Name one person in that group as exciting with ball in hand as Brian Carney. I think one thing we lack at the minute is someone like Carney, unpredictable but usually brilliant. Burrow used to be able to do it, but he has had a poor season. I'm waiting for people to say Sam, or Eastmond, but neither have the excitment factor Carney did imo.

Pretty sure penrith are tabling a $500,000 per year 4 year deal and class him as a must keep marquee player. Plus he's only just started his origin career - I think he's not going to be leaving the NRL.

Thats the same as what Hayne is on right?

If we cant dream pal..

Batesy, Carney was great to watch, but he was not as exciting as Tomkins

I know what you mean though, his runs used to lift the team and the crowd. Feka should be doing it and well all our props should.. Wane will sort them out.

the cap has a lot to answer for,if every team could afford 2 or 3 top quality overseas players then people would pay to watch them,instead on the whole the cap only allows teams in super league to sign over the hill aussies or average ones who can't make the grade in top filght nrl. taking all the arguements for and against the cap that we have had,if it worked then why have the same 2 teams contested the last 3 grand finals.also the constant changing of rules every season doesn't help,neither does listening to the likes of cullen every week talking a load of cr@p.the game over here is run by amateurs and is also presented on tv in an amateurish way.i could count on one hand how many games this year that have been top class.there just isn't enough quality to go round.if the cap was lifted then granted not all teams could compete,but there would be more competition than there is now. you would probably end up with leeds,saints,wigan,wire and the 2 hull clubs able to buy the best,which is more than we have now.

the cap has a lot to answer for,if every team could afford 2 or 3 top quality overseas players then people would pay to watch them,instead on the whole the cap only allows teams in super league to sign over the hill aussies or average ones who can't make the grade in top filght nrl. taking all the arguements for and against the cap that we have had,if it worked then why have the same 2 teams contested the last 3 grand finals.also the constant changing of rules every season doesn't help,neither does listening to the likes of cullen every week talking a load of cr@p.the game over here is run by amateurs and is also presented on tv in an amateurish way.i could count on one hand how many games this year that have been top class.there just isn't enough quality to go round.if the cap was lifted then granted not all teams could compete,but there would be more competition than there is now. you would probably end up with leeds,saints,wigan,wire and the 2 hull clubs able to buy the best,which is more than we have now.

Aye dreams are great mate but while we live in a world were our effective basic cap is £800,000 less, and don't have a provision to pay payments outside of this for identified marquee players, and NSW+Queensland selectors won't look outside of Aus for Origin, and the test selectors won't look outside of Aus for test selection.......

We either have to go for players where there is already too much class infront of them (and there you are looking effectively at at least 4th choice in a position for Origin for single positions like Scrum half), players who are past their Origin best (though the very best play a damn long time, e.g. Langer, Lockyer), or players who are really young and would be prepared to play for a few seasons over here (though this is difficult as the very best will stay in Aus to push for 1st grade). Our best bet tbh for overseas quality recruitment remains the Kiwis/Pacific Islanders like it has been for a long time - though with the current international rules even some of these may not want to leave incase they can switch nationality at some point.

Really got to continue to develop our own youth, step it up a notch (where the bloody hell are the centres and modern style fullbacks), and then look at 1 or 2 really world class players. Though i suspect 1 is all that would be affordable, and even then maybe not wise if it's a current huge money signing. If it was me (and we can all be thankful its not), then i'd probably go with the youth plus a very very small number of TOP class Aussies/Kiwis that have a season or two left in them (e.g. Gene Miles, Steve Renouf) and rotate these through.

If you can make this a rolling setup, then after a few years you get a melbourne type situation were your key players have been brought through your academy and probably cost you less than the same skill bought in, you can be bringing through your youth each year, and you can make 1 or 2 good signings were needed as when the opportunity arises (e.g. Brett Finch at the Storm)

Just my AU$0.02

I think that's harsh, but quite right to have your opinion.

Neither have the ability to get injured like old biscuit legs either j/k

riversideboy wrote:the cap has a lot to answer for,if every team could afford 2 or 3 top quality overseas players then people would pay to watch them,instead on the whole the cap only allows teams in super league to sign over the hill aussies or average ones who can't make the grade in top filght nrl. taking all the arguements for and against the cap that we have had,if it worked then why have the same 2 teams contested the last 3 grand finals.also the constant changing of rules every season doesn't help,neither does listening to the likes of cullen every week talking a load of cr@p.the game over here is run by amateurs and is also presented on tv in an amateurish way.i could count on one hand how many games this year that have been top class.there just isn't enough quality to go round.if the cap was lifted then granted not all teams could compete,but there would be more competition than there is now. you would probably end up with leeds,saints,wigan,wire and the 2 hull clubs able to buy the best,which is more than we have now. I agree with a lot of what you said. I don't think it's necessary to remove the cap, rather to increase it somewhat (and certainly there should be at least a yearly cost of living increase), and include some marquee player provisions (for these players they can earn some additional income via club sponsors and it does not come from the main cap, but you are limited in the number of marquee players you can designate) like in the NRL

riversideboy wrote:the cap has a lot to answer for,if every team could afford 2 or 3 top quality overseas players then people would pay to watch them,instead on the whole the cap only allows teams in super league to sign over the hill aussies or average ones who can't make the grade in top filght nrl. taking all the arguements for and against the cap that we have had,if it worked then why have the same 2 teams contested the last 3 grand finals.also the constant changing of rules every season doesn't help,neither does listening to the likes of cullen every week talking a load of cr@p.the game over here is run by amateurs and is also presented on tv in an amateurish way.i could count on one hand how many games this year that have been top class.there just isn't enough quality to go round.if the cap was lifted then granted not all teams could compete,but there would be more competition than there is now. you would probably end up with leeds,saints,wigan,wire and the 2 hull clubs able to buy the best,which is more than we have now. I agree with a lot of what you said. I don't think it's necessary to remove the cap, rather to increase it somewhat (and certainly there should be at least a yearly cost of living increase), and include some marquee player provisions (for these players they can earn some additional income via club sponsors and it does not come from the main cap, but you are limited in the number of marquee players you can designate) like in the NRL

I thought the general problem was that there are no marquee players?

Improvement in player ability will come as they get used to playing against set defences and have to produce better quality, like they have in Australia.

The incessant speeding up of the game, leading to the number of players that can only scoot from dummy half (and Saints have struggled more than most since this was negated) has damaged the game and the players far more than any salary cap has.

The problem is that it will take time, will people have the patience to reap the rewards at a later date?

I guess it's a little chicken and egg situation with Marquee players, I think it's nice to have a target, that if you 'become that good' the clubs have a mechanism outside of the pure standard cap figure to financially reward you. I'd hope it's at least on the drawing board for future ideas, even if it's maybe not currently necessary for our current crop of players.

I agree completely on the fact that players will improve far more playing against organised set defences than they ever could going for a hyper fast play the ball and quick scoot for easy metres.

And you're right it's going to take time, tbh it's probably a generational timeframe to truly reap the full benefit of changes. Hopefully clubs and hence the RFL will take the long term view, and I think some certainly are going down those lines.

For me the first step is the kind of thing we've just done, take a good long hard look at some of the clubs in the NRL over a good period of time, visit them multiple times, talk to people across all facets at the clubs, and then look at implementing the same sort of top to bottom professional approach that modern clubs like the Storm have taken to RL. Of course it remains to be seen if it will pay dividends and in what timeframe they will start to be seen, and if fans and club chairmen alike can be patient enough to see things through.

I hope so for the sake of our game.