Is the draft the only way to even the playing field?

[TheSoaringEagle2023]

I know this has been brought up time and time again, but is this better than having a select few clubs who are able to exploit the 3rd party sponsors of players due to wealth inequality? If the competition were to expand to 20 teams, I believe this is well and truly a must.

 

[DUFFMAN]

The salary cap is easy to cheat.
I don't know if a draft would help but I would prefer to see a points cap system with players worth X points depending on if they are rep players, true local juniors, developed by clubs etc.
You can pay a player $5,000,000 or $500,000 but their points value stays the same.

 

[TheSoaringEagle2023]

The salary cap is easy to cheat.
I don't know if a draft would help but I would prefer to see a points cap system with players worth X points depending on if they are rep players, true local juniors, developed by clubs etc.
You can pay a player $5,000,000 or $500,000 but their points value stays the same.

I really like your idea. But when the NRL disallow Turbo from taking a pay cut, yet allow the Dogs to sign Galvin to a cut price deal even though his market price was higher as per the offer by the Tigers, how would you make it work?

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I know this has been brought up time and time again, but is this better than having a select few clubs who are able to exploit the 3rd party sponsors of players due to wealth inequality? If the competition were to expand to 20 teams, I believe this is well and truly a must.

From a few games and parts of games I've seen this year, and from a glance at the competition ladder, the playing field is not drastically uneven.
Yes some clubs (not to mention any names because sheesh they've been mentioned 100s of times already!) have advantages of wealth to lure talent but let's see ... Chooks haven't won since 2019, Storm since 2020, Souths since 2014, Broncos since 2006
Points system wouldn't work, not nuanced enough.
Publishing player salaries would help fans I reckon. And some US sports have systems that allow you to breach a salary cap but you have to then pay an amount to the other clubs (or something)
In other words, don't expect every club to have the same wealth, but make it out in the open.
And if a club is caught cheating, the penalty is expulsion from the comp, and the league will help a new club take their place

 

[Nordburg]

I really like your idea. But when the NRL disallow Turbo from taking a pay cut, yet allow the Dogs to sign Galvin to a cut price deal even though his market price was higher as per the offer by the Tigers, how would you make it work?

How did the Dogs sign Galvin to a “cut price deal”? He’ll will be paid more at the Dogs this season and next than his original contract at the Tigers.Just because the Tigers offered him a million dollars to extend,doesn’t mean that’s Galvin’s market price.Was JakeT’s market price worth $900K because that’s what Manly re-signed him for?Not a chance another club would have signed him for anywhere near that.
As for a draft,the eco-system of Australian rugby league would have to change for a draft to work properly and no chance the Panthers,for eg,are throwing millions into their junior development to see their best young talent go elsewhere.
The current top 8 has 6 teams that have a combined premiership tally of 2 wins in 20 years.The top 2 have won 1 premiership between them in 27 yrs of the NRL era

 

[Rafferty]

How did the Dogs sign Galvin to a “cut price deal”? He’ll will be paid more at the Dogs this season and next than his original contract at the Tigers.Just because the Tigers offered him a million dollars to extend,doesn’t mean that’s Galvin’s market price.Was JakeT’s market price worth $900K because that’s what Manly re-signed him for?Not a chance another club would have signed him for anywhere near that.
As for a draft,the eco-system of Australian rugby league would have to change for a draft to work properly and no chance the Panthers,for eg,are throwing millions into their junior development to see their best young talent go elsewhere.
The current top 8 has 6 teams that have a combined premiership tally of 2 wins in 20 years.The top 2 have won 1 premiership between them in 27 yrs of the NRL era

Without checking, I don’t think your last sentence is accurate.

 

[Rafferty]

Here’s some info.

The last 9 GF’s in a row have come from the current top 8.

If you include the teams sitting on equal points with the top 8, 23 of the last 27 GF’s have been won by these sides.

That’s 21 of the 27 NRL GF’s coming from those same teams.

 

[Nordburg]

Without checking, I don’t think your last sentence is accurate.

Then maybe do some checking

 

[Rafferty]

Then maybe do some checking

Ok it’s your second last sentence, I was referring to, apologies your last sentence is correct, when I read your post I mistook the last para graph as one sentence.

 

[Nordburg]

Ok it’s your second last sentence, I was referring to, apologies your last sentence is correct, when I read your post I mistook the last para graph as one sentence.

With checking,I believe I’m right with that statement as well.Leaving Penrith and Storm out,6 of the 8 have 2 between them,Broncos 2006 and Sharks 2016

 

[Rafferty]

With checking,I believe I’m right with that statement as well.Leaving Penrith and Storm out,6 of the 8 have 2 between them,Broncos 2006 and Sharks 2016

All good, if you want to claim victory to prove your point, you are correct and I agree, however if you are trying to suggest this years top 8 is some kind of evidence that proves the current framework for the NRL player market is working well, as evidenced by the make up of the 8 and the number of premierships they have between them, then I don’t agree with you.

I would go further and throw out the idea that the NRL could be mistakenly seen to be manufacturing and manipulating the competition for commercial purposes, in effect managing the results of games to create a tight competition, keeping supporters connected, running with the ideology that any side can win the comp, (when that is just simply not the case) the standard of referring and constant rule changes the NRL have introduced leave plenty of room for speculation, take last weeks SOO as a prime example.

Finally I guess what I’m trying to say is maybe a draft is a good idea, as the current structure seems pretty inequitable when looking through the list of GF winners since the NRL took over.

