Right - I hadn't seen that bit of the statement. In that case it will be as you've written, but Webster will not be non-fed, as he signed prior to 2008. It seems Vella has a Maltese passport and Newton must have an EU passport as well.

The reason you can currently be on quota but classed as federation trained is because the quota rule has been around for ages anyway, and the RFL don't face any legal threat from players regarding their quota status, and as such the RFL don't need to offer any exemptions from it. As the 'Non-fed' thing is a new restriction introduced by the RFL, and one which is legally sensitive, they have offered exemptions [ifrom that status only[/i to players who were around before the restriction came into place, doubtlessly to avoid legal action against them from players who would lose their job as a direct consequence of it.

You can't really blame the RFL. They're obviously playing it safe at the moment so that the system will survive the transition period until all the pre-2008 players have retired - if they put their foot down and refused exemptions then players would get sacked, sue the RFL, the whole system would come crashing down and we'd be permanently stuck with unlimited kolpak imports. It's just a shame that Hull KR have so brazenly taken advantage of the situation.

I think that's the crux of it there then. Webster, although debuting in 2008, signed his contract in 2007 so will be exempt from the "non-fed" ruling.

I just couldn't get my head around the need to have a "quota" ruling and a "non-fed" ruling when they are essentially the same thing (in that they count on the same list). But, as you've (I think) correctly pointed out, due to the old "quota" system and the new "non-fed" system, their is a transitional period where exemptions will mean you can be one and/or the other.

After this transitional period, probably about 6-7 years, I think the word "quota" will no longer be used as there will no longer be a need to use it. All quota players will also be non-fed players (there will be no exemptions to the non-fed, so you can't be on the quota and not on the non-fed list).

So the lists look like this:

[uQuota (those that were classed as an overseas player before 200icon_cool.gif:[/u
Joel Clinton
Michael Dobson
Ben Galea
Blake Green
Jake Webster

[uNon-Federation Trained (those that were classed as to be trained outside of the RFL [or is it RLEF? and signed AFTER 200icon_cool.gif[/u
Joel Clinton
Michael Dobson
Blake Green
Willie Mason
=#FF0000[EDIT - I put Jake Webster on this list instead of Joel Clinton for some reason. Corrected!
[uThose that are exempt from the quota (due to having an EU passport or because of the Kolpak ruling):[/u
Ben Fisher - UK passport
Rhys Lovegrove - UK passport
Willie Mason - Tongan passport
Clint Newton - UK passport?
Michael Vella - Maltese passport

[uThose that are exempt from non-federation status (due to having signed for a club in this federation before the 2008 ruling came in):[/u
Ben Fisher - signed for Halifax in 2004
Ben Galea - signed for Hull KR in 2007 (played first game in 200icon_cool.gif
Rhys Lovegrove - signed for Hull KR in 2007
Clint Newton - signed for Hull KR in 2007 (played first game in 200icon_cool.gif
Michael Vella - signed for Hull KR in 2006 (played first game in 2007)
Jake Webster - signed for Hull KR in 2007 (played first game in 200icon_cool.gif

So really, Hull KR could technically sign ANOTHER non-fed player with an EU passport or on the Kolpak ruling! And if they get Ben Galea a Maltese passport, that would make him exempt from the quota AND non-fed status, which means they could sign another fully-fledged Aussie. Or even worse, they could sign a player exempt from the quota but not exempt from non-fed AND a player exempt from non-fed, but not the quota (say convince getting Scott Donald to come out of retirement)! In fact, they just sign a full team full of foreigners that signed for SL clubs before 2008 with Kolpak rulings or EU passports and have a full team of imports!

I actually think the "work out which Rovers players are quota/non-fed/exempt" game is the hardest game I've played in a long time!

So, at Hull FC, we have:

Quota:
Craig Fitzgibbon
Mark O'Meley

Non-Fed:
Craig Fitzgibbon
Epalahame Lauaki
Sam Moa
Mark O'Meley

Quota Exemption:
Epalahame Lauaki - Tongan passport
Willie Manu - Tongan passport
Sam Moa - Tongan passport

Non-fed Exemption:
Willie Manu - Signed for Castleford in 2005

So Hull can sign one more quota/non-fed player...
Or 3 more quota players that signed over here BEFORE 2008 and one non-fed player...
Or 2 more quota players that signed over here BEFORE 2008 and one quota/non-fed player...
AND as many as we like that are exempt from both the quota and non-fed list.

Rovers have benefited from the many foreign players they signed in their promotion year that had EU passports, but these players can sign for anyone in the league and still be exempt. That exemption will probably push their wages up as well if they are to move on.

