An explaination of the different classifications just for Scott, Im sure you understand homegrown and quota so I'll explain non fed vs fed trained:

Non Fed - A player who has not spent 3 years training at a UK club before reaching the age of 21
Fed Trained - A player who has spent 3 years training at a UK club before reaching the age of 21

There is an excemption to this ruling (The Gene ruling) whereas if you were signed up for a UK club pre Feb 2008, you could apply in the last year of your current contract to become classed as a Fed Trained player as long as you wasn't classed as a quota player.

Mason falls into the non fed catogory and is not elidgable for excemption so unless Rovers have invented a new way of getting a player classed as a fed trained player(like they did with Gene), he should be always classed as a non fed player regardless of passport.

Perhaps HKR have managed to register the Toronto Scorpions as a UK club? That would do it!

Are you still sticking by your "eventually it will resolve itself as Galea/Vella retire" mantra or has that been abandoned now? I did say a while back that those teams with a genuine commitment to the long game, developing youth and acquiring British players, are in fact being penalised by others not bothering and seeking dispensations after the event. Take Westerman. We played the long game there in anticipation of him being at a premium, naively believing that quotas would actually come down, and it cost us a big fee. In hindsight, would we have signed him with only 2 quota players at the club and the possibility of getting a South Seas Island prop instead?

Let's face it hkr will probably lose 4 of their overseas stars after this year but now they've had another rule change they'll sign some more, as will others.

And a excellent point mrs b

No - this completely undermines that argument, which is why I'm so surprised. I think the quota was sold on a very shaky premise - that it'd improve the England team. Where it is was more likely to succeed, though I'm personally a little ambivalent about it, was in retaining (or regaining) SL's flavour as a British competition.

Whether Hull FC have been naive, as you put it, or just victims of bad luck I don't know. The RFL does seem to be acting randomly and making policy on the hoof in this instance - which'll create luck, good and bad, and see good and bad judgement go unrewarded/unpunished.

I'd love to know the thinking (I'm assuming there must be some) behind the new policy, and await the RFL's replies to Kosh's and Scott's e-mails with interest.

People need to stop worrying about Rovers, massive losses, unpaid debts and uncontrolled budgets do not make a sound business plan!

Does anyone else think this whole overseas players question is an absolute farce?
Quota, non quota, fed trained, not fed trained...
The whole thing is a joke and the rest of the sporting world must be look at RL and its constent tinkering of the rules as a laughing stock.
Surely it should just go on where you are born, end of story, agree on a number of non UK born players alowed in a squad and stick to it, simple.

I believed the basis premise was sound and I also understood that the employment law monster was always going to raise its head at times (such as the Stanley Gene ruling) which I believe was fair for the individuals involved. However, if what appears to be the general perception of the Mason situation is correct - i.e. that any Tongan counts as federation trained (and probably, therefore, other south sea islanders) - then it =#0000FFis a complete farce and I think that clubs who have looked to follow the spirit of the quota system will curse the day they ever invested in youth.

Not sure if you are agreeing with me or not but the whole system is pretty shambolic imo.
either introduce a place of birth system, which as you say would probably not be possible due to employment law or just scrap the whole idea and throw doors open and have unlimited non UK players as in the Prem League.

I'm saying I agree with the idea of a quota =#0000FFif they stick to it but if this Mason thing turns it all on its head then it's not only shambolic but also completely unfair to clubs who have invested heavily in the future development of youth.

The rule has changed there also, 8 of their 25 man squad must be 'homegrown'

So in short the RFL have either messed up big time or Rovers are cheating and we now only have 2 non fed trained players.

As I have posted on the VT, you can now have a 25 man squad as follows:
8 homegrown players
5 Australians
12 Tongans
So if you don't have any injuries, you don't need to field any British players at all.

Scrapping the academy and spending the money scouting in the South Sea Islands would appear to be the way forward.

Jesus.....how will the young ones ever get a chance with that...very poor

Indeed.

The RFL needs to make it simple. Something like 3/4/5 non British/French players per SL side, all these Maltese and other EU passports coming out of the woodwork are making a mockery of the system.

To make sure all clubs agree just make it part of the SL rules and if they dont like the rules they are more than welcome to drop out.

havent really read previous posts and pages so dont have a go, all this quota non quota bussiness all got scrapped and changes to fed and non fed now players like galea,vella ect count as fed trained because they were here before the new rule was introduced so how on earth does mason count as fed trained it dosent matter wether hes got an tongan passport so has moa and lauaki but they still class as non fed

That's the point, they're fed now, so we have 3 spare quota spots.

thanks for that, well the rfl have made a right joke of this then. right then lets just sign a load of aussies get them a tongan passport and get them over here

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Might be worth some clarification from the club?

The thing is, you can't limit a team to players 'just because they are foreign' and as we are part of the EU you cannot deny ANY EU person entry/work.

Can you however do one of the next 2 things:

1. Effectively charge per non-UK player. ie: You can have as many Aussies, NZs or Tongans as you like but it costs 25/50k per 'quota' player from the salary cap thus limiting your financial capabilities.

2. A player becomes 'homegrown' after completing 4 full seasons at one club (transferred players would have this reset to 0) so maybe eventually you could have loads of 'foreigners' but would encourage to at least give longer terms contracts, which clubs would be unlikely to want to do with older players, and thus encourage the use of younger players from abroad. Only 3 players at any one time on the 'non-homegrown' lists

ATEOTD, Aussies have been coming over for a final contract/paycheque. If any players really want to test themselves in the Superleague, they will have to do it earlier or while they are in their prime!!

So if all this is true why was Melli of St.Helens [not George frozen out by the visa people, when infact had a job and by EEC law was entitled to come and work here???

Can he now take them to the European court and claim loss of pay and inconvience money.

Hell of a can of worms some one is opening up here.

Have just emailed the club asking about Sam Moa and Lauaki getting dispensation to become Fed trained, freeing up 2 non fed spots in the squad.

They should just bring a ruling out that 12 of the 17 need to be EU trained as per the old/currentish rules. Let teams have as many foreign players as they like but they can only play 5 in any game. Clubs wont want to stockpile aussies etc if they have to pay they but cant play them. Its not stopping any player from employment then is it?