so first buderus has been starting the games so on the bench I would maybe think diskin would make way for burrow. So burrow and 3 big lads Ali, Eastwood, bailey(if jp is fit when burrow returns).

second, that backline is for this season. with the signing of smith I can't see donald staying but who knows.

Is Buderus off home after this year aswell?

I wouldn't have a clue but if some leave who are thought to be leaving we will have some major cap power. Buderus, donald, Ali, bailey, senior and diskin have all to resign or move on. not all will move on but if beds, donald, Ali and bailey move on we would be able to bring in 2 maybe 3 world class players.

If they are available and want to come to SL that is



How many quota spots would you have? Ali doesn't take one does he?

Webb, Delaney, Leuluai, Eastwood do I presume? That would only leave you with 1 and thats if Buderus doesn't re-sign.

eastwood if he stays(rumours and all that)can get an English passport. If he goes we have 2 spots and even more cap space. And I didn't name players I just said we had a massive amount of room on the cap and real power to pay good wages, we may go for shenton, westerman, LMS, Lunt? Maybe a big name marque Aussie/kiwi?

How come when people questioned Leeds being under the cap, they were told "our star players aren't on as much as you think" and "Leeds players don't get paid as much so that they can have the honour of playing for Leeds" and similar b0llocks, but when those same players are potentially leaving, they will suddenly leave such big space in the cap?

Do they get a huge pay rise just before they leave? Or perhaps while they're leaving? Not insinuating anything of course, just curious.

Even if he gets an english passport he'll still count as non-federation trained. Your allowed 5 non-fed trained/quota in total next year so effectively he'll still be taking a quota spot up.

right? Gonna need a big shovel for this



First nobody knows what players are on but it was the Leeds captain who said they all take a bit less for a chance to win things. I would still have a guess that buderus is on 125-175 grand, same with Ali(about 125) scotty donald and bailey on about 80 to 100 grand each. Eastwood maybe 100 to 125 grand?

So we are talking between 450 and 550 grand cap space not including Eastwood! with him included 550 to 650 grand in cap space. I think I have been fair with my guesstimates. That's plenty of wedge to bring in 2 or 3 world class players, or some real belting English lads coming of age.(Lunt, LMS, Shenton, westerman)

As for the drivel about a big pay rise before players leave? That is totaly ilegal and would not happen under a live cap system. that's just bitterness on your part mate, nothing more than drunken pub rambelings.

. I'm pretty sure that's not right mate. The rugby league does not have the power to inforce such a law. if people have an eu passport it doesn't count sammatt who has just joined crusaders doesn't count. no matter what the rugby league say it's against European employment law.

I wish I was drunk.......


Anyway, the last bit was purely mocking and was of course not serious. You gotta admit though, the claim that they're going to leave a big space in the cap does kind of contradict the earlier statements that the top players aren't actually on that much



I honestly have no clue on numbers. I wouldn't even have any idea what a decent RL player earns and what a crap one earns. I trust that the cap is being adhered to by at least 12 clubs and slightly question 2 (who I won't name as I wouldn't want to post anything that needed to be removed. Sufficed to say, I don't means Leeds).

Questions of Leeds being over the cap IMO aren't accurate. Yes they have some star names, but they also have a lot of "average joes" so to speak, in the likes of Kirke, Ablett, Ambler etc.

It doesnt have to be enforceable by law. Its an agreement between the clubs and the RFL and is a pre-condition of entry to SL. If Leeds tried to challenge it in a legal sense they would have their franchise withdrawn. This is something all clubs agree to upon gaining their franchises. Its also the reason why its worded as non federation trained / overseas trained etc instead of old kolpak, australian etc wording.

They can get round it the same way that the Premier League are about to do (or so I was recently told).

They don't discriminate against Nationality, they say you need to have so many that were trained in England up to a certain age (i.e. they must have spent 3 years or more at an English club before they were aged 21). That way they're not prejudicing against any nationalities, but are effectively limiting the "journeymen" antipodeans.

