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I'd rather they voted in the club trained exemptions than the marquee signing exemption - but the op makes it sound like it's happening ... Just strange no one else on rlfans has picked up on it!

Wigan were allowed to do this with Farrell and the full back with the polish name that escapes me and it was a failure.
Instead of contemplating this we should be properly enforcing the salary cap and keeping Koukash et al in their place.
I think Koukash has been a breath of fresh air and his investment is most welcome but, in the interests of the game as a whole, I will always support a rigid salary cap.

Dr NoClass is probably in favour of this because his view is that money, specifically spending it like water, is the panaecea to all of Salford's, Rugby League's and life's ills.

In terms of British Rugby League, he's already made several marquee signings in Hock, Chase & Morley and his team are still languishing in relegation positions. I'd have thought this might join a few synapses in his brain but apparently not.

Personally, I think several people running RL clubs would very quickly sell the family silver to sign a top player in the hope of recouping the money via a CC win or GF appearence, and manage to plunge their clubs into greater financial strife than they do now, even with a cap on spending.

Besides, in a marquee system with clubs spending substantial monies on big names the likes of Chris Hill might never get their chance ............. and where would that leave the British game?

Greg Inglis. [iThe[/i best!

I don't get this at all. Looking at a number of clubs they have not got a pot to to do there business in so where is the cash to support these here to day gone tomorrow marque signings who will no doubt leave these clubs in a bigger financial mess than they are in now.

If there is money washing around why not just increase the salary cap?

No doubt these top players would be available to the clubs who could afford them while the clubs who can't afford them fall further behind. Hardly likely to provide a more competitive league where any team can beat any other as in the Utopian circles of the NRL . Stick with the kids & build on the academy system & one day we may get an international team to rival our chums from Down Under.

It was voted out that should be the end of it. The last government elections were close but we didn't get another chance. But its the RFL and just because it was a close one they all get to vote again ???....and since when has the Doc been in charge of the RFL........??

I dont think its the right thing to do...

short term it ill be great to see sonny Bill turn his back on union and play in front of 5,000 at Salford on a rainy night in March saying it was always his dream to play there...but realistically it will kill off the clubs that gamble without having a rich benefactor.

They will now be back to gambling on finances they don't have to avoid relegation, and add to that they can now also gamble on a huge wage in the hope of winning something.

with this stupid division splitting thing its not inconceivable that a team with a top notch former NRL player on big money could be playing in the second tier at the end of the season. how is that good for the club that paid for him and the clubs playing against them with a considerably weaker squad.

Its not a great idea .....

This is the problem with RL. It's not about making the game more attractive to future investors or sponsors! No it's how are the clubs with no money going to get on! I'll tell you! Exactly the same as they are now. Don't kid yourself that Superleague is even an competitive because it isn't. Only 4 clubs can win the GF anyway so nothing will change, it will just give the league a higher profile! And maybe make another club able to challenge.

And by the way it's the RFL that wants this. This isn't koukash's idea! The has been in the pipe line for the RFL for some time.

It's ok for Warrington, saints, wigan, Leeds to keep saying young is the answer. It is! but Sport is a results business. Do you think a new Koukash would come in you said to him "come to RL and wait 5/6 years before being able to compete! But at least you'll have a home grown squad!" No I don't think so! The clubs above have had 20 years to prefect there academy's with there money and resources.

a) there are 6 teams at the moment (one of which definitely wouldn't want the introduction of marquee players) all within a hairs breath at the top of the league - 6 teams all have a chance of GF appearances, atm theres no clear standout - that's more than we've ever had at this stage in memory

b) encouraging sustainable growth can only be a good thing - marquee signings will only lead to more boom or bust cycles which drags the name of the sport through mud because for every great player signed using this rule, a club with over reach and lead to 1000 fun story headlines about yet another club in rl going bust. For further details, see Bradford bulls circa 2005.

c) Saying the bottom clubs are going no where is a fallacy. (Dangerous example on the Warrington board) look at the slow but steady progress widnes are making, only signing 1 top quality player a year, bringing kids through, and moving up the table as a result. Clubs can still bust themselves with only the cap, adding in exemptions will only make that worse.

d) Salford fans were saying that super league won't be competitive this year because with all their high profile signings they'll run away with it - surely that in itself shows a competitive league. Whilst were not bottom one year top the next like the NRL is, we were slowly getting that way thanks to licensing, unfortunately, that's all been thrown out and were gonna be starting again...

E) we should focus on keeping the best stars we currently have, before trying to take stars from the nrl

Edit: btw, I'm not necessarily against a marquee exemption (though I'd like the rfl to have some ruling on who counts as a marquee) but it annoys me when people use the argument "look at my wonderful idea p, anyone who disagrees is backwards and holding the sport back and blah blah blah" (which is something koukash does a lot btw) - there are 2 reasoned sides to every argument

But out of 96 teams is it, in the football league there are only 3 or 4 teams with a realistic shout of winning the league. That is why there are watered down Euro competitions to give the also rans a chance of Euro glory....& that is in a competition littered with foreign players on mega bucks who have helped to out price football in terms of many man in the street supporters. Rupert Murdoch loves it !

Ironic that the season in which franchising seems to have almost balanced out the teams that it will be its last.