One again Hearn was interviewed and covered the topic of RL. Found his point of view and comments interesting, he's an outsider to the game, not caught up mill, yet has a success rate at publicising sport, more recently creating an impressive Matchroom stable.

He mentioned Wembley, spoke of low attendances for a marquee event, and the lack of, and need for stars in the game citing the salary cap as a main issue for the lack of stars.

What do people think of Hearn's comments and the notion of scrapping the cap? Was RL in better position pre-cap?

I think the only answer to any of it is physical funds coming into the game. At this present moment Wigan are a prime example that scrapping the salary cap wouldn't make an iota of difference. Lenegan is being mindful of his spending and would be whether the cap was there or not as more fans need to come through the door. Regardless of the cap clubs can spend anything they want on two players, yet not one has yet plucked a true international superstar from the NRL so why would they if the cap was scrapped when they already can now? The answer is down to how much revenue clubs get which scrapping the cap will not change.

Now where he talks about the marquee events is where he is bang right. They need to be promoted and put on in a more excitable way. At the moment (especially the challenge cup final) you turn up watch the game and go. I saw a thread about the difference between our big events and how the NFL is put on at Wembley. Everyone says the difference is massive, a party atmosphere with masses of things going on around the ground for entertainment. This could definitlely be improved and where the Hearns expertise lie in my opinion

Good post. I would like Hearn involved. His track record at promotion speaks for himself. Shall we abolish the cap? I admit I would like to see what clubs can/will change if anyone could be signed with salary a discussion between the club and player not the league itself.

Hearn also said the divide between the clubs and SL was also very evident, and counterproductive.

I'd agree that the days of megastars are sorely missed. But I'm not sure that buying big was ever the whole story. If you look at the likes of Edwards, Lydon, Hanley, Gregory - they were all homegrown, while Offiah, Tait, Davies etc came from RU (and of those three, only Davies arrived as a really big name). We did get some top-drawer Kiwis, but thanks to the Aus selectors' policies, few big name Aussies came over until they were veterans. (Gene Miles was 32).

What's different now, and where some kind of relaxation of the cap might help us, is the loss of our homegrown talent. Granted, there are no Hanleys knocking about at present, but as we speak, the Burgess brothers and James Graham are in the NRL, unlikely to return until they're looking for their pensions, while Owen Farrell never even got to play the game at 1st grade. The loss of players to Union is particularly galling (not least because it seems to be a total destroyer of talent - Karl Pryce, Lee Smith, Iestyn Harris, Joel Tomkins!), but even losing personnel to the NRL is a bind. Yes, they can still play for their country, but it's no help to us domestically.

I wouldn't just dismiss Hearn's views because our current crop of chairmen are less cavalier with signings than Maurice was. I'm sure some of them would be glad of some extra room in which to manouevre when RU scouts come along and dangle contracts containing nonsensical clauses about guaranteed England shirts, etc. It certainly can't hurt.

-Issue is making stars of our players. Marketing them to the general public making people want to watch them. Getting them out into the media and developing household names.
-Secondly keeping talent. Often we've seen top SL talent leave for RU or more commonly the NRL. Make the SL so players never dream of leaving
-Finally making the SL a desirable destination, so the likes of Owen Farrell etc want to play SL.

Money, salary, has to be a factor in these.

While I agree with Hearn regarding the cap, simply there isn't at the moment at least the money in the game to allow it, clearly Wigan are a prime example of a club being brought into line rather than allow rampant spending, yes it doesn't sit well when you see other clubs with seemingly endless budgets I think we all know what happens if things get out of hand,so maybe Lenegan is right,ndeed I'm sure he is.

Hearnt,and ill say this agin only excels in sports where they have utter controller have become such a big player it allows them room to get what they want, can you see there SL chairman letting go of control?

No nor can I.

Hearn rattles on about how RL should change in one sentence, then the next freely states he knows next to nowt about the game. Jog on for FFS will ya. I do think the cap needs raising, but it should be done gradually in line with properly expanding and marketing the product. Something the RFL are continually woefully inept at. Expansion for the sake of it is pointless, just as is spending what you don't have in the hopes of some miracle happening is suicide (Bradford, Keighley, Swinton anyone?). Cats have apparently stumped up a wedge to cover attendance losses should they get to Brent municipal stadium again next year, for the same reason Toronto & Tolouse refused to take part. And now we hear that the WC in 2025 is back out to tender because the Yanks are interested after all - who'd 've thought.
Don't know what the solution is at the end of all this, but I don't think Hearn is the Messiah, he's just a very wealthy boy.

Hearn doesn't have utter control in boxing. He has to answer to a number of boxing commissions.

That's more about belts, rules and mandatory challenges they may have to fight etc. He and his dad have control over purses, venues, PPV, opponents etc of the fighters under his management. The vast majority they control completely and for them, it's the most important bits they dictate.

Personally, I don't think the Hearns are the answer, he simply doesn't understand the game and also the number of owners he'd have to deal with, which they'd hate imo. He makes some points that we all know about but I bet it's nothing more than what he's picked up on twitter tbh.

