challenge cup?

Tommy doesn't count because he played x years in the u.k. before he was 21.

The salary cap is a good thing as it always has been but the same as it has been for the past few years it's too low imo. The game is getting faster and tougher as the players get bigger and fitter yet the squads are too small and not many sides can afford to carry much more then 16 or 17 experienced pro's in their sides.

It's forcing teams to play kids which is good but sometimes they aren't quite ready imo. It is also forcing teams hands when handing out contracts to young players and they can't afford to pay lads what they deserve. I really think we risk losing guys like Eastmond to Union because they just can't earn the money their talents deserve in rugby league.

Still can't see a downside for salary cap incentives to develop and include academy players in a first team squad.

The quota coming down is fantastic and that along with a slightly increased salary cap would make the game look very healthy.

We'd have a mostly British core to the sides and they'd be able to bring the very best overseas players in possible aswell as pay all the British lads what they deserve.

What do you mean by slight increase in the cap? If you wanted to add £10K to the average wage of the 25 players wages that's £250,000 and would put the cap to £1.9m. Make it a more worthwhile £20K average rise and you are talking of adding £500,000 to the cap taking it to £2.15m.

I don't think a cap of around £2m is unreasonable but any increase at all will get voted down as would any idea of a 50% rule or any form or any exception for home grown players etc simply because too many clubs could not pay out what these changes would demand.

That is why a salary [ifloor[/i should be introduced that all clubs must be able to pay to and actually pay to. If the cap were increased to £2m and the floor was 90% of that then it would require all clubs to pay out £1.8m in wages - the original level the flat rate cap was set at back in 2002, eight seasons ago.

If all clubs could do that and did then there would be a level playing field as £200K is not going to make a huge difference and really would be there for bonus payments for winning teams not basic wages anyway.

If after eight seasons some clubs still can't afford to pay out £1.8m in wages questions need to be asked IMO. All the franchise points for geographic location, good facilities, playing success and so on smack of a head in the sand approach when the first test any club should have to pass is it's ability to pay out to the cap level IMO.

Dave