Salary Cap

[Flutterby]

OK, we all know the clubs have a salary cap of $4.5 mill for their top squad of 25, but I don't think a lot of people actually realise there is a second tier cap for players outside the top 25 of about $350,000. This can have a major impact on the make up of teams that get hit by injuries or trying to blood young players. Gilly makes some interesting points:

WITH all this talk about the salary cap I thought it was time I had my two bob's worth.

Seeing Tim Smith switch from Broncos feeder club Easts to Cronulla last week made me wonder about the impact the cap is having on clubs and players. Is it working? Should it be scrapped? Could it work better?

I understand the need for a cap system and its aim to keep the clubs on an even field. But maybe it's time to give it a little tweak. Smith won't be the last player to switch clubs during a season. Last year we released Ian Donnelly to the Sharks. Brett Finch skipped from Parramatta to Melbourne, and Nathan Fien landed at the Dragons after the Warriors couldn't squeeze him in. I hate to see it happen. It even affected me in 1993 when the Broncos told me just before the semis that they were letting me go.

Players handle it better now than we did back then but it still saddens me to see blokes shift because of salary constraints.

I have no major dramas with the main cap. Third party arrangements might need looking at but I reckon $4.5 million is about right.

What I would like to see changed is the second tier cap, for players outside the top 25, which is about $350,000.

It's difficult enough coaching an NRL side when injuries hit, without wondering whether the players you promote might tip you over the edge.

That was a situation John Cartwright faced two years ago when injuries to Luke Bailey, Scott Prince, Michael Henderson and Chris Walker forced him to turn to the kids.

It might have aided the development of Will Matthews, Esi Tonga, Jordan Rankin and Shannon Walker but it had the potential to cause some contract headaches in the office.

The Broncos are in the same boat this year with Corey Norman, Gerard Beale, Matt Gillett and Mitchell Dodds getting time in the top grade.

And Ricky Stuart, at the Sharks, is having to call on some players he may not have expected to see in the NRL so soon. It's a difficult balancing act concentrating on the performances of 30-odd athletes and trying to keep track of their salaries.

And I can almost guarantee you that at some point this season the cap will weigh heavily on a first grade coach trying to pick his best available 17. Does he choose a teenager for his debut, knowing that a match payment, bonus or contract upgrade might tip the club over the limit for the following year?

Or does he deny that kid a well-earned gallop at the risk of his own development or the performance of the team? And when you're a coach, performing and winning can be the only markers you are judged on.

I'd hate to be in that chair. But it's a situation that all clubs go through.

More room under that second tier cap just might be the answer. Or allowances could be considered for players under a certain age, or for footballers in debut NRL seasons?

Just a thought.

NB - I have quote the article in full, but if anyone really wants the link http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl ... 5849241915

 

[Kimlo]

Isn't the salary cap 4.1 million?

 

[Foordy]

thats what i thought spwn

 

[Professor47]

Personally not a fan of the salary cap in its current form, I know everybody has their own ideas and what not and I don't have the perfect answer either but I still cannot believe there is no loyalty or marquee system. It is garbage.

The NRL say the player's incentives are rep jerseys and playing the game they love etc. That is all fine but there is no bloody reason why they can't enjoy a nice financial deal as well. If we're talking about club's survival then so be it - I'm all for the greater good.
People love RL in Sydney - I'm telling you now... unfortunately we do not show it in crowd figures but every league person I talk to want changes and want the game to progress.

 

[Bucking Beads]

The salary cap needs to be sorted out ASAP. Too many clubs get rorted of there gun youngsters. There really is no reward for developing outstanding players.

 

[Kimlo]

Needs to be rewards for developing players because if clubs are just gonna poach players than that will hurt development of the game in the long run.

Rep payments need to be double or even tripled this will help keep our elite players in the game without tying them to any particular club so no salary cap rorting, if your good enough to make rep teams than your a star and should get considerable rep bonuses which will reduce the chances of leaving the sport by a fair bit IMO.

 

[Charmamba]

And how awesome would it be if once a blokes been at a club for say 10yrs he stops counting on the cap.

