IL says NO to raising the salary cap!!!

[Kittwazzer]

All valid points and I agree with them. But they are observations and opinions, not solutions.

Dave is wanting a substantial increase of money into our game from TV. How do we make that happen? And I say again, the increase in NRL salary cap and TV money has largely resulted in existing stars getting paid more.

[keptinthedarkfans]

Have to say this is one of the best debated posts I have read on here with all having good valid points.As a sceptic when the cap was intruduced believing if you had the money you should be able to spend it.As time has gone on this has been blown out of the water with teams spending money they did not have ending up taking the game back in years Bradford are the perfect example.And Wigan and other teams breaking the cap to gain advantage in playing staff.When IL came in his ideas seemed barmy but has times gone on he is proving that with the right youth team infurstucture English Rl can flourish even without any salary cap let alone raising it.I am and always will be an advocate of home grown talent even if this means loosing some for short periods to Australia they will come back with the knowledge and skills that will someday make us the envy of RL.

[Wigan_forever1985]

I read these as Dave O's solutions

The fact the likes of Cas can't pay to the current cap never mind an increased one isn't the point. The NRL clubs could not pay these sorts of wages off their own bat either. They can only do so because of the grant they get. Where does that come from? TV rights. So I'd be far happier if IL was going on about the review he mentioned looking into maximising revenue with a view to giving all clubs the ability to compete on wages rather than adopting what is a small business mentality of trying to run a sports team off a set of balanced books.

We don't have to match it $ for $ IMO. We do have to improve the financial attractiveness of our sport or it will gradually cease to be a pro sport at all IMO. It will revert to a semi pro status as players will have to take up 2nd jobs if the cap doesn't increase.

If RU can negotiate a £152m deal over four years for a sport with lower Sky TV ratings than RL we ought to be working toward a similar goal not as I believe IL is doing just engaging in a damage limitation exercise and saying we don't need to pay more.

IL's stance means a lower standard of player in SL and at Wigan. Some will say that is inevitable given the strength of the NRL and RU but bowing to the seemingly inevitable isn't IL's job IMO. Instead of thinking he can put a side together within the confines of the current cap that is good enough and asking the question why raise it, it should be obvious something needs to be done to address the problem.

The sport never is going to attract increased TV money and sponsorship if it is perceived as a 2nd rate competition.

Lest people forget when RL hit its all time low between 1978 and 1982, the number of quality youngsters coming into RL had hit an all time low. Even WiganRLFC his skid row.

The youngs professionals playing our game now were attracted by fantastic RL teams like Wigan and players like Ellery, Andy Farrell and so forth.

As a parent would you steer your son towards RL with deteriorating pay or cash rich sports like football. The only positive and it is something teachers in Wigan have always said, it is easier to make it in RL than other sports BUT is it worth it? I have known both sides of the coin, Wiganers that became pro footballers not to any amazing standard and Wiganers who became world class RL players. The pro footballers earned far far more for far far less talent and blood&sweat.IL tells aspiring young Wiganers when they want a decent contract that they should be satisfied because they are 'living the dream'

You are dead right with this CP, i know a footballer a goal keeper to be precise who is playing currently in league 2, so 3 tiers down from the top comp, and he has just signed a new deal for 80k a year. I doubt many superleague players can match that

[Owd Codger]

If anyone believes that our game is going to attract maga bucks television contracts on the strength of having a higher salary cap when many club's in the Super League cannot afford the existing one, they are sadly mistaken.

Where finance is concerned, all has gone downhill in our game since 1996 when the rival code of Union went professional.

The way thing's are going, will the Super League go back to being a part time professional game?

[josie andrews]

Warrington's Brett Hodgson opposes salary cap increase

Warrington's Brett Hodgson believes a Super League salary cap increase would not stop players leaving for Australia's National Rugby League.

Wolves prop Mike Cooper became the latest Englishman to agree a transfer to the NRL earlier this week.
Super League's salary cap of £1.8m is around half that of the NRL.

But Hodgson BBC Radio Merseyside: "I don't think the game or the economy [in England] can sustain a salary cap increase at the moment."

Cooper will join St George Illawarra at the end of the season, while Wigan and England duo Lee Mossop and Gareth Hock will link up with Parramatta Eels.

Salford City Reds owner Dr Marwan Koukash has stated his intention to speak with the Rugby Football League about an increase, in an attempt to prevent the stars of Super League leaving the domestic game.


But with the salary cap in Australia presently standing at around £3.8m and set to rise further in the next few years, Hodgson thinks any attempts to compete financially with the NRL could prove futile.

