning it.

If the same happens next year and the year after, then yes we can then say it is probably down to the salary cap.

In our case not deliberately

But both are top 4 and Wire have been full cap and struggled. So could argue it doesn’t work.

Who would know who has spent what in relation to the cap, with any certainty?

I think the salary cap is having an obvious effect, but I think it's also that the quality of the squads are worsening at the top end of the table and so causing a concertina effect with the mid table sides.

I mean, look at how well Leigh are doing. A squad made up of a lot of journeymen/has beens & a sp sprinkling of decent talent are suddenly looking like a serious contender for Old Trafford - Now that would be great for the game to see a new name there, pushing for honours, but when you compare it to the NRL (sorry, we have to go there), it's a bit embarrassing, as that Leigh side (& most of SL) wouldn't get within 20 pts of one of their sides.

Of course, Saints fans will bring up the WCC, but that's a glorified exhibition. Nearly every SL side playing week in, week out, in the NRL over a 30-35 game season, would finish bottom - Saints would finish maybe bottom 4, the rest would struggle to win a game.

So, overall, we have to ask, is the almost deliberate ploy of bringing down the quality of SL, in order to create a level competition, actually a good thing or something that, in the long term, will terminally wound the sport in the UK?

Yes, when you think that squads as strong as the Eels and the Roosters are struggling to get in the top 8, you know how deep the quality of the comp is.

I think comparisons with the NRL are pointless. It is like comparing Australian football teams v Premiership. Yes it’s the same game but fishing in different pools due to the money available.
I think the rugby being played at present by a number of teams is exciting to watch which hasn’t always been the case. Young British talent is coming through, so what more do we want?
Heaven forbid we go down the RU club route of spending beyond our means and the game goes down the pan.

Their league structure is heavily different to SL and very reliant upon the top 8.

Many clubs play each other only once, so the placings are lob sided and not really talked about as a factor of prominence on Fox.
Hence imo any team in the top half of their league would absolutely thrash the best of us by midseason.

rubber duckie..... Not entirely correct about the NRL but I get what you're trying to say. This is the structure of their league games
Each team plays each other throughout the season, playing 9 teams twice and the remaining 6 teams just once.
As someone else said comparing Super League to NRL is complete waste of time. In fact comparing Rugby league in the 2 counties is pointless as totally different structures

Seeing as "never the twain shall meet" is there any reason to worry about comparisons between SL & NRL? What is more important is to provide watchable, exciting,entertaining rugby even though it probably will never compare with NRL standards.

No it's certainly not working........ It has dragged the quality at the top closer to the bottom rather than the other way around.

I've mentioned this every time in a salary cap post 1.6m from 1996 following inflation is 3.3m today.so we've lost over 1.5m of quality from every team in the league that's huge literally a whole other squad ! I don't think many people comprehend what damage the cap not following inflation has had. That's approx 5.5m ausd so comparative to what they are able to spend a lot closer.

We have a backwards logic that we cannot increase the cap because some clubs may not be able to spent to the cap that is just such a stupid logic and holds us back as a sport.

The cap needs to be a target for clubs to aspire to reach and put in work for too long that have had an easy life with sky basically paying the wages so I do think a lot of clubs have just become lazy in respect to increasing revenue by drawing in new fans rather than squeezing more from the existing ones.

The cap hinders serious investors into the sport, why would I invest in super League over football? Ryan Reynolds has invested in Wrexham he is significantly richer than Simon Moran and his money almost certainly could buy a title in rugby league which is what I want as an investor either financial returns or success preferably both. But he cannot do that in super League can he ?

RR : hey I've just bought Castleford tigers....I want to get them winning the grand final...

Advisor: ok that's great, what do you want me to do ?

RR Well look into rugby find out who are the best clubs why they are the best clubs and where we can get the best players from

Advisor hey Ryan, ok so it looks quite easy, as the players don't really get paid a lot of money compared to footballers, basically there 3 clubs in the league st Helens Wigan and Leeds there used to be another but that's another story they win the league every year and the other cup is mainly them with a few other teams winning it. It looks like they produce the best players and keep those with the other players going to the other clubs or down a league and because they are the only clubs to have won the league most of the best players go to them because they would be most likely to win it Also there is a league in Australia that takes a lot of the best players too as it's seen as the better league to be in.

RR ok this sounds like it will be easy I want to go and get the best players from both leagues in my team, go and see how much money it will cost and I'll write the cheque


Advisor: ahhh no Ryan you cannot do that you are only allowed to spend 2m on players wages a season.

RR what !!! That explains why only a few clubs are winning the league ok as an other plan find me a buyer for the club.

I agree with the view the salary cap as it is now detrimental to the game. However, looking on the bright side for the RFL, the Disciplinary has done an excellent job for them in making it a more balanced league. They've also raised quite a bit of money on the side. Funny what was a 2 match ban for a high tackle a while ago does not even get a mention in the minutes this week.

It's interesting to compare that of Rugby Union, currently £5m, which didn't work out too well for three of their clubs.