If he's genuine about this, maybe he can put a proposal in for say the 2020 CC and how he'd change things to get more people through the gates and more people watching on TV and take it from there.
ATEOTD I think we all know it comes down to money and how much we get from TV rights, maybe he can negotiate our next contract with Sky and if we got a big increase it would all sort itself out to a certain extent.

Or on DAZN

No he doesn't but he isn't a small player by any means and where theres power theres money and money talks

Eddie has to deal with a number of commissions and boxing promoters which each fight he makes. Lots of red tape and complications along the way, through all this he has to pursued the general public to spend their money on the fights he makes. He's been done exactly what he feels RL needs, to build stars in the sport, figures who people want to watch.

With the current state of RL, we desperately need a change, Hearn has the right ideas, and the proven track record to make stars. What happens when you're more of a sporting star and popular in pop culture? You get sponsorship deals, more money, more of the spotlight, more columns on the back page more awareness to the game. This brings more fans and again more money.
He also has a deal with a global network DAZN, which will be a key player in sport in the future.

I can happen. Look at the UFC, only began in 2013, in 2017 it was sold for 4bn, now a growing global sport.

I accept all you say but the Hearns didn’t make much inroads in football,can’t recal Orient I know they had a one point,it’s not as simple as saying give them C,they would want x,and z,totall control of the sport,and that means dealing with 12 SL chairmen all with egos and who’ve just wrestled control of the SL for themselves.

The next TV deal won’t bring much in,with or without the Hearns and I think that’s what Elstone is here for to try and get the best deal,but listen to them all one one thing they agree there will be less money next time out,there is no guarantee Hearn could get more.

And most telling in all of this discussion is a quote from Eddie himself”the RFL and SL aren’t on the same page” which to my mind at least reads the SL don’t want anything to do with me,that’s as I read it anyway.

I don't. I think he means there's massive troubles within the sport as the clubs which take part in the league, and the league itself (SL), can't even seen eye-to-eye on how things should be ran. Nothing to do with him.

The Hearns cant make it any worse can they?? If there comitted into improving the game as a brand then get them involved, will do more in ten minutes that nigel wood has ever done for the game.

the RFL and Super league set up is a joke, 2 sets of admin, 2 sets of fat salaries, both sucking money out of the game, and then there is the 2 different agendas they may have....

UFC is currently celebrating its 25year anniversary & mixed combat sports in one form or another have been around a lot longer than RL

Exactly. the UFC. not MMA. A company which has become global in 25 years.

Don't see how the rise of the UFC has much to do with what the Hearns could achieve with RL. UFC has become what it is today because the Fertittas backed themselves & basically bought out all the competition which would be like the Hearns going out & taking over the NRL & RU then telling all the top talent your playing for SL teams now, it's not going to happen is it

Jesus. It was an example of how a sport when marketed and developed can reach heights. Only took 25 years to become global. How did they do this? Via creating stars within the company that people want to see.
Did they buy out the comp? No. There's Bellator OneFC etc all doing well.

Dana White is the first to admit as well they had quite a bit of luck to get where they are today. When Pride was still going and took over the UFC as the No.1 MMA organisation, the Fertittas bought the dwindling UFC in 2001 & they were losing money hand over fist for years. He tells a story about the brothers coming to him and wanting to pull out because they'd literally sunk $34 million after they bought it for 2 million and it wasn't getting any better and wanted to sell.

Then a couple of things happened, in 2005 the UFC went to Spike TV to sell them an idea of a reality TV show based around MMA and a contest to sign to the UFC at the end. Spike wasn't even interested, so the UFC offered to produce it cost-free for them, it was their last roll of the dice and cost them millions to do. After the 1st season of TUF and especially the final fight between Bonner and Griffin it started to create a load of hype and got signed for another few seasons. after that new fans started to buy PPV's that had never before but it was still behind Pride's huge events. Then in 2007 Pride lost its TV deal in Japan because of links with the Triads came to light. The UFC swooped in and bought Pride at a knockdown price and the vast majority of it's best fighters moved across, making it truly the place where you could see the best versus the best. That's really where they started to become what they are today imo. Along the way, they also bought Strikeforce, WFA, brought in lighter weight fighters with their purchase of the WEC and then introduced women to their ranks, funnily enough only a couple of years earlier Dana White said it would never happen.

Just shows you need luck, things to go your way and then take advantage of them, plus also willing to take the odd chance. Also, it helped being bankrolled by a couple of brothers who are billionaires that own Station Casinos to get where they are now.

still think the UFC was better when the gracies ran it

Why on earth would Rugby League get involved with people who seem to be able to market minority sports!! Crazy!!

Agreed, Sky ruined it enough. Tickets should be no more than a fiver. Whilst we are at it, get rid of Catalans, Toulouse and Toronto. No more nicknames, names on shirts or coloured boots. Instead of play offs, the team finishing top gets a brass tankard. Fans obliged to scowl throughout, and tut if Wigan don't score 50.

Well, you joke, but plenty seriously claim we'd be better off with no 40/20s, corner flag coming into play for try-scoring, and winter rugby on mud-heaps.