"Mr Lockyer you have been nothing but loyal to the NRL and the Broncos, as a reward for you long service you will no longer be counted in your teams cap"

 

[dukey]

And how awesome would it be if once a blokes been at a club for say 10yrs he stops counting on the cap.

"Mr Lockyer you have been nothing but loyal to the NRL and the Broncos, as a reward for you long service you will no longer be counted in your teams cap"

I can't really see a reason why that wouldn't work.
It's not like other clubs can use that rule to buy a bunch of good players.
Eventually someone would start whinging that the Broncs can afford to pay Locky $600K a year while Alan Tongue only gets $300K due to the respective finances of each team. But it's hardly an unfair system.

 

[Flutterby]

Yep a long-term loyalty exemption and a junior development discount would be the 2 things I would like to see introduced to the salary cap system

 

[Professor47]

Exactly - I find it disgraceful Price had to leave the dogs etc etc.

The fact that there is no loyalty system is farcical.

 

[Flutterby]

From what I've heard (just gossip and rumour) Price wasn't actually that bothered about leaving the Dogs - considering where the club was at the time

 

[Professor47]

From what I've heard (just gossip and rumour) Price wasn't actually that bothered about leaving the Dogs - considering where the club was at the time

Oh yeh you know what I mean... Matty for Newcastle, etc etc.

I personally believe after 5 years, your 6th year should have a minor discount and so on until the 10th year... from the 10th year you should be 50% exempt or there abouts... this way old and loyal players don't have to go overseas to earn a pay packet at the end of their career. Eg. Menzies/Fitzgibbon.

Again, it is a disgrace that such plans are not implemented or even considered. From what I know the NRL has said the cap is here to stay the way it is... Hopefully the IC will change all this...

 

[ddd]

And how awesome would it be if once a blokes been at a club for say 10yrs he stops counting on the cap.

"Mr Lockyer you have been nothing but loyal to the NRL and the Broncos, as a reward for you long service you will no longer be counted in your teams cap"

I can't really see a reason why that wouldn't work.
It's not like other clubs can use that rule to buy a bunch of good players.
Eventually someone would start whinging that the Broncs can afford to pay Locky $600K a year while Alan Tongue only gets $300K due to the respective finances of each team. But it's hardly an unfair system.

The only reason why the NRL won't get behind this idea is because not all teams will be able to take advantage of such a rule. It's great at the Broncs, money coming out our armpits and I know Bruno has mentioned if there was no cap, we'd have the Australian team running on every week - but clubs like cronulla, manly (I think) and Melbourne who aren't flushed with cash could find themselves being disadvantaged by not being able to pay players what they deserve and this may affect their long term commitments and have them running off to cashed up clubs.

I don't have an issue, it provides a motivation for clubs to focus on paying players, plus if brisbane is in a position to pay locky $1 mill a year, bloody do it, but the NRL won't get behind it when lame Sydney povos won't be able to...

 

[Flutterby]

Well then that would weed out the clubs that don't deserve to be in a top-tier professional sports competition. If you can't afford to be competitive then you die out - it's called Natural Selection

(yes - chanelling Coxy)

 

[pennywisealfie]

get rid of the cap. **** a competitive comp. Broncos to win every yr sounds good to me.

 

[Professor47]

Well then that would weed out the clubs that don't deserve to be in a top-tier professional sports competition. If you can't afford to be competitive then you die out - it's called Natural Selection

(yes - chanelling Coxy)

Yup...and if privatising is one of the options then so be it...

 

[pennywisealfie]

agreed. why must we lose these great players to union and super league (and afl) just because teams like Cronulla can't keep up.

 

[Aaron]

Marquee player status is another option, although I like loyalty exemption.

To be fair the marquee player arrangement could have all third party payments be exempt for 1 player instead of the clubs like Broncos, Roosters, Souths etc being able to throw whatever they want at say Thurston. That way the Sharks could get him if they wanted to IF they could pull in a sponsor that is willing to pay for him in return for marketing.