What can be done to stop it scrap the cap? Then we'll have everyone cry arsing that wigan are winning everything again because we're buying everyone on big wages.

And you have no thoughts on that clubs may well vote that way in their own interests and not that of the game as a whole? This game has been held back by short sighted club chairmen who buy into clubs as a hobby than any real desire for the game as a whole to progress. Mo Lindsay had many failings but lack of vision wasn't one of them. On that score the current lot of chairmen are useless.

It is blindingly obvious those involved in clubs with less money available will prevent those who have it from using it to pay players more cash even if that means the best ones are lost to the game. They do not care if they think it means they have a chance at matching the better clubs.



If you don't see a problem with this you are obviously happy to accept RU can come and pick whichever players it wants whenever it wants from any club it wants. The game can protect itself to a degree over things like this by doing things like tying players to long term deals and [uenforcing the contracts[/u. If we can't or won't do that then that is anarchy.

Except that it will be Wire who try to buy everyone, followed by us, then Leeds and Hull.

Saints would be at the top of the next tier, along with Huddersfield, KR and Catalans.

Then you would probably have everyone else.

So a 3-tier system that would still have pretty much the same top 8 as now. Only RL might actually be able to keep a few top players and even (gods forbid) tempt a few GOOD Aussies and maybe a RU player or 2, rather than leaking the best in the opposite direction(s).

Its not a case of being happy about it its a case that nobody can stop it happening. They cannot enforce players to see out their contracts everyone has the right to buy themselves out of contracts and thats what union is doing. As fans we obviously arent going to be happy that players might or might not be leaving but at the end of the day its peoples lively hoods we are on about, they get paid for doing a job and somebody is offering them a chance of change of career with better incentives and salary. What would anyone else do if someone came to them and said come do this job for me and ill give you double your wages and all these other incentives.

Its certainly an ever increasing problem. Was bad enough when they were pinching players at the end of their careers. Will be a blow for RL if a player of Joels ability is allowed to leave. I've felt for a while that central contracts need be held for the top 25 English players each season - with their additional RFL payments not counting on the cap.

On the other hand, maybe Joel wants to leave. Why spend the next 10 years putting your body through the physical battering of RL when you can lounge around in a RU threequarter line seeing the ball twice a match. More money for a likely longer career - maybe he isn't so daft after all

If the cap was a % of turnover, then it would be Wigan at the top, not Warrington.

Surely the answer to this is that anybody who comes through your own academy and is in your top 25 man squad doesn't count on the salary cap

I think you're right. It would also encourage clubs to bring in more revenue through sponsorship and more emphasis would be put on how clubs market themselves, giving the game more publicity throughout the UK.

Joel is a minor loss to rugby league, he is VASTLY over-rated and I'm sure Wigan have just as good or better second rowers coming through the youth academy.

The loss would obviously be Sam, and something needs to be done. However, quite a few people on here didn't seem so bothered when Eastmond left Saints for union, in fact it was hilarious it seemed. It is that kind of attitude which is driving English RL backwards, we should support our game as a whole before we support our individual clubs.

Even if we don't raise the salary cap, teams who develop their own talent should be rewarded with a percentage of such players' wages not counting towards it.

www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/ ... h-saracens If the salary figures stated in that article are correct, it's no bloody wonder he's tempted to leave.

www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/ ... h-saracens If the salary figures stated in that article are correct, it's no bloody wonder he's tempted to leave.

No they don't have a right. They can ask to leave and be told no. They only have a right if the contract stipulates a get out clause.

If it were that easy there would be no contracts at all and players would swap clubs willy nilly inside the game never mind going to RU. Anti tapping up rules would be unenforceable and as I said it would be anarchy.



Sports contracts are not like normal employment contracts. They do not have notice periods as mine does with my employer. They are fixed term contracts with two parities involved and if one of them does not agree to it being terminated then the fact the player could earn more elsewhere is irrelevant. Joel can ask to leave but IL should tell him to honour his contract. Simple as that really.