Stop the f**king player drain Gallop

[legend]

With gambling revenue now being paid to the NRL, I can't see any reason why the cap can't be raised. marquee players get paid what they're worth and youngsters are well looked after.

The issue is as pointed out abover is the underselling of the rights and the amount of contra that is involved with these deals.

The lack of competition since the demise of C7 has also hurt league in a very big way.

Great post themanonthehill. 110% correct.

 

[BuffaloRules]

I was looking at the list that Gould put in the paper today of ex NRL players playing in the UK...

http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/wave-goodbye-to-top-players/2007/06/16/1181414608585.html

Ben Harris, Shontayne Hape, Lesley Vainikolo (switches to rugby on June 29), Glenn Morrison, David Solomona, Tame Topou, Brent Webb, Ali Lauitiiti, Clint Greenshields, Clinton Toopi, Scott Donald, Adam Mogg, Aaron Gorrell, Scott Hill, Chad Randall, Richard Villisanti, Willie Talau, Jason Cayless, Matt Gidley, Phil Bailey, Michael Withers, Pat Richards, Trent Barrett, Iafeta Paleaaesina, David Vaealiki, Matt Sing, Willie Manu, Hutch Maiava, Rod Jenson, John Skandalis, Shane Elford, Vinnie Anderson, Brent Grose - hell, there's 33 names right there.

I don't know about you guys, but other than maybe about 3 or 4 players ( Morrison, Richards, Barrett are stand outs to me..), there are a lot of over the hill players, and players that never really made the grade there...

 

[Brutus]

The salary cap would be $6-7m easily (fully funded by the NRL Grant) IF market rates were being paid for the TV rights. In essence what News Ltd is doing is what's called transfer pricing. Having a subsidiary/related entity (the NRL) undersell rights to a parent/related entity (FoxSports/News Ltd). It is an utter farce.

The irony of all this is cowboys newbies saying `go out into the market etc'. If it was left to market forces they'd have gone to the wall. They are still owned by News Ltd and it was News Ltd's involvement that stopped them going to the wall. Why did News bail them out ? Because there are potentially 300,000 dishes at $60-150 a mth to be sold.

The only hope is news ltd being forced out and the (what would be a News Ltd free NRL/ARL body) either having their own channel or a rival broadcaster like setanta showing. The NRL is subsidising News Ltd's payment for AFL rights. It is an utter rort and something that should be investigated by either the ACCC or as far as a Royal Commission. Rugby League is part of the social fabric of 1/2 of oz's population and the game has been greatly undersold to line News Ltd's pockets

Great post. Our game is being treated like sh*t by this media company.

 

[raidersfan]

Ben Harris, Shontayne Hape, Lesley Vainikolo (switches to rugby on June 29), Glenn Morrison, David Solomona, Tame Topou, Brent Webb, Ali Lauitiiti, Clint Greenshields, Clinton Toopi, Scott Donald, Adam Mogg, Aaron Gorrell, Scott Hill, Chad Randall, Richard Villisanti, Willie Talau, Jason Cayless, Matt Gidley, Phil Bailey, Michael Withers, Pat Richards, Trent Barrett, Iafeta Paleaaesina, David Vaealiki, Matt Sing, Willie Manu, Hutch Maiava, Rod Jenson, John Skandalis, Shane Elford, Vinnie Anderson, Brent Grose - hell, there's 33 names right there.

The players in bold are all still good quality players considering the decline in recent years of talented footballers. Any of these players wouldn't look out of place in the NRL.

 

[BuffaloRules]

A lot of the guys you have highlighted who were great NRL players are getting on a bit... ( Skando,Hill, Cayless,Sing,Gidley)...

You've got to remember that part of the attraction of ESL is that the training and game strain is not as hard on their aging bodies...

It doesn't matter how big the salary cap is, players will always leave to go to the ESL..

The facts that they get paid in pounds, they can pay little to no tax through channel island tax shelters, the game is easier on their bodies, and they have got the chance to live and "work" in a foreign country ( or two if you include France), are all very attractive opportunities...

 

[Moffo]

matt gidley was crap

 

[Iafeta]

Again, look at the percentage of Polynesian players in that list. The only problem we are finding is the Kolpak ruling. Otherwise, a lot of players leaving are being replaced by youngsters, or better players.

The situation is hurting mostly NZRL more than anyone else.

 

[Perth Red]

How about clubs actually marketing themselves and getting more bums on seats? An extra 10,000 fans through the gates plus merchandise and food sales would be enough to fund a big salary cap increase and keep these players at the club. Let clubs spend 50% of their income on salaries, it will motivate the slackers to get their act together.

 

[Dogs Of War]

THe only way to fix it is as ppl have pointed out, allow salary cap allowances for long serving players. THe AFL allows for this, and so should the NRL. It allows players to stay at clubs, so something like 50% only counted after 10 years service should be implemented.

 

[Moffo]

it works in several ways:

1.) it encourages loyalty
2.) it allows clubs to spend more on their other players
3.) it'd slow down people moving across to RU
4.) it would make people going to the uk less attractive
5.) it makes fans more satisfied because their favourite players aren't forced to move on

 

[Dogs Of War]

The AFL also offers 10-year veterans at clubs a 50 per cent cap concession, pushing that salary average even higher.

http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/origin/theres-no-origin-pot-of-gold/2007/05/10/1178390473683.html

I think this is what the NRL has to do. This will also allow teams to use the cap better, especially in how they retain players coming up to the magic 10 year mark.

 

[sharko]

This topic was raised on this site at least 2 -3 months ago and I am glad Gould sees fit to raise it now...our big problem is that the tv rights to ESL are of course held by News Ltd thru their cable tv network..now obviously soccer is their big earner over there but an attractive rugby league game will also boost their pay tv revenue in the uk..since there is more dough in uk than Australia it is only natural they allow one comp to be plundered of good players to prop up the very average uk players and leave the NRL as second cousins as far as revenue and marketing.
Yet as many league fans and administrators in this country did not show much ticker during the Super League war then News Ltd knows they can do with the NRL pretty much what they want and nobody will do anything about it!

 

[Lime_Green]

Again, look at the percentage of Polynesian players in that list. The only problem we are finding is the Kolpak ruling. Otherwise, a lot of players leaving are being replaced by youngsters, or better players.

The situation is hurting mostly NZRL more than anyone else.

It is indeed. I think it explains why the Warriors have been in such decline lately.

 

[Pigskin]

Listening to Warren Ryan yesterday on Grandstand

He stated that over the next 5 years the number of overseas players in the ESL will be reduced therefore meaning less of our players will be headhunted by their big spending clubs

On the surface this is good

But as Warren Ryan correctly pointed out ... their clubs will simply buy our better players rather than our aging and lesser players, cause they will have more to spend on fewer players

Gallop and co are doing nothing ...

IMHO this will all reach a climax when Wigan signs both Lockyer and Thurston, Bradford signs Cameron Smith and Mason and Leeds signs Inglis and Prince ... etc

Then we might finally see some action ... could be too late

Oink !

 

[Lime_Green]

Forgive my ignorance but how is that ESL clubs have so much money to spend?

They get piss weak crowds and the sport has a fairly low profile over there compared to union and soccer. Is their Sky TV deal worth that much?