Paul Kent: NRL salary cap isn't working

[Danish]

Some clubs might not invest any money at all, but that's not true of all the clubs. Panthers invest $2.5m per year into junior development, that's the figure Phil Gould gave in his Sterlo interview.

Gould is also happy to take a gamble on players who he has never seen or met. He signed Eto Nabouli on the recommendation of Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler, and while he never played first grade for us, we spent 2 years developing him. We also signed Waqa Blake from Perth under similar circumstances.

Signing an unwanted player or a bloke who isn't in a position to have a pathway to the NRL is a good thing for everyone involved IMO. But when it comes to going to clubs investing heavily in junior development, and then taking some of their best players because they can't match what you're offering, or they might have a bit more competition for first grade spots etc. it's when clubs deserved to be called out for it.

$2.5 million out, against how much in? Thats the key.

Gould has claimed in another article this year that Panthers have about 9000 registered players. That averages out at around $277 in expenditure per registered player. How much are registration fees these days? All the sooks that ring the various radio shows at the start of the year complain that it costs a bomb

 

[Noname36]

How much money do you actually think goes from an NRL club's operating budget to run junior clubs?

I'll give you a hint, its floats somewhere between zero and f**k all.

This simply isn't true. The Knights put a lot of funding into their junior clubs (although it dropped slightly when the NRL took over). You'll find their funding of junior development is one of the major reasons they've always accumulated so much debt so I can see why clubs like them and Penrith would get the shits when some clubs invest nothing but can still reap the rewards.

 

[rabbitohs95]

Pretty sure rego for Souths comp is free. So much for the NRL team pillaging the juniors.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Pretty sure rego for Souths comp is free. So much for the NRL team pillaging the juniors.

Don't Souths Juniors pay the rego, or do they give out free kit or both?

 

[Tommy Smith]

This. The biggest joke I find is when clubs poach a talented junior from another NRL club's system and then pat themselves on the back for all the "development" they put into them when they make FG. Sure they might have further developed or fine tuned their skills a bit but I can guarantee you that job isn't very difficult when another club has already identified them as a talent.

Lol identified them as a talent. Oh wow that must be very hard!

"Right, we've been blessed with 1000s of juniors; let's go watch some junior rugby league... geez he's a great young player let's get him into our system".

Yep you're right. What an extraordinarily painstaking process. Noble, too. So how dare any other club offer these clubs a better opportunity when they're clearly your property after all that incredibly hard work you put into noticing that kids in your catchment area are great at footy and putting them into a junior pathway program.

 

[Danish]

Pretty sure rego for Souths comp is free. So much for the NRL team pillaging the juniors.

Up until a few years ago Souths were receiving a grant to the tune of more than $1 million every year from Souths juniors just to keep the club afloat. Hell Souths Juniors used to be their major f**king sponsor at one point

So yeah, thats a fair pillaging

 

[Edwahu]

Lol identified them as a talent. Oh wow that must be very hard!

"Right, we've been blessed with 1000s of juniors; let's go watch some junior rugby league... geez he's a great young player let's get him into our system".

Yep you're right. What an extraordinarily painstaking process. Noble, too. So how dare any other club offer these clubs a better opportunity when they're clearly your property after all that incredibly hard work you put into noticing that kids in your catchment area are great at footy and putting them into a junior pathway program.

Do you think this is all the development clubs do?

 

[Noname36]

Lol identified them as a talent. Oh wow that must be very hard!

"Right, we've been blessed with 1000s of juniors; let's go watch some junior rugby league... geez he's a great young player let's get him into our system".

Yep you're right. What an extraordinarily painstaking process. Noble, too. So how dare any other club offer these clubs a better opportunity when they're clearly your property after all that incredibly hard work you put into noticing that kids in your catchment area are great at footy and putting them into a junior pathway program.

You're trolling surely?

I have a role at a junior club and deal with this sort of thing daily. I can guarantee you not just a case of "oh that one looks alright, lets put him in our system" FFS lol.

 

[rabbitohs95]

Up until a few years ago Souths were receiving a grant to the tune of more than $1 million every year from Souths juniors just to keep the club afloat. Hell Souths Juniors used to be their major f**king sponsor at one point

So yeah, thats a fair pillaging

So you're saying the juniors didn't want to help their NRL team when they were on the brink of bankruptcy? :lol:

 

[betcats]

Lol identified them as a talent. Oh wow that must be very hard!

"Right, we've been blessed with 1000s of juniors; let's go watch some junior rugby league... geez he's a great young player let's get him into our system".

Yep you're right. What an extraordinarily painstaking process. Noble, too. So how dare any other club offer these clubs a better opportunity when they're clearly your property after all that incredibly hard work you put into noticing that kids in your catchment area are great at footy and putting them into a junior pathway program.

Lol you muppet

 

[rabbitohs95]

Don't Souths Juniors pay the rego, or do they give out free kit or both?

Exactly my point. At least when I was playing it was free rego and free team kit. Great incentive for kids to play especially.

 

[Danish]

So you're saying the juniors didn't want to help their NRL team when they were on the brink of bankruptcy? :lol:

No doubt the did.

