Salary Cap Effectiveness

[Valheru]

Val, maybe you should have asked that question when they signed their contracts.
But let's be realistic and deal with their "value" today.

??

Their value when they signed is the only thing that matters. We aren't obliged to upgrade them before their contract runs it's course.

 

[Perth Red]

Look at Newcastle, three massive signings on big money, still miss the 8. Generally it seems most clubs can carry three or four big earners, the real skill comes in managing the next 5-8 or so mid earners and getting the best you can for this mid range. If you can do that, and your top earners fire then you get success. In Storms case

Tier one earners Smith, Munster, Chambers
Tier two: Ado-Carr, Bromwich, Hughes, Smith, Finucane, Kaufusi

where they are getting the best value is in the tier 3 who are performing very well; Olam, Kamikamica, Hughes etc

 

[Last Week]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but the purpose of the salary cap was to keep clubs from spending themselves broke.

If spreading the talent was the main goal of the NRL, we'd do more (even talking about more) than just having a salary cap.

Drafts, a soft salary cap, a free agency draft, anything. But nothing is being discussed, which tells me that the NRL isn't interested in the distribution of talent.

Which is fine. They've said before that they value that juniors can play for the areas they grew up in.

I'm a fan of a draft for junior players, but only if the NRL took over every level of the game below the NRL. Which won't happen.

 

[ram raid]

During this current decade (2010 onwards) there have been 7 premiership winners and 10 teams in a GF. If the raiders make the GF this year from 2009-2019 that would be 12 of the 16 teams making a GF. How much better can you honestly expect to get?

No salary cap or system is going to produce a perfect balance between teams.

Even if it did it wouldn't produce equality of outcome (i.e..'communism in sports"). A randomise algorithm on a CD player is completely unbiased, but it will happily play the same song twice in a row. Behold! The shuffle !!

 

[ram raid]

I'm a fan of a draft for junior players, but only if the NRL took over every level of the game below the NRL. Which won't happen.

I would also love a draft. The NFL draft is great because it fuels interest in the off season. But yeah as others have said, we might not have the depth, and the players union would probably block it. They would also block making player salaries transparent. which is another thing I think would be good.

 

[Last Week]

Another option is for unsigned players to be able to elect to enter a draft.

Tim Mannah for example. Easily NRL quality and would play a good role at most clubs. But is unsigned for next year.

Another advantage would be for situations like Val Holmes. The Sharks, through no fault of their own, are down a player because he wanted to go to another club/sport. They could/should have been compensated with a draft pick for an undrafted player.

Isaac Luke. Unsigned, wants to play another year, enter into the draft.

Any player unsigned over the age of 18, should be able to elect to enter a draft to play in the NRL. Pay scales down so that the higher draft picks get paid more than those in later rounds.

 

[Meapro Ham]

What they need to do is bring in a handicap system tied to the competency of management of each team.

So say your a club prone to doing stupid things like sacking the coach who got you to the finals and replacing him with the halfback’s dad, then you get to start the season with a head start of 6 competition points.

Re-signed your dud coach for another 2 years when in zero demand from other clubs? 8 competition points head start.

Professionally run club with stable long term coaching staff and superior roster management? Minus 6 points.

That would even things up a bit.

 

[JokerEel]

A Draft will not work for current NRL players...
What player would want to make them self eligible for the draft only to be picked up by the team coming last?

 

[Captain Apollo]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, but the purpose of the salary cap was to keep clubs from spending themselves broke.

If spreading the talent was the main goal of the NRL, we'd do more (even talking about more) than just having a salary cap.

Drafts, a soft salary cap, a free agency draft, anything. But nothing is being discussed, which tells me that the NRL isn't interested in the distribution of talent.

Which is fine. They've said before that they value that juniors can play for the areas they grew up in.

I'm a fan of a draft for junior players, but only if the NRL took over every level of the game below the NRL. Which won't happen.

The reason it isn't talked about is because on many fronts they would need the NRLPA to agree to it. The NSWRL tried a free agents draft in the early 1990s. The then NSWRLPA took the matter to the High Court as a restraint of trade and won the case. The AFL get around it by having negotiated theirs with the AFL Players Assosciation.

