England worried about player drain

[Foordy]

In a twist NRL fans will enjoy, St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus is calling on English rugby league chiefs to prevent the trickle of top British talent to Australia turning into a flood.

McManus says the strong Australian dollar has added to the temptation for English stars to head Down Under and he has urged the Rugby Football League to address the threat.

However he's likely to get little sympathy from Australian fans who have long lamented the steady flow of NRL players chasing the money in the other direction.

St Helens are bracing themselves for the departure of prop forward James Graham, who is being courted by NRL clubs and almost certain to join his England team-mates Gareth Ellis and Sam Burgess in Australia in 2012.

....

"We can't just pretend it's not happening," he said.

"You invest a huge amount of time and energy and, dare I say it, money producing players through the academy over the years.

"What I don't want to see is those players tempted by the NRL because the salary cap is higher than here because of the exchange rate and to rugby union.

"It's a real problem and it has to be resolved."

http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8143490

[icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1.

the St Helens CEO is a hypocrite, how many top line players have St Helens signed from the NRL over the years. and if the cap is higher here than over in the UK then why do we lose heaps of players over there for more money.

I have zero sympathy for the ESL, if they lose a few players in the future it will be justice for all the players they have taken from us over the years.