Indeed. It should begin to trickle away soon though. Most Australian players come over in their late twenties, so most of those that signed pre-2008 will be pushing 30 or be into their 30s by now (Galea and Vella are both 32, Newton and Fisher are 29). Hull KR may well have made things very difficult for themselves - Over the course of the next 3 or 4 years they're going to have to find or produce 6 Super League quality British players.

In 3 or 4 years time, they will have been in SL for 7-8 years so they won't really have much of an excuse NOT to have produced any by then to be fair. They've got plenty of time to do it still, so there's hardly any pressure really.

they couldnt bring donald back as the players who were here pre 2008 only keep their special status on the provision that they stay in superleague. As soon as they leave superleague they lose the status. They can change clubs within superleague but they cant retire then come out of retirement.

Is it TRUE that Willie Mason may actually appear on these shores this year?

Has the jumping through hoops competition finished yet?

I think the people have a right to know




or will this drag on like the "we are getting a new ground " saga of several clubs and a sod of earth has yet to be turned for some!!!!

Are you sure this is true? I was told that once exempt, they keep that exempt status for life? Something which I didn't quite understand because, like you say, if they no longer have a contract at the club they signed for under the previso of the old legislation, how can they claim that they signed for a new club under the old previso when they full well know it's changed!? (especially if they've moved BACK to Australia!)

This was how I understood it as well.
Looking at it i'm suprised on one has picked Makka up as he would still be classed as fed trained due to exemption.

I think Nick HKR is close to taking Cheeky Charlie's crown as Worst Hull KR poster.

What a legend that guy was!

.......was he australian?

No, an East Hull lad who's rugby league mad.

If you try to find the equivalant in London (a London born or based RL fan) you're gonna have a long search Gutterfax.

REALLY? I know of certain London RL fans who put their own property (s) up as collateral to save the team a good few years ago........I would suggest that trumps your keyboard warrior

I thought it was the RFL who did that?

I must say, you've owned him there!



And some of hullkrforever's posts must have him up there, surely?

Not really, life-long fan Neil Hudgell has achieved more at Hull KR then any Fulcrubronquins director, chairman, owner etc has over their 30 year experiment.

Here is a squad you could have of players that have exemptions from BOTH lists...

1. Clint Greenshields
2. Francis Meli
3. Chris Nero
4. George Carmont
5. Pat Richards
6. Motu Tony
7. Thomas Leuluai
8. Kylie Leuluai
9. Ben Fisher
10. Michael Vella
11. Willie Manu
12. Louis Anderson
13. Vinnie Anderson

14. Ali Lauitiiti
15. Iafeta Paleaaesina
16. Clint Newton
17. Ben Fisher

18. Rhys Lovegrove
19. Harrison Hansen
20. Michael Korkidas
21. Damien Blanch
22. Karl Temata

On top of that, you could have five non-fed exempt quota players, such as Jake Webster, Ryan McGoldrick, Tony Martin, Luke Dorn, Phil Bailey, Chris Flannery, Ben Jefferies, Sam Obst, Glenn Morrison, Matt King, Michael Monaghan; as well as another 5 on top of that with an EU/Pacific passport!

*Just don't forget to squeeze in 8 "club trained players" to make it look like you're actually adding to English rugby league!

Has he? Has he guided Hull KR to second in the league? Or to a Challenge Cup final?

He took a club in the doldrums and turned us into a strong SL club. Taking crowds from 2000 to 7000 in a year. from 4th in NL1 in 2004 to 4th in SL in 2009. If they're not great accomplishments as a fan-turned-chairman I don't know what is.

Im pretty sure he has just told you two better achievements

You never said "great accomplishments".

You said, and I quote...



This is simply not true. You can believe if you like that promotion to the SL is more of an achievement than being runner-up in the two biggest competitions this side of the world within 3 years, but you know which one you'd rather do!

Either of them realistic for a club that was playing in NL1 just 5 years ago though?

Hull FC have done some fantastic things over the last 6 years (e.g. CC 2005 + GF appearance in 2006), but it took them until their 8th SL season to reach a major final or finish in the top two. Likewise Huddersfield first played in SL in 1998 but didn't reach a major final till 2006. Then there's Wakey, who have been in SL since '99 but no major final yet. Therefore, I don't feel we're doing bad is all I'm saying.

But still not achieved as much as the London club, who finished runners-up in SL in their second year (may have reached a GF if they did the play-offs in 1997) and a Challenge Cup final in their fourth year in 1999.

So, if you're using the amount of time in SL as an excuse now, then the London club still wins. They achieved all that in the amount of time you've been in SL.