Are you sure on that, Hardaker, Briscoe, Moon, Cutherbertson, Aiton, Peacock, to name but a few have been purchased. Leeds now and Wigan in their glory decade very similar, one in SC world and one without...

Only difference is ask 10 Londoners to name you 3 RL players and i bet 90% still say Offiah, Edwards and Hanley... not a mention of the great Rhinos from the last 10 years...

Never said Leeds didn’t buy anyone but apart from Peacock and maybe Briscoe and now Ferres I can’t think of that many proven top class British players they bought from other clubs after they’d played test rugby.

In their day Wigan bought the very best money could buy in each position – Hanley, Offiah, Gregory, Lydon, Skerrett, Platt, Connolly etc. Nowadays a club can’t go on a spending spree like that because of the salary cap so it means they have to develp their own players and it makes for a fairer competition.

Im sure they would be able to name the lord and saviour that is Sir Kevin of Sinfield

Not sure what that has to do with the salary cap?

Leeds didn't pay for briscoe, he was out of contract at hull fc and was free to move

The bitterness is strong with this one...

There was Ellis and Webb too, but the point is that they were complementing top players that had come through Leeds youth systems. As you rightly say you can't go on a spending spree to win the league anymore, your youth, management, coaching, conditioning and physios need to be top notch too. Salford have proved this pretty comprehensively.

Now this isn't particularly an attack on Wigan pre-SL, they played cracking rugby and well worthy of recognition. But the problem is our clubs can barely run as they are never mind having to deal with excessive player wage inflation. That period in our sport led to chronic and catastrophic under-investment in every single aspect of the sport except first team player wages. We cannot afford another period like that.

To be fair, 2 of those you mention are Wigan lads and another 2 were born within a few miles of Wigan. We always had a strong backbone of homegrown players even in the heyday.

Best post in this thread ...

very simple, very clear, very right & simply brilliant.
I totally agree, with the caveat that Red Hall is cleared out & leaders with the cajones to lead & enforce the above suggested caps are brought in.

A Lion without teeth can only give you a nasty suck.

*no double entendres intended*

Why is a £2.5m cap simpler or clearer than a £1.8m cap?

Which 10 clubs can afford an extra £700k in player wages?

Which Championship clubs can afford the £1.5m?


I have a new plan. It's brilliant and simple and clear. Let's put the salary cap to £10m a year. That'll show those bloody Aussies and Union types.

But it is less dangerous than someone with a small brain.

Marwan Koukash ‏@drmarwanK 18m18 minutes ago

Just when when I started thinking @TheRFL like me, 2 tribunals and 2 fines this morning. Great start to the day and I mean it


Hmmm. Related to the league express story? Who knows.

Gareth Ellis, Keith Senior, Willie Poching, Joel Moon and Andrew Dunneman can be added to the list of those bought from other clubs.

There are also a host of overseas players as well and it's worth remembering that quality overseas players weren't really available to Wigan during their era of dominance because the seasons ran at different times and the best Ausies stayed in Australia.

Scott Donald, Brent Webb, Clinton Toopi, Ali Lauitiiti, Kylie Leuleuai, Danny Buderus, Brett Delaney and Mitch Garbutt to name a few.

Leeds didn't break the transfer record though did they.

As you say it's unfair to compare overseas player signings as the timings of seasons allowed Wigan to get the very best.

Before the salary cap Leeds spent big and won nothing and it almost saw them go bust.

I see parallels with Salford now.

Not quite, Leeds were always a "big" club with a decent following.
Salford have, at least in my time watching RL, have never had a decent following.

Their problem is total lack of patience and only being able to attract players looking for a big pay day, prior to hanging up their boots.

Having said that, Sheens is a superb coach and if he stays there, Salford will improve but, the Dr. will need to give it time.

Your sarcasm is so stealthy there Him.

2.5m wouldn't suit all clubs obviously, some could, some couldn't, it would however go some way towards maybe keeping hold of RL players & curbing defections to RU.

The amount of cap could be £2m or £2.25m or £2.5m, this would have to be agreed upon by the SL member clubs.



A nanoseconds thought must have been wasted on that witty retort ...

well done you.

but it WAS funny

It isn't so much a lack of cojones as a lack of mandate that stops them leading. Every big decision they make needs approval from a group of chairmen with their own disparate agendas.

Making rules to be ignored and more or less ignoring breaches - I don't even know what that is.

I know some of the rules are popular initially, in certain quarters at least. But when, [ialmost inevitably[/i, it is all revealed as p*** and wind, it just eats away at their reputation. See also Tony Larvin.

RFL MO -

1. Identify problem
2. Identify potential solutions
3. Realize none are feasible
4. Misrepresent nature of problem
5. Present do-able but ineffectual action to be taken

tbf, it could be more (if we credit them with more integrity, but less intelligence) -

1. Misunderstand nature of the problem
2. Present do-able but ineffectual action to be taken

Not that I could do any better - but I hope I wouldn't fill my time trying. Do what you can, and if people expect more than that, then that has to be their problem.

It's not an easy job and I don't envy them, but they seem to go out of their way to make it tougher.

Regarding the Big Story
How does the saying go "Where there's smoke,There's fire"
Even IF there's any truth whatsoever in this story,Now't will be done by our governing body from Red Hall and it will all be kept quiet and swept under the carpet
There's one rule for certain clubs with some clout and another set of rules for the "Have Not's"

Just seen a bloke with one of those electronic cigs lots of smoke no fire

Technically that might be steam rather than smoke.....
Yours, A. Pedant.

Suggest you Google what steam is - its invisible you know

Yours A N Other Pedant

Technically it's water vapour not steam or smoke

What was the big story to break mid week in RL Express? salary cap problem @ Salford? is this correct?

Martyn Sadler shaves his beard and denies being a member of DAESH.