Brodie123 wrote:
The whole point is about game development, how can the game expand, the game will never grow when the men in the board room simply look after their own interests before the game as a whole. We talk about P and R, franchise in SL, salary cap etc, but the game will never move forward when the smaller teams with the lowest crowds have the same salary cap as the largest and most successful teams. It's only recently that some teams have started their own academy, they know that they have the same cap as the big teams, the sponsorship from Sky just about meets the salary cap, and half their squads are built around other teams academies. Some of the grounds aren't fit to hold cattle never mind play rugby.
Why should these clubs have the same amount of money to spend as the successful clubs. This is not the way to develop this great sport, hence we could get relegated with an injury list as long as your arm yet other teams have half of our ex academy players in their teams and they hadn't spent a penny on player development. They are described as leaches of the sport.
No othrer sport would allow such rules to exist, no other sport does, even cricket are moving forward. No wonder the sport is in dire needs.
Which sport would allow a city the size of Bradford with a great support base not to have a SL club, yet we have clubs in places where you would get higher crowds in the Scottish football third division, P and R needs to be stopped and replaced with a franchise, and if that means new teams, old teams coming together then so be it. Trible support has to be a thing of the past
If you do away with the salary cap then you will be back to Bradford scenario with even one of the most successful teams getting into financial difficulties- where does that leave the game?
Why should teams who haven’t been historically successful not have the opportunity to sign the same players? It’s already more difficult for them.
The comments you make about the academy also are just so short sighted. All these ex-academy players you moan about being in other teams- who’s fault is that????? They’ve gone because you didn’t want them!!! Scouts see a decent young lad, he’s wanted by Leeds, Wakefield and Salford- who’s he going to sign for???? Then you get rid of them and moan when they go elsewhere-possibly to a team that tried to sign them to their academy originally but they chose Leeds.
A good few years ago the RFL wanted to bring in a draft system to spread out the talent and improve every team and hence the game- Leeds and Wigan were amongst those who voted that idea down- I wonder why! Because they like being able to have their pick of the best- then YOU let them go elsewhere.
It’s like at school when all the best players get picked first- What’s the point in e.g. Salford spending a pile of money on the “what’s left” when they know you will drop half of the players they wanted in the first place.
Tribal sport being a thing of the past
good luck with that one- when has that EVER worked.