Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sat Mar 09, 2013 7:48 pm  

I think it's key that we pick up some good signings from the NRL this season, our last few haven't really gone according to plan...

Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sat Mar 09, 2013 7:54 pm  

St. Rughead wrote:

I think it's key that we pick up some good signings from the NRL this season, our last few haven't really gone according to plan...

not going to happen

Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sat Mar 09, 2013 8:03 pm  

Saint Simon wrote:

not going to happen

I'd like to say there are some hidden gems knocking about, but Vickery, Achurch and Ta'ai have been garbage this season, who were back-up/Toyota Cup players last year. Mind you, Taia (Catalans), Paterson and Burns (Hull KR), Poore (Wakefield) and Carney (Cas) look decent signings from the NRL, so there is a chance of picking up a good signing or two.

Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sat Mar 09, 2013 11:12 pm  

There is plenty of quality NRL players who would be willing come over after falling out of favour.

Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:27 am  

I doubt it, they would earn more sitting around in oz doing nowt

Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:41 pm  

bewareshadows wrote:

I doubt it, they would earn more sitting around in oz doing nowt

That's not true. They haven't brought in the new sides over there yet. Until they do, there will still be an excess of players. There are a lot of genuinely talented players who fall out of favour at clubs, either for behavioural reasons or because they have someone else better ahead of them. If you are a junior fullback in the NRL, getting into the first team must be a frightening prospect as there are so many wonderful players ahead of you.

There are also a lot of players who see Super League as a chance to experience something new. If you have played NRL for 8 or 9 years at one club, have enough money in your bank account, Super League is often a better alternative than playing for another NRL side.

And the fact there is more money doesn't mean everyone gets a slice of the pie. There is already an undertone of discontent about the amounts the top player's salaries will be increasing by in relation to the players who aren't superstars. A lot of the money will be paid to the likes of Inglis, Slater, Johnson, Marshall etc to stop them going to other codes, rather than increasing everyone's pay.

Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:53 pm  

Saddened! wrote: And the fact there is more money doesn't mean everyone gets a slice of the pie. There is already an undertone of discontent about the amounts the top player's salaries will be increasing by in relation to the players who aren't superstars. A lot of the money will be paid to the likes of Inglis, Slater, Johnson, Marshall etc to stop them going to other codes, rather than increasing everyone's pay. Alas, not true. There is currently a $55,000 minimum wage for 1st team squad members in the NRL, and this figure will be rising incrimentally to $88,000 by 2017. That equates to around £60,000. The upshot of that is that to attract any players of even modest NRL pedigree we're going to have to match that minimum salary and then add on whatever it takes to persuade them to up sticks and move to a freezing cold country where RL has a much lower profile. And that's just the fringe players. So (barring a change in our salary cap) we're going to be left with the option of either massively overpaying run-of-the-mill squad players or gambling on youngsters who haven't made it into an NRL squad and so don't qualify for the minimum wage.

Saddened! wrote: And the fact there is more money doesn't mean everyone gets a slice of the pie. There is already an undertone of discontent about the amounts the top player's salaries will be increasing by in relation to the players who aren't superstars. A lot of the money will be paid to the likes of Inglis, Slater, Johnson, Marshall etc to stop them going to other codes, rather than increasing everyone's pay. Alas, not true. There is currently a $55,000 minimum wage for 1st team squad members in the NRL, and this figure will be rising incrimentally to $88,000 by 2017. That equates to around £60,000. The upshot of that is that to attract any players of even modest NRL pedigree we're going to have to match that minimum salary and then add on whatever it takes to persuade them to up sticks and move to a freezing cold country where RL has a much lower profile. And that's just the fringe players. So (barring a change in our salary cap) we're going to be left with the option of either massively overpaying run-of-the-mill squad players or gambling on youngsters who haven't made it into an NRL squad and so don't qualify for the minimum wage.

Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sun Mar 10, 2013 3:02 pm  

I kind of agree with Saddened above.

There is bound to players that will still want to come over here, not every player's motivation is money. It may be important, but I don't understand why people feel that it is the ONLY factor. I've seen some players mention that they want to go and try a different lifestyle in a brand new country. That can still be a very good pull factor.

It seems to be the stock answer now when anyone ever mentions overseas recruitment: 'no chance', when in fact there is still a very real chance of getting some quality over here.

I do agree that we won't see the amount of quality players come over here like we have in the past, but to suggest we won't get any is ludicrous.

Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sun Mar 10, 2013 3:14 pm  

Albion wrote:

I kind of agree with Saddened above.

There is bound to players that will still be willing to come over here, not every player's motivation is money. It may be important, but I don't understand why people feel that it is the ONLY factor. I've seen some players mention that they want to go and try a different lifestyle in a brand new country. That can still be a very good pull factor.

It seems to be the stock answer now when anyone ever mentions overseas recruitment: 'no chance', when in fact there is still a very real chance of getting some quality over here.

I do agree that we won't see the amount of quality players come over here like we have in the past, but to suggest we won't get any is ludicrous.

People say that, and they may, to an extent, mean it. But ultimately money talks, especially if you're in an industry where your top wage-earning lifespan is limited to about ten years.

It is no coincidence that so many top British players are suddenly so keen on 'trying out a new lifestyle' and 'testing themselves in the best competition in the world' at a time when the Aussie dollar is strong and the NRL is cashed up beyond belief. Despite all of the attractions that playing in the NRL and living in an antipodean climate has, we only lost about three good players to Australia in a decade when the pound was strong.

Similarly, I can hardly think of a singe high-profile overseas import to SL in the years 1995-8, which happened to be the time that big contracts were being handed out down under because of the Super League war.

I'm not suggesting that players are obsessed with money. I'm just saying that however exciting the idea of a change of scenery and a new challenge might be, a move overseas is still a very difficult decision to take, and one that very few people will go for if it puts them at a financial disadvantage.

We may be able to get Aussies to come over, but ultimately we'll have to overpay them and they won't be of the calibre that we've grown used to over the last ten years.

Re: NRL off contract for 2014 season : Sun Mar 10, 2013 3:36 pm  

Dux wrote:

People say that, and they may, to an extent, mean it. But ultimately money talks, especially if you're in an industry where your top wage-earning lifespan is limited to about ten years.

I don't necessarily disagree with what you have said, I'm not naive enough to suggest that money does not talk. But I do still think we will see a couple of quality imports come in over the next couple of years. As I say, the majority of players will not come over here, but there will always be exceptions.

I do think that in the long term this a great thing for British RL. It's something that we have needed to happen in order for clubs to sort out their youth systems.