That's the way I understand it anyway, I've never actually read the rules or had them explained. Mainly because it all seems way too complicated to be ar5ed with.

you've got it exactly right Dilligaf. Thats exactly the way the quota rules are worded and is the reason they set up like that. It was talked about a lot at the time they came in.
While they might be open to a legal challenge the clubs agree not to challenge them as a condition of their franchises too to prevent them trying to challenge it legally.

Its not though, Wilks, cos he was of course employing irony to the full. In fact, and as you well realise

he caught you good and proper with his irrefutable argument. You are normally a slippery one to catch, but even you'd need the mother of all shovels to dig yourself out of that particular hole!

And no amount of trying to divert the argument away - one of your standard tactics when found out, as you well know - will make that shovel any bigger!



Anyway, one thing so many of you guys keep forgetting: when most of the longer-serving antipodeans signed, the AUD was around 2.40/£. Now its around 1.60. On top of that, the excessive image rights, EBTs and other devices previously employed (I refer the honourable gentleman to the Leeds Rugby accounts, and in particular the contingent liability note therein) have been very much neutered by the HMRC investigations (something that is regularly referred to in the Oz press). This, plus serious tax increases here, means that your average NRL ocker aspiring to a spot of OE will probably get net little more than half what he might have done a couple of years or so ago.

So SL is far far less attractive financially than it was, especially with mooted big salary cap increases in oz on the horizon. And so you'll almost certainly get far less bang for your bucks with the next generation of imports than you did with the last.

Happy to help.

Yup. Wilks should have known better than to go up against Mat our resident quota expert!



He's not having a good day, is he?

first off ablett is awesome mate and as far from average as you can get.

In my micky mouse budget I had top Leeds players on between 125 and 175 grand. IMHO I think that is cheap for top players I would think some at other clubs are on alot more than that. I recon orford is on alot more than 175 grand, but I am guessing.

far do's I just read somwhere sammatt doesn't count on the quota? also I agree competely, I go to oz on business every year so I know how the dollar has kicked in! I'm moving out there at the end of the year/early next, so I totally understand why Aussies are less tempted to come and due to the crisis which hasn't happened in oz are all too ready to fook off at first chance! so I totally agree the stars will be few and far between. but that was kinda never Leeds angle. Donald and kylie were fringe nrl players and turned out to be belters.

I'm just looking forward to seeing a good game.

You lucky sod!!! BIG jealous now!!!!

Whereabouts you going?

Adelaide! A city with no rugby league



But Its all right internal flights are cheap as and my mates are storm season ticket holders! Oh hold on will I have a team to watch?



nar it's gonna be awesome I'm really looking forward to seeing origin in the flesh! and checking out a few big games.

al be back for a few months a year to see mi family, friends and mi beloved rhinos!

Feels like a crossroads. A win in front of a decent crowd would hopefully help reverse the decline in crowds and set up a serious challenge for a top four spot. A defeat would mean we were unlikely to finish above fifth and the floating voters would tag what renaissance there has been as a false dawn.

Week after against Wire on national TV is pretty important as well though. Wake me up when it's all over.

Looking forward to the game on Sunday I reckon Leeds will be favorites but hopefully we will win Im also hoping for a decent crowd I made a point last month about the decline in crowds for these games and with it been a sunday hopefully people will turn up.

It's do or die for both teams mate! both our next 2 game hinge our season! It's not just our game, it's the teams around us too. Then the cup ties which are massive. Leeds could be 4th or 8th come Sunday night! It's massive for the rhinos! Massive.

Ablett was MoM against Wire on Friday, despite looking like Nick Fozzard's ugly brother. Kirke seems to be improving week on week, despite looking like Paul Wellens big identical twin, the bloke is friggin huge. Ambler is only 20/21. That's the scary thing with Leeds, they seem to have a terrific production line or a knack of picking up ordinary players (Donlad etc) & turning them into quality club men.