Kevin Brown + Salary cap

[Warrior Wills]

I can’t help but think it is going to be a big year for Kevin Brown.
He is almost certain to be involved right from the off, with the injury to Hodgson.

Can’t think of anyone else who could play there – Hock possibly!!

Also, the same implies to Wild.
With so many none starters in the back row, this is a chance for him to shine.

This salary cap is killing the sport. Some of the lower clubs might argue differently. But surely without the likes of Bradford, Wigan and Leeds the game would be dead anyway. The rugby league struggles already to promote the sport in the first place (nation-wide). At least when Wigan were winning everything, the sport got recognised throughout the UK. Players were household names, and now some players are living legends in their own right, and not just ex Wigan players!

In my opinion Wigan and the game as a whole is being held back!

Am I looking at this with blinkers on ????

[DaNnY jOnEs]

no way your spot on wills imagine if this happend in football the greats of united and liverpool would b nobodys. my opinion is if the money is available (and it is dave Whelen) then we shud b able to spend as much as we want. in years gon by mabye we cud ov ad the likes of tallis johns and morley at the jjb. its a stupid rule.

[robjoenz]

I can see why the smaller clubs want the cap lowered, there is potentially a massive difference between the top four and the rest of the league and that would increase should the cap be removed. They want a more even playing field, but it seems to me it will mean super league never getting any better, just lowering the standard of the top four. I agree with Caisey and Lindsay, it is holding the top teams back but in this situation there is no solution. No matter what happens there is going to be someone who disagrees!

[the grinch]

if you go onto castleford tigers web site they think its the top teams holding the game back! its crazy there whole argument is if the lower clubs cant win anything they will never have any money to buy players so the only solution is to even the game by stopping the top teams spending.what they dony realise is radlinski farrell robinson casidy cost wigan nothing they all came through our acadamy now answer this how manny top players have castleford produced latley!!

[robjoenz]

Only answer I can think of is to have allowances for homegrown talent, but the likes of Cas probably wouldn't want this cos they wouldn't get any players offloaded to them. I have some sympathy for the smaller clubs cos they have less money to invest but not when they go somewhere like Florida or Tenerife training. Money would have been best spent elsewhere in my opinion.

You can see they want a more even playing field, I would also like to see this but the best step to take would be to promote the game not cut spending and let players go off to union.

[Warrior Wills]

Perhaps one or two more cup competitions would help the lower clubs. Whats in it for the likes of say Wakefield, Salford and SAINTS, if they go out of the challenge cup theier season is over!

Bring back something like the JPS trophy!!!

[the grinch]

how about any team outside the top six can have any player from inside the top six or all the money the top six teams win is split between the lower clubs or wigan bradford stains leeds hull are barred from winning anything until they are bankrupt!or her is my favorite how about the under acheving clubs get off there backsides and start to do what wigan did when we got promotion from the second division stop moaning about how unfair it is and start investing in youth! quite a lot of our team have come throught the acadamy and cost us nothing!

[Mike]

I'm not sure you are all going to like this post!

the grinch posted:
how about the under acheving clubs get off there backsides and start to do what wigan did when we got promotion from the second division stop moaning about how unfair it is and start investing in youth! quite a lot of our team have come throught the acadamy and cost us nothing!

Actually, we got out of the second division and won everything from then on because we were the only team in RL to be full-time professional. Nowadays, it would be like Bradford playing an NFP side every week.

Broadly, I'm in favour of some levelling of the talent accross Super League. I think the competition is getting closer each year and this is mostly to do with the salary cap. Most of the things you talk about in your post don't fall under the salary cap anyway. In fact smaller clubs are now able to go on overseas training trips because they are forced to only spend 50% of their income on players wages. The other 50% is freed up for marketing (I wish), stadia, training facililties and the like. This all helps the playing standard accross the league to improve.

I think the main problem at the moment is the numbers of overseas players allowed in the league. I'd like to see some more restrictions on these players to allow youth to come through. After all, if we had released Pongia, Dallas and Smith (and dare I say Lam!), and kept Bibey, Briscoe and PJ (and Robinson) we would have three british players that have come through our academy still on our books. You can't have it both ways at the moment.

Controversial eh? :exc: :exc: :exc:

[robjoenz]

Mike posted:
Broadly, I'm in favour of some levelling of the talent across Super League. I think the competition is getting closer each year and this is mostly to do with the salary cap. Most of the things you talk about in your post don't fall under the salary cap anyway. In fact smaller clubs are now able to go on overseas training trips because they are forced to only spend 50% of their income on players wages. The other 50% is freed up for marketing

I think the main problem at the moment is the numbers of overseas players allowed in the league. I'd like to see some more restrictions on these players to allow youth to come through. After all, if we had released Pongia, Dallas and Smith (and dare I say Lam!), and kept Bibey, Briscoe and PJ (and Robinson) we would have three british players that have come through our academy still on our books. You can't have it both ways at the moment.

Why do smaller clubs need to go on overseas training camps though? Wouldn't the money be best invested in youth or marketing and they could go on a team building trip in the UK instead (I think Huddersfield did, didn't they?). I reckon if the cap was lifted then a massive gap would develop and evetually the smaller teams would get smaller. But to lower the cap is going backwards, if the league is getting closer with the current cap then let it continue. Whilst the cap makes things closer, reducing the cap against inflation is holding back those that use the cap to it's limit, as it was designed.

I agree with reducing overseas players, overseas rule has gone to pot with all these allowances. If they are eligible to play for a none GB country or have done before they are overseas, should be as simple as that. Trouble with that is there seem to be a shortage of decent British forwards, but they aren't going to appear if we keep shopping outside the UK.

[Warrior Wills]

It would be nice to bring the youth through to play along side the more experienced / foreign players. I still think that the salary cap is killing the sport. Wigan Warriors should not be penalised in bringing top talented young players through the ranks by having to let them go! I don’t think that the influx of foreign players has stopped our younger talented players from getting a look in. Look at the present crop of talent ( Robinson, Calderwood, Aspinwall, Mcquire……..etc). Even back in the 80’s foreign players had a major impact in promoting the sport to youngsters. When I was growing up my heroes were the likes of Ferguson and Kenny! Just look at the service the players like Graeme West gave the club/sport on and off the field. Go back even further to the 50’s Punchy Griffiths scored over 1400 points and Cec Mountford won the Lance Todd at Wembley in 1951. These are of course just names to me, but history speaks for its self.

I have to disagree with you regarding the reason we won everything !

We won everything because the board had the balls and the freedom to buy the best in the business. A side that can boast legends such as Edwards, Gregory, Hanley, Offiah and Lydon would win most games. Three of which are Wigan lads. When these players were gracing Central Park, the board had the freedom to invest in youth ie., Farrell, Betts, Dermott, Lucas, Robinson all waiting in the wings (no pun intended)

With the salary cap that freedom has gone, and most clubs can’t afford the strength in depth, and that is the most frustrating thing !!!

You talk about media and advertising, well what can be a better advert for the game than quality players!

Sorry rant over!!!