 

[Nordburg]

All good, if you want to claim victory to prove your point, you are correct and I agree, however if you are trying to suggest this years top 8 is some kind of evidence that proves the current framework for the NRL player market is working well, as evidenced by the make up of the 8 and the number of premierships they have between them, then I don’t agree with you.

I would go further and throw out the idea that the NRL could be mistakenly seen to be manufacturing and manipulating the competition for commercial purposes, in effect managing the results of games to create a tight competition, keeping supporters connected, running with the ideology of any side can win the comp, (when that is just simply not the case) the standard of referring and constant rule changes the NRL have introduced leave plenty of room for speculation, take last weeks SOO as a prime example.

Finally I guess what I’m trying to say is maybe a draft is a good idea, as the current structure seems pretty inequitable when looking through the list of GF winners since the NRL took over.

As I said,the draft would require a whole change in how the game is set up in Australia.Maybe an internal draft could work,as in players that have already played first grade.For eg Galvin wanting out of the Tigers,but like the AFL,players who want to leave their current club basically end up at the club they want to be at anyway.NRL clubs are very insular/selfish,so they won’t be giving up things they control like their juniors.
I wasn’t trying to “claim victory”,you questioned my research,without any of your own,nothing more,nothing less

 

[Rocky]

How did the Dogs sign Galvin to a “cut price deal”? He’ll will be paid more at the Dogs this season and next than his original contract at the Tigers.Just because the Tigers offered him a million dollars to extend,doesn’t mean that’s Galvin’s market price.Was JakeT’s market price worth $900K because that’s what Manly re-signed him for?Not a chance another club would have signed him for anywhere near that.
As for a draft,the eco-system of Australian rugby league would have to change for a draft to work properly and no chance the Panthers,for eg,are throwing millions into their junior development to see their best young talent go elsewhere.
The current top 8 has 6 teams that have a combined premiership tally of 2 wins in 20 years.The top 2 have won 1 premiership between them in 27 yrs of the NRL era

Pretty laughable telling others to check their facts when you say no one would sign Jake for 900k. The bulldogs offered him $1.1m

 

[Nordburg]

Pretty laughable telling others to check their facts when you say no one would sign Jake for 900k. The bulldogs offered him $1.1m

Where are these “facts” that the Dogs offered him that much?A James Hooper story?(which I researched)

 

[Rocky]

Where are these “facts” that the Dogs offered him that much?A James Hooper story?(which I researched)

Was widely reported at the time the dogs offered more and the brothers took a discount.

But hey you believe whatever suits your narrative.

 

[Rafferty]

As I said,the draft would require a whole change in how the game is set up in Australia.Maybe an internal draft could work,as in players that have already played first grade.For eg Galvin wanting out of the Tigers,but like the AFL,players who want to leave their current club basically end up at the club they want to be at anyway.NRL clubs are very insular/selfish,so they won’t be giving up things they control like their juniors.
I wasn’t trying to “claim victory”,you questioned my research,without any of your own,nothing more,nothing less

All good, I’ll apologise again. I guess I was just attempting to point out the way you presented the facts seemed a little misleading, if the intention was to suggest the current system works fairly, by using the NRL’s GF results over the last 20 years as evidence the competition is fair and equitable given the make of the top 8, it’s no big deal.

I think most supporters clearly understand the competition is not fair or equitable in its current state, the wealthy clubs have dominated and will continue to dominate, which suggest the current salary cap system isn’t working, which can be further evidenced by the rosters of certain clubs and their ability to continually sign the best talent as they become available.

Like all most everything, change is inevitable, hopefully a fairer system can be implemented moving forward, without one, Manly’s future looks pretty bleak along with a number of other not so attractive and far less wealthy clubs, personally I’ve had enough of the Melbourne’s, Roosters, Penrith sides dominating the competition, now they look set to be joined by the Dogs, who’ve found their wealthy benefactor, which sees them join the power house clubs previously mentioned, anyway hardly matters what I think, if I expressed exactly what I thought was happening at the administrative level of the game, I’d find myself facing litigation, so I guess I’ll just leave it here.

 

[Ron E. Gibbs]

The salary cap isn't the problem. The selective enforcement of it, especially in relation to third-party payments, is. The whole "arm's length" requirement is absurd. Really, the only way to get some sort of parity is to let every club rort the system, not just those with more clout and better accountants.

 

[Disco]

Firstly before this round we were 2 points from 6th and 2 points from last, comp is very even. 3 of the top 4 have been so do teams the last 20 years.

But that aside.

Who the hell wants some artificial equal playing field where each team takes turns at winning the comp every 17 years.

Thats not sport.

If we want our moment in the sun we need to ne better.

Panthers where a middling team for most of their existence and put structures in place and now reap the rewards of that.

I don't remember threads like this when we were dominant 2007-2013.

If any sporting league in the world teams rise and fall, dominate snd struggle and thats the beauty of sport.

Draft I'd love but RLPA wont allow and the how funding model for junior RL would have to change.

Points system wouldnt work IMO, gone through why many a time.

Salary cap, tough to police but for the most partvworks okay. 100% agree with publishing players salaries but again see the RLPA going to war on that.

 

[Brocky]

We definitely need another 5/8, maybe Saxton partner to Fogarty with hoppy. That sounds great.
Time for Brooks to hit the bricks.

 

[The '47ers]

Who the hell wants some artificial equal playing field where each team takes turns at winning the comp every 17 years.

At this stage, I'll take that!!

No, but I do see your point 👌🏻