"But Wigan chairman Ian Lenagan believes it will eventually benefit the domestic game, and Cooper shares that view, adding that the fact Australian clubs are looking to England to sign players must mean that Super League is in good shape."

GOOD SHAPE..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no.....it means they can find equal quality players to the NRL and pay slightly less for them and the Player still gets more than playing in Super League.......

Its a tough one most of the comp cant afford the current cap. So increasing it for 3/4 teams defies the point of it.

Plus would paying for example Chris Tuscon more money make him a better player? I dont like the cap myself but untill we can make the rest spend the current max is there any real point.

Perhaps the rfl need to look at central contracts or the like but without a strong international game that probably wouldnt work.

First the RFL needs to get it's house in order - free sponsorship of SL -that was blinder! Until the RFL - the top tier of the game and the people "running" the game start to be a darn sight more professional the game will continue to suffer and the endless discussion about the salary cap are just a smokescreen. Central contracts will never work unless they can be funded properly - something I seriously doubt the RFL can do or even consider (unlike the RFU who can and do - or cricket who do this very well).

The game needs to start getting more money in at the top before anything else.

Clubs should also look at maximising their non-game revenue - most clubs own their ground yet these are sitting idle for the vast majority of the time - surely someone should look at investing in putting other non-RL facilities in the areas (betting shops.casinos/shops anything which can bring in revenue at other times - surely this would help clubs grow).

Then when clubs are financially viable can the salary cap be looked at as has already been pointed out only a handful of clubs can even consider spending more -which would make the club scene even more a haves and have nots - we would end up with something like the Scottish premier league.

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“WE have no problem with the salary cap at all,” the Warriors chairman said.

“I don’t think it should go up. I'M perfectly comfortable with it. WE'RE not having a problem with it.

“Why would I want to pay more money than WE are?'"

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.