Quote: Standee "me too, we can't continue to give work a day imports inflated contracts, if we want the game to grow, we need to promote from within.'"
It depends what you mean by 'workaday', 'inflated' and 'grow', but I think there's a tendency in SL to compare 'average Aussies' with 'promising young Bristish talent with lots of potential', holding overseas players to different, higher standards. If they're on higher wages, fair enough to an extent, but I want players picked on what they do rather than where they're from. The reverse and equally unfair spin would be players 'who've come through the best system in the World and competed in the best club competition' against 'raw, inexperienced kids'. Our young players and sometimes those not so young get away with a 'done nowt wrong', where an import would get a 'done nowt'.
While SL is skint it is probably moot, but a protectionist, Bristish is best, even when it clearly isn't, attitude... well it is a recipe for mediocrity. [iOur[/i mediocrity at least, and I can live with that, I just can't be bothered to lie to myself about it.
Markets need regulation, but there is a balance. We do need to give young players more chances, but we also need them to be challenged to grow.