Ideas...NRL boss David Gallop with (clockwise) Ross Martin, John Fenech, Michael Hanley, Brent Adams, Andrew Jackson and Jason Abraham. Picture: Mark Evans
Source: The Daily Telegraph
THE NRL's ironmen could be rewarded under a proposal to give clubs salary cap concessions for players when they reach milestones as early as 50 and 100 games.
NRL CEO David Gallop admitted he was considering the plan yesterday at a meeting with a six-man Independent Fans Commission, chosen from thousands of readers of The Daily Telegraph.
Under the proposal discussed yesterday, clubs could potentially receive salary cap concessions for durable players after two seasons in the NRL instead of the current eight-year starting point.
This would add great value to a player like Cronulla's Luke Douglas, who played 100 consecutive games after his debut.
See link to left to read what the fans had to say to NRL boss David Gallop
Gallop said that rewarding milestones had merit.
"It's something we have been looking at for players at [50 games], then 100, 150, 200, etc," he said. "We have been looking at that."
The NRL is also examining a sliding rule of salary cap concessions that starts at six years' service through to 10.
Clubs are currently given a $100,000 concession for players with eight years' service. This could be tweaked to $100,000 for six years and a further $100,000 for eight years' service.
As Gallop and NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley discovered yesterday via the six-man NRL supporters delegation, player retention and player loyalty are
key concerns for fans. They are adamant they want more one-club players.
The 50/100-game proposal, from passionate Wests Tigers fan Jason Abraham, of Casula, was among dozens of ideas presented to Gallop and Annesley.
Others include:
OVERHAULING the representative calendar to start with City-Country, State of Origin and Test football;
EXPANSION to the Central Coast, Perth and Papua New Guinea;
STAND-alone weeks for State of Origin;
A TWO-tiered salary cap - one for two marquee players and the other for the remaining 23;
CAP exemptions for marquee players;
LIFTING the Toyota Cup age limit from 20 to 22; and
INCREASING representative payments to keep stars in the code.
Gallop and Annesley yesterday spent two hours with the Telegraph's Independent Fans Commission and won praise from
lifelong Bears fan Brent Adams, of Wamberal.
"It was great just to get the opportunity that not many people would get to express their views on the game," Adams said.
"We've all got ideas how to improve the game."
