Oh just to add; I'm not condoning the SC as an excuse for losing. It wouldnt have helped but the Aussies are just better than the Brits atm simple as. Wigans team is young though they will get more chances. I even think Carmont will based on last nights performance!

what do you mean, theyve been spending that extra anyway!

what would be the point in raising a cap, to the point where only 2 or maybe 3 teams could spend??? clubs struggle enough as it is. like it or not we are a 3rd world game, and unfortunately, unless the smaller clubs raise their game and attendances, fan base etc, this will always be the case! the clubs that could spend up to that increased cap would be outstanding and leave the rest in their dust, which in the end kills the game as everyone would just go "oh one of those three teams will win it all again".

Oh for a young Maurice Lindsay to pick up the game and give it a good shake.

Like in the soccer Premiership you mean?

yeah mate, exactly like that!

as rugby league fans its great to see teams go out and upset the opposition, and that wont happen if the lower clubs are struggling and getting rid of their better players to the bigger teams! or if the bigger teams are spending even more money than they can already!

So in theory what you are saying is "we must stop the bigger clubs improving because the smaller clubs won't keep up" in my opinion we should be saying "this is what you can be if you get your act together" You have to encourage growth not complacency.

The franchise system for me has created more of a mess than the salary cap. For example forcing a club to move to a new ground to stay in the league just means they'll spend more money than they've got trying to get a new ground. There are no enforced restrictions on that spending. Whereas saying "to stay in the league you need to maintain an average crowd of X thousand, or show an increase per year of X%" would mean the club would spend money on a good marketing team to bring in bigger crowds. As bigger crowds leads to bigger revenues, we'll eventually be in a position to say "right, all these clubs are generating £XXX of net income, therefore we can increase the salary cap to cater for inflation and match offers that Rugby Union and the NRL are throwing at our best talent"

Or who knows, maybe the clubs would spend their money improving training facilities and stuff in order to improve their teams that way? I mean, who wants to sit in a fancy pants new stadium when the quality of rugby is poor? Creating a franchise system that says "if you aren't in a stadium that costs millions to build and will probably bankrupt you we'll kick you out" is a bit daft when the RFL is saying "ooh hold on, you can't spend that much money on your squad or you'll get yourself in financial difficulties"

no not at all mate, i agree! but im saying if you do it now, then they will never catch up.

the franchising system has shown the teams exactly that, how they need to perform like top teams on and off the field! it needs to be given time and then we can start saying okay, now is the time to up the salary cap a little more!

Raising the cap at this time wouldnt work for numerous reasons all of which have been mentioned. The idea of homegrown players wages not fully counting is the best one I have heard. We don't want to be in a position where the rich clubs can splash the cash and take all the best players off the poorer teams but they should be able to keep the ones that they have developed from being kids and be rewarded for having a successful youth development system. I had this discussion at the time of the Melbourne storm salary cap row last year as most of their big earners were developed from their youth team, yet were punished for paying them what they were worth or would have lost them.

But that's happening already, the cap doesn't stop it. Quins lost LMS and Sharp, Cas lost Shenton & Westerman, Wakey lost half their squad, Catalans lost Elima as well as a load back to OZ, Bradford have lost most of their Burgesses, Salford lost Myler (after Widnes lost him first!), the list just goes on and on.

The only reason there aren't more of them moving up is that the bigger teams now mostly produce their own youngsters, and don't need to sign them from lower clubs - nothing to do with the salary cap.

The reason the NRL has a vastly greater salary cap: www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... 1a8uw.html

The reason the NRL has a vastly greater salary cap: www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/leag ... 1a8uw.html

Cas sold Westerman for a huge sum of money.

Apologies. I read the OP's figures as AUD and not Pounds Sterling