Are you for real?

Can you answer me a) What % of the cap Hull operate at each year?
b) Whether Long, Fitzgibbon and O'Meley are 'big money signings'?
c) Whether you think it's right that Hull KR could potentially field 11 non-english players next year?

The RFL's efforts to lower the numbers of overseas players have obviously failed in the face of so many loopholes in the law.

Clubs will continue to exploit those loopholes as bringing in a full developed player from overseas is cheaper in the long run than developing home grown players.

As a result the England side will continue to founder internationally and and the game as a whole struggle to attract attention outside its heartlands. That will lead to it attracting less money in sponsorship and so be able to invest less in development, leading the game to struggle in comparison with its competitors.

The issue of overseas players is only one of a number of things that holds RL back. In the end it all comes down to money and clubs not having enough of it.

The only way out of this downward spiral is to spread the game and get more people involved from non RL areas. Unfortunately not all clubs have the money or the inclination to do this.

a) i) Can you? and b) ii) Considering berrigan is now off the cap, and radford and dowes both took pay cuts I doubt that westerman and sharp (



) will take up all that space.

b) I would only shout about O'Meley been a big money signing if I was you, Long and Fitzgibbon (more so Long) have seen better days haven't they.

c) I think its wrong that the RFL want to in one breath push to build the English game, yet then allow tongan players to count as federation trained. Hull KR are doing what any club can do, if it was your club you wouldn't mind, Wigan have 8 players who aren't english too don't forget. And the day the RFL gave up caring about English rugby was the day they allowed Catalans into the comp who for the record have far more non english players than us

a) So you're basing the comment 'Rule would never dream of operating at full cap' on a season of recruitment that probably isn't finished yet?



b) And O'Meley hasn't? In fact Fitzgibbon played more minutes than O'Meley last year and was probably more effective. Are you suggesting only players who haven't seen better days are big money signings?

c)

. When the RFL brought in Catalans they showed they cared about expanded the game as a whole, it's not just about English Rugby League it's about trying to knock off the tag of an M62 corridor sport.

Who's the 8th? I only count 7 (and that includes Leuluai who is fed trained without any loopholes)

Lima
Hoffman
Carmont
Roberts
Richards
Finch

Not getting into a tit for tat argument with you.

But I feel you have shown you are clearly hypocrite when you on one hand say Rovers are not doing the English game any good by having 10 aussies, yet then you say regarding Catalans it is not just about Engllish Rugby?

End of the day, Mason is on his way, deal with it.

It's because you know you are wrong. Rugby League in France needs expanding, It does the Aussies no good for their has been (Vella, Fitzgibbon) or have never been (Fisher, Lovegrove) players to come ply their trade over here.

Nobody has a problem with Mason coming over. People are questioning the apparent new loophole that is being used to classify him as Federation Trained when he clearly isn't, and the wider implications for the sport.

Stop being so chippy FFS.

Now I have heard everything!

And Harrison Hansen is Samoan, but I think he counts as homegrown for Wigan (ala Lovegrove with us), so there's your 8th at Wigan.

You are so obnoxious it's unreal.

This debate is not about Mason, who cares really?

It's about the RFL putting rules in place and then completely backtracking and allowing clubs to do as they please. It makes our sport a joke the way it's run.

I aren't obnoxious, I just find this whole debate/argument a bit of a non starter.



I do agree with you, 100%, but people seem to have a gripe with Rovers for taking advantage of it and with Mason for been classed as Fed now.

People have a gripe with what's happened - i.e. yet another loophole opening up in the overseas player rules. It so happens that Rovers and Mason are involved. People would still have a gripe if it had happened with a different club and player.

I think its certainly amplified though that Rovers are involved and it involves a high profile player. As I said before Wigan have 8 overseas players, but I've never once seen any of your fans on here post that they are a disgrace to the game as posts have been made about Rovers.

Exactly. Ultimately the fact that this ruling seems to have set the RFL back 4 years to 2007 is the main issue. The fact Hull KR have again been the pioneers of the loophole (as with the Stanley Gene loophole a few years a go) is a side issue. If, as this looks from the outside, this allows any South Sea Islander to be exempt from the quota, then it blows the "It'll sort itself out in a few years when the exempt players (e.g. Manu, Vella etc..) retire" argument out of the water.

He's been on his way for the past six weeks. I don't think anyone would take a bet on him actually arriving until he pulls on a Rovers shirt.

7 pages on one player signing

man people must be jealous

excellent signing

If HKR had 4/5 non fed trained and added mason there would be no fuss.....but 9!

The comments by Nigel Wood show that he does not understand his own rules: www.thisishullandeastriding.co.u ... ticle.html Galea to become Maltese and Mason becomes Tongan. A farce.

The comments by Nigel Wood show that he does not understand his own rules: www.thisishullandeastriding.co.u ... ticle.html Galea to become Maltese and Mason becomes Tongan. A farce.

you're even more clueless than your previous posts would suggest..

jealous.

if hull ke can find creative ways around the rules good on them

Some people can't/don't want to see the bigger picture with this.

Mason is a great signing. The fact that he's signed for HKR is a total non issue.

It's fact that a club has circumvented rules designed for the good of the game as whole that is the issue.

Is this cheating?

Perhaps the RFL have relaxed the rules because they know that they are not able to legally impose these rules. I have long argued that under EU regulations many of our rules on players, contracts and the salary cap could be deemed illegal under.

Maybe its time just to throw away the rule book and let clubs sign who they want as they seem to be doing this already, who would notice a difference.


Does the international game really matter any more ?

We can always use the imported players as "English" or perhaps a change of international rules to allow players to play for whatever country they ply their trade in