Doesn't mean they weren't taking money out of junior development for over a decade instead of putting it in

 

[Perth Red]

Some clubs might not invest any money at all, but that's not true of all the clubs. Panthers invest $2.5m per year into junior development, that's the figure Phil Gould gave in his Sterlo interview.

.

That Panthers Leagues club, not Panthers NRL club. Out of what $100mill+ revenue? They give more money to bail out the NRL panthers who cant make ends meet without pokie top ups than they fund Jnr RL. If NRL panthers disappeared the Leagues club remains and keeps funding Jnr RL, its the only justification it has for inflicting gambling misery.

There are very few NRL clubs that invest a lot of $'s into Jnr RL beyond U16 rep team. From what's been said Knights, Souths and Raiders seems about it, and then it is probably the Raiders leagues club not the NRL club generated revenue that is paying for jnr RL in the region.

 

[rabbitohs95]

No doubt the did.

Doesn't mean they weren't taking money out of junior development for over a decade instead of putting it in

I guess but the Juniors are there to help the NRL team as much as the NRL team are entitled to help the Juniors. It's a symbiotic relationship and should be more appreciated in league circles.

Besides, i'm trying to help the overall Roosters argument haha.

 

[souths_pride]

This. The biggest joke I find is when clubs poach a talented junior from another NRL club's system and then pat themselves on the back for all the "development" they put into them when they make FG. Sure they might have further developed or fine tuned their skills a bit but I can guarantee you that job isn't very difficult when another club has already identified them as a talent.

I get what you and others are saying about there been no reward for clubs who develop their own junior talent. In saying that how do you fix the problem? Ban clubs from signing the juniors of other clubs? That would just be ludicrous! It would mean that a heap of talent misses out on playing in the NRL! Also, what about the late bloomers? i.e. players like Josh Mansour who didn't show much at one club but developed into good players when another club took a chance on them. Shouldn't clubs be rewarded for taking a chance on them?

Also, everyone makes identifying talent seem like the easiest job in the world. In reality, talent identification is one of the hardest jobs in rugby league, especially when you have got so many juniors to look at. Parramatta are your classic example! I remember a year of so ago the telegraph published a list of Eels juniors that the club had let go that are now playing first grade at other clubs! No one can tell me the talent that the Eels are keeping is better than what they are letting go.

 

[Noname36]

I get what you and others are saying about there been no reward for clubs who develop their own junior talent. In saying that how do you fix the problem? Ban clubs from signing the juniors of other clubs? That would just be ludicrous! It would mean that a heap of talent misses out on playing in the NRL! Also, what about the late bloomers? i.e. players like Josh Mansour who didn't show much at one club but developed into good players when another club took a chance on them. Shouldn't clubs be rewarded for taking a chance on them?

I really think what junior players receive should be standard across the park (e.g. everyone in an SG ball squad in any club should receive the same amount). That way players can still sign elsewhere for an opportunity but it's not a case where a club loses a junior they've developed and wanted to keep because another one came along with more money.

That and salary cap exceptions for juniors obviously so players are more likely to stay knowing they have the potential to earn more if they play FG with their club because some of the payment can be from outside the cap.

 

[franklin2323]

That Panthers Leagues club, not Panthers NRL club. Out of what $100mill+ revenue? They give more money to bail out the NRL panthers who cant make ends meet without pokie top ups than they fund Jnr RL. If NRL panthers disappeared the Leagues club remains and keeps funding Jnr RL, its the only justification it has for inflicting gambling misery.

There are very few NRL clubs that invest a lot of $'s into Jnr RL beyond U16 rep team. From what's been said Knights, Souths and Raiders seems about it, and then it is probably the Raiders leagues club not the NRL club generated revenue that is paying for jnr RL in the region.

wrong. We got $0 from the Leagues club last year and made a profit

 

[franklin2323]

So every advantage ends up conveniently equaling out?

I think so. Canberra, Newcastle us all get 1st choice of the kids if they aren't seen as good enough to be locked up long term or aren't seen as good enough they then become poached by the rich clubs

 

[franklin2323]

The problem is the only reward clubs get for investing in their nurseries is they produce talent, but that talent is available to every other club to sign as well. How many kids would be lost to league if Penrith pulled their money out of the junior nursery because they decided its not worth it? What if every club who puts money into juniors did the same and just signed players like the roosters without putting anything back.

Its almost an advantage for the Roosters having no juniors, they dont have to spend money on the juniors and can just scout and sign the best players from elsewhere.

Maybe a transfer fee should come into play. We need the clubs to produce juniors to do so but they should get something out of it

 

[betcats]

Maybe a transfer fee should come into play. We need the clubs to produce juniors to do so but they should get something out of it

Yeah something like that. TBH I have no idea what the answer is it will take better minds than mine to work it out but transfer fees could be it. Like you said we need clubs investing in those kids and you cant stop clubs from signing kids from outside their area, I mean we have the biggest nursery in the world and even we have signed kids from qld, NZ, Dubbo, NT off the top of my head.