I dont for a min think central contracts ala RU would work and even if they did your right the rfl would probably cock thqt up to. Dont get me started on the sponsorship i almost had an embolism on the subject last week.

Didnt years ago the rfl give rads and KFC some appearance mony for Gb or something so thy wouldnt sign for RU only for KFC to still not show up for GB?

I dont know what the answer is but they need to get the bread and buttrr vames back to meaning sokething and stop the cheap season tickets as that just devalues the sport.

SC should be 50% of turnover, end of

Those who make more get to spend more. Those who dont, well its their problem

What if SJM Concerts legitimately sponsored Warrington Wolves for £6 million a year? I believe that system has strong merits but it is inherently flawed.

A very good point. Obviously, very tight controls would need to be put in place for things like that

Irrespective of that what is your point?

For IL to say "the CC is working" is both laughable and slightly depressing.

Of course it is "working" for him- he can play at being the chairman of the most famous RL club in the world, face a reduced wage bill, and not face a shortfall in player standards compared other SL clubs.

The fact that the overall standard of RL as a whole will decrease RELATIVE to RU, not necessarily in absolute terms, doesn't seem to bother him.

I have posted a list of names that would never have been in RL if RU hadn't crippled itself with shamateurism. Not only will we never see their modern day equivalents in RL, it is now we that are crippling ourselves with a real terms year on year reduction in the CC.

The Celery Cap?

If we followed the NRL example players like Tuscon would be in the 2nd teir of the minimum wage which was as I said equivalent to £36.7K in 2012. I have just Googled the same for 2013 and its gone up to just over £53K. Quite an increase but it stays the same for the next five years. Looks like the players union who negotiated this are looking after the non-elite players very well from the start of the new cap coming in.

I don't think salraries like that are expensive for playing a sport which is as short term a career as RL. If you get a 10 year career at the top level you have done very well and one of the points made in the recent salary cap negotiations down under was the wages help provide for a player after they have finished playing.



The way to make clubs spend to the cap is simply do as they do in the NRL. Ensure it is covered by a grant which is their equivalent of the Sky money. The likes of Cas are never going to generate enough income off their own bat for the foreseeable future so we either let such clubs drag us down, boot them out or give them enoujgh cash so they can compete. In Oz the entire salary cap is covered by this grant the clubs get from central funds. The grant is $7.1m. That more than covers the $5.85m cap this year. By 2017 their cap will be $7m but the grant remains the same for the next five years as the cap increases to that level. The £53K minimum wage stage the same as well with as I said the big leap in that coming this year.

Now there are no doubt some clubs in the UK that are not as well run as Wigan so some of a grant like that would just be being used to stem losses but there is nothing to stop the RFL insisting on certain levels of financial acumen before they hand out the cash. Unfortunately I see no evidence the RFL can do this based on the fiasco of giving Bradford a franchise only for them to go insolvent and I don't see any moves to get enough cash in the game to compete with the NRL.

That your opinions on any matter regarding IL can't be trusted, because you are ludicrously prejudiced against him, and have been from the get-go.

"Playing at being chairman" - when he has transformed us back into a superpower after years of laughing-stock irrelevance.

'Happy clappers" - anyone who dares to give him credit for these achievements.

You have a palpable dislike of the man, which seems to stem entirely from your outrage that he hasn't waved a magic wand and spun you back to 1986.

Is it really too much to ask that, at some point, you join the 21st century and take a long, hard look at the game's overall financial situation?

It is the incredibly insular people within RL like Ian Lenagan, Gary Hetherington and Adam Pearson that will ultimately be the death of RL in this country.

That article is a complete nonsense, especailly this part:



It's all about what happens at Wigan: that is such a damaging way to look at situations like this.

Take, for example, the youth re-structuring. Hetherington and Lenagan were quite happy for reform because they were happy to take Hunslet and South Wales. That is something that people are now regretting and the RFL did not want. What a stupid decision that was. Pearson was quite happy to save a bit of cash in this area as well and Lee Radford came out and, rightly, criticised the decision of his club the other week.

I understand that a RL owner is going to be looking at the interests of their own club, but surely it is in the interest of Wigan RFC and Leeds Rhinos to have a great competition? Oh, but it's ok at Wigan so Lenangan couldn't give one about anyone else.

I admire the way he has negotiated deals for all your players that have gone, but on crucial decisions on the sports future he has dropped the ball IMO. Their insular views could kill the game. I know we need more money to come into the sport before any rise is viable, but to completely disregard any notion of a rise is down right stupid and comes across quite arrogant.

I don't know McManus' or Moran's view on the salary cap, so any criticism of them is unjustified. However, they were more than happy to oppose the youth re-structuring from the off and that shows that they do not hold the attitudes of Lenagan and Co.

As someone said above, this is what happens when you allow people who have conflicting interests to vote on matters that are crucial to the future of the sport.

I suppose the words "cause and effect" have little meaning to you?

My dislike of IL stems from his actions and manner, this being an example. Predjudice has nothing to do with it.

I suggest you read a dictionary and re-read my comments.