So just 7 nights to their first SL game. What cap are they going to be operating under? Are they intending to defy the RFL's imposed £1.2M cap? Are the RFL actually going to get a grip?

No, they have known about this for months and in reality it’s gone on for years. Don’t get me wrong I don’t want to see any club go through what they have but like I said it’s been years and some form of punishment should have taken place.

Like you say we are a week away from the start of season and it would be a mockery if anything happened now that would throw the upcoming season into shambles.

Just seen an article where Rowley says he can only pick a team that comes under the restrictions. So this week’s cup game he can’t go above the 1.2 million which he probably would not have done so anyway. But goes on to say he hopes it’s sorted by the time we get to start of the season properly.

If this situation is allowed to fester into their Super League fixtures it will make a mockery of Rugby League in the UK.

Thanks. So any visibility on which squad is registered or can he just pick and mix £1.2m worth from the players under contract? It's a farce.

100% and end of day it’s at the RFL’s door step. They should have enforced the restrictions regardless but it seems they have allowed Salford snowball them with the takeover that’s apparently meant to have been announced this week, yes 1 day to go but I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

Glad the takeover has happened, hopefully they can just crack on with playing now

Agreed, and if it all goes according to plan I think that Salford will be in a good position and the area around the ground will significantly benefit too.

Yes glad it's sorted. So do the RFL now rescind the £1.2M cap they applied and get the £500K advance returned?

Salford played this well in their interests and the RFL let them get away with it causing uncertainty and destabilisation up to 2 days of their first fixture.

So, in a nutshell, in mid-January (i.e., more than three weeks ago), Salford were issued with the reduced sustainability cap and ordered to sell players "without delay" by the Rugby Football League. Salford chose not to do that, but to instead wait for the takeover to be completed, and the RFL basically just climbed down and let them do that. As you say, Salford have played it perfectly, as things have turned out, and for them (and the league as a whole) it seems to be a case of "all's well that ends well". But the RFL's handling of the whole affair has been a mess from start to finish, and doesn't reflect well on them at all. As for your point about the £1.2m cap being rescinded and the £500k advance returned - yes, we have to assume that's what will now happen.

The 1.2 restrictions apply only for this weeks cup game they will be at full cap for 1st league game.

All turned out well in the end I guess. I doubt Salford will need to return the advance, they just won’t get it again when the rest of the clubs do.

Could the RFL have legally been able to enforce the sale of players? I guess the sustainability cap would have forced Salfords hand eventually, but they rode it out and it paid dividends for them.

Just need Cas to get their takeover and stadium plans sorted and the clubs look in a half decent state hopefully - though still heavily dependent on owner finance of course.