Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 4:28 pm  

It's a big improvement on Salfords current team and no doubt they will be pushing for a top 6 spot but IMO they are nothing to fear YET.

Koukash made outrageous offers for Sam Tomkins and Billy Slater and promised world class players.

Has he signed any world class players ? No!

Rangi Chase, Hock and Sau are very very good signings and I'd be happy with all those three at saints.

The others I'm not so sure on.

Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 4:34 pm  

He can't sign 25 international standard players, what he has got is the nucleus of a good side, starting with good half backs. I can see them finishing 5th or 6th next season, then dependent on who they pick up for 2015, pushing into top 4 after that.

Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 4:47 pm  

Dux wrote:

Fair play to Koukash - he's put together a decent side more quickly than I thought he would.

Something is troubling me, though. Out of those 12 names, the following are all non-fed trained:

Chase
Puletua
Smith
Sa'u
Rapira
Mullaney

They're only supposed to be allowed five. Is there a loophole I'm missing?

EDIT: Tim Smith was at Wigan in 2008, but had a stint back in Aus before joining Wakey. Perhaps the pre-2008 exemption stays active even if a player goes back home (in which case, we should have been in the market for Smith ages ago).

Interesting, just as I'm reading your post, I've got sky sports news on and they are talking to Fraser Younson who is a employment lawyer about the English FA putting a quota on foreign players playing in the English football league.

He said " under European law, anyone with the right to work in Europe can work anywhere in Europe so freedom of movement. Also it's race discrimination if you have limitation on foreign players"

Could this open a can of worms in rugby league and if it legal for us to have a overseas quota ?

Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 4:58 pm  

St pete wrote:

Interesting, just as I'm reading your post, I've got sky sports news on and they are talking to Fraser Younson who is a employment lawyer about the English FA putting a quota on foreign players playing in the English football league.

He said " under European law, anyone with the right to work in Europe can work anywhere in Europe so freedom of movement. Also it's race discrimination if you have limitation on foreign players"

Could this open a can of worms in rugby league and if it legal for us to have a overseas quota ?

I did wonder about whether the FA wading into the overseas player issue might put a spanner in the works.

As it stands, the new 'non-fed' system is legal because it isn't based on nationality. The requirement is that out of a squad of 25, 20 players must be home-trained; their place of birth or passport is irrelevant. Whether it would stand up to a proper legal challenge or not, I'm not sure. I can't see anyone in RL having the financial clout to mount a legal challenge against the rule, but I could certainly imagine it happening in football if the FA tried something similar.

Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 5:22 pm  

Dux wrote:

I did wonder about whether the FA wading into the overseas player issue might put a spanner in the works.

As it stands, the new 'non-fed' system is legal because it isn't based on nationality. The requirement is that out of a squad of 25, 20 players must be home-trained; their place of birth or passport is irrelevant. Whether it would stand up to a proper legal challenge or not, I'm not sure. I can't see anyone in RL having the financial clout to mount a legal challenge against the rule, but I could certainly imagine it happening in football if the FA tried something similar.

According to that lawyer, it would take the FA to go to the European law and ask for it to be tweaked but he said they are very reluctant to change any of their laws.

Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 5:38 pm  

I dont expect Saints to have a worst 2014 than this current season, Salford if they can keep most of the older players injury free might manage a top 8 place if they settle in very quickly.

Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:06 pm  

I don't think they will, they've made some good signings but need time to gel together.

Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:17 pm  

Will Salford be better than saints? Very doubtful, we look a lot stronger next year. Salford will still struggle to get much above 6th tbh. They've got some class, but lets not forget Chase couldn't get Cas any higher and smith couldn't get wakey up the table either. Tony P , and Morley are well past their best, Hock is a liability . They're not as good as its being suggested

Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:53 pm  

bewareshadows wrote:

I also think you really show a massive lack of disrespect to some of our players when calling them no-one when refering to makinson.

Are you suggesting Makinson is playing centre next season?

Re: Will Salford be better than Saints in 2014? : Thu Sep 05, 2013 10:48 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Are you suggesting Makinson is playing centre next season?

Nope that's my bad I miss read your post as I would see Meli playing wing at Salford not Centre.

So yes if Meli plays Centre then you are right on that point. But I think it's more likely he will be on the wing.