The 35-year-old full-back, who played for Parramatta and Wests Tigers before moving to Super League in 2009, continued: "For a young English kid who you take a risk on, you can probably get them cheaper than a similar talented player in Australia.

"I'm sure 'Coops' is probably getting a little bit more than what he's on here, but at the same time, he's probably getting less than what they would pay an Australian.

"For the players that want to go over there, there's nothing you can do to stop it. It doesn't matter how much you want to pay them - if that's what they aim to achieve in their career, it's going to be difficult. I don't think there's a lot the RFL can do in terms of keeping players here.

"I'm sure he [Koukash] would want to spend as much as he can to make a very competitive side [at Salford] but the way the climate is at the moment I'm not sure too many clubs could afford it."

Meanwhile, Warrington's veteran half-back Lee Briers scored a try for Championship side Swinton as he returned from a three-month injury absence on Thursday.
The Lions beat Whitehaven 30-24 at Leigh Sports Village.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/22385110?

[Kittwazzer]

"I'm sure 'Coops' is probably getting a little bit more than what he's on here, but at the same time, he's probably getting less than what they would pay an Australian.

Interesting comment. Are Aussie clubs now targeting SL because they can get away with paying them less than an Aussie lad would expect? If so, this opens up an entirely new argument!

[jobo]

Koukash has blown it wide open. He said he's going to break the salary cap by using methods other clubs use.

He also said the cap has to go if SL is ever going to be a major player.

I agree. IL might be spot on with most things but he along with other luditish owners need to wake up on this issue and stop rolling over.

[jobo]

"I'm sure 'Coops' is probably getting a little bit more than what he's on here, but at the same time, he's probably getting less than what they would pay an Australian.

Interesting comment. Are Aussie clubs now targeting SL because they can get away with paying them less than an Aussie lad would expect? If so, this opens up an entirely new argument!

From what I've read, James Graham took a fair old drop in salary for his first season but got a vastly improved one for his second, far more than he'd get over here. Suppose a player has to back his own ability and if he does, NRL has the money to reward them.

[DaveO]

"I'm sure 'Coops' is probably getting a little bit more than what he's on here, but at the same time, he's probably getting less than what they would pay an Australian.

Interesting comment. Are Aussie clubs now targeting SL because they can get away with paying them less than an Aussie lad would expect? If so, this opens up an entirely new argument!

Well "Coops" was on Radio Manc tonight for the Wigan Salford game and at the end when asked ifthe thought the salary cap should be scrapped following on from Mr Koukash's interview his comment was he thought the players association would indeed like to see it scrapped.

He did say he was going for the experience and I certainly don't think you would ever stop some players wanting to sample life overseas. I think people forget the chance to live overseas was a big factor in Pat Richard's coming here.

[DaveO]

If anyone believes that our game is going to attract maga bucks television contracts on the strength of having a higher salary cap when many club's in the Super League cannot afford the existing one, they are sadly mistaken.

Pay peanuts and you get donkey's and who is going to give our sport loads of cash to watch donkey's?

The comments Jobo refers to from Koukash were what he said at the end of the Wigan Salford game. He's been at the meetings recently and has called for the salary cap to be scrapped. He didn't get his way so he came right out and said it on air on Radio Manc that he was going to break the cap. He did use those words as well. He then went on to say he'd do it like everyone else does implying offshore payments etc.

In the context of this discussion though he also said what I have been saying which is if you want blue chip sponsor levels of cash injected into the sport you need star players on the pitch.

Where finance is concerned, all has gone downhill in our game since 1996 when the rival code of Union went professional.

The way thing's are going, will the Super League go back to being a part time professional game?

IMO it will unless the RFL and the chairmen make an effort to (and succeed) in getting more money into the game. IL doesn't seem the think he needs to.

Based on IL and Koukash's comments the pair of them have seemingly completely different approaches. IL sees no reason to raise the cap. Koukash is saying if we don't we will never have RL as a premier level sport.

Koucash wants to attarct blue chip sponsors like the Avviva's of this world and he sees the only way to do that is to scrap the salary cap and have top class players running round on the pitch. He wants Sam Tomkins playing here not in the NRL.

Koukash is quite scary in a way as he doesn't just want the cap raised, he wants it scrapped. IL will probably oppose this for one big reason. He personally can't (and has no desire) to compete financially with Koukash. In the longer term he might even have to sell the club to someone who could (unless we do actually get loads of TV money or blue chip sponsors) and I am sure he doesn't want to do that.

I think Koukash and his bids for players who no one will sell didn't do himself any favours early on but I have to say he appears to me like the kind of bomb up the backside RL and even IL needs.