For those like me who were always wary of the cap at its introduction, it has failed spectacularly.
It has failed to stop clubs going broke. From Oldham Bears in 1997 to Rochdale a few weeks ago clubs have gone broke. That was the reason it was introduced and it has failed.
Then in came the numpties trying to establish a "level playing field". All this rubbish in persuit of the unattainable cliche!
There's no level playing field in life and there will never be one in Rugby League. After 12 years are Castleford & Wakey as good as Leeds or Saints? Wire have officially spent the same on the cap as Leeds or Saints, we know who are the top two teams and who are the rest.
The "level playing field" has failed.
What is succeeded in doing is lowering the numbers and standards of players in Super Dooper League.
Our England team wasn't a team full of International Quality players. They played like journeymen when faced with the sports very best.
England's finest were humiliated.
And what have the RFL had to say about it? Nothing at all!
They are responsible as they reduced the numbers playing at the top level in this country. The salary cap means you can't pay players and the 20/20/25 meant that a club couldn't have them in numbers.
With only 20 per first team squad no club or coach could take a chance on fielding youngsters when they could buy a journeyman Aussie who wouldn't make the mistakes young players make.
I never, ever, agreed with that but that's what happened with the cap and 20/20. It was also designed to do that specifically by the SL clubs and the RFL.
We should now be on a massive programme of expansion of players numbers for the next world cup in 2013 so we don't get a repitition. Are we? No chance! the SL clubs and RFL will not remove the restrictions they have in place to stop player development. Not at any price!
It's not on their agenda!

If they could get the amounts sorted I think that would be a good idea

1 idea would be for a player who comes up through a clubs academy set up, to say have say 20% of their salary excluded from the cap for the 1st 5 years that they are a 1st team squad member. Then say between 5 and 10 years at the club, they get 35% of their salary excluded from the cap, and then 10 years plus 50% of their salary excluded.
This would then encourage clubs to not only be pro active in developing their own players, but to also keep hold of the players they produce long term, and it would probably have the effect of reducing foreign players without the clubs being forced to cut foreigners and then look for loopholes to still bring them over.

Yes he was. Sam Tomkins agent is the same as Chris Ashtons.

Oh great

So 8 pages and still no idea if there is any truth in this??

It looks like Sam is now a regular first team player a Wigan Be good to see him get 80 tomorrow EVENING.

Since when have facts got in the way of an opportunity for yet another embarrassing salary cap rant on this board?

See mt post on previous page

What embarassing salary cap rant?

They werent last Sunday, I was there, And they reacted terribly to the Good Hiding they got!

Maybe it was the Leeds UTD element? Maybe it was because they didn't like getting a good hiding on a World Wide Stage but there were fights galore (I saw 4!).
My Eldest was verbally abused in the Toilets at half time (He's 10 and the bloke was mid/late 30's) by a Leeds Fan because he was wearing his Manly Shirt!
He was with his older cousin who gave this bloke some stick back though!

They are certainly Fast becoming the Paralell of the Saints fans and before anyone else says it some of the Wigan fans of the 80's & 90's!

Unfortunately, when a team 'becomes good', their crowd increases because lots of hangers-on want to bask in the spotlight. While on one hand this is a good thing because it means an attenance improvement, on the other it also means there'll be a lot more dick'eds knocking around. Wigan certainly had this problem in the 90s, Saints have had it on and off (but only in cup finals, LOL), and Leeds have it now. In fact, Leeds are the best example I've seen of it in RL. During their last two visits to the JJB, I've seen incidents of sporadic violence, which is something I never used to associate with their club, and all caused by brainless tw0ts who looked like they'd walked straight out of The Football Factory.