 

[avocado]

What they need to do is bring in a handicap system tied to the competency of management of each team.

So say your a club prone to doing stupid things like sacking the coach who got you to the finals and replacing him with the halfback’s dad, then you get to start the season with a head start of 6 competition points.

Re-signed your dud coach for another 2 years when in zero demand from other clubs? 8 competition points head start.

Professionally run club with stable long term coaching staff and superior roster management? Minus 6 points.

That would even things up a bit.

This would work.

 

[ram raid]

A Draft will not work for current NRL players...
What player would want to make them self eligible for the draft only to be picked up by the team coming last?

None, obviously. But it works in the NFL The NFL makes the rules, and if you don't like it you can f**k off. Seems like an alternative universe doesn't it.

 

[typicalfan]

A Draft will not work for current NRL players...
What player would want to make them self eligible for the draft only to be picked up by the team coming last?

They might have the most to spend?

 

[t-ba]

None, obviously. But it works in the NFL The NFL makes the rules, and if you don't like it you can f**k off. Seems like an alternative universe doesn't it.

NFL players have a choice between playing in the NFL...and...ummm...the CFL?

RL players, in particular edge players, are not particularly starved of choices in terms of where they can go.

 

[Perth Red]

The reason it isn't talked about is because on many fronts they would need the NRLPA to agree to it. The NSWRL tried a free agents draft in the early 1990s. The then NSWRLPA took the matter to the High Court as a restraint of trade and won the case. The AFL get around it by having negotiated theirs with the AFL Players Assosciation.

I suppose if nrl wanted it they could have maybe offered a $2.5 million salary cap rise last year!

 

[Perth Red]

NFL players have a choice between playing in the NFL...and...ummm...the CFL?

RL players, in particular edge players, are not particularly starved of choices in terms of where they can go.

There’s not many comps in the world where a winger can earn $500k!

 

[Last Week]

The reason it isn't talked about is because on many fronts they would need the NRLPA to agree to it. The NSWRL tried a free agents draft in the early 1990s. The then NSWRLPA took the matter to the High Court as a restraint of trade and won the case. The AFL get around it by having negotiated theirs with the AFL Players Assosciation.

No no, it could be done. It could easily be brought up in the next CBA negotiations. But it's just not on the agenda for the NRL.

It's pretty clear that the NRL isn't interested in spreading the talent. It's only interested in the clubs not going broke.

Also, a draft is only technically a restraint of trade at a stretch. The salary cap is closer to that definition.

 

[forby]

Why would a club bother to do any junior development if the best talent gets drafted away? This would kill off junior rugby league!

 

[Wily Ole Dog]

I would also love a draft. The NFL draft is great because it fuels interest in the off season. But yeah as others have said, we might not have the depth, and the players union would probably block it. They would also block making player salaries transparent. which is another thing I think would be good.

A few minor tweaks and depth would not be a problem

 

[Cockadoodledoo]

Another option is for unsigned players to be able to elect to enter a draft.

Tim Mannah for example. Easily NRL quality and would play a good role at most clubs. But is unsigned for next year.

Another advantage would be for situations like Val Holmes. The Sharks, through no fault of their own, are down a player because he wanted to go to another club/sport. They could/should have been compensated with a draft pick for an undrafted player.

Isaac Luke. Unsigned, wants to play another year, enter into the draft.

Any player unsigned over the age of 18, should be able to elect to enter a draft to play in the NRL. Pay scales down so that the higher draft picks get paid more than those in later rounds.

Your examples for Isaac Luke and Tim Mannah make no sense. They are off contract, if anyone wants to sign them, they can. It isn't like the lack of a draft is preventing them from finding a club.

 

[Cockadoodledoo]

Why would a club bother to do any junior development if the best talent gets drafted away? This would kill off junior rugby league!

It also works in the NFL because their minimum wage is a decent earner, compared to the $5 an hour they would otherwise get flipping burgers. A lot of players wouldn't want to leave for example Sydney to go to the Warriors for some minimum wage contract. Not saying NZ is a bad place but moving countries for minimal wage isn't going to cut it for many.