So it turns out, according to the League Express, that the RFL are paying £25k per annum of the salaries of Ben Currie, Darryl Clark and Sam Tomkins to keep them in the UK. A number of rival SL clubs only discovered about this process a fortnight ago. This has led to further ill-feeling in some quarters about the RFL's policy of doing deals behind closed doors.

Bag of spanners.

total joke! our governing body is a circus!

I can't imagine £25k would make any difference when you look at the size of NRL or union contracts. Reckon there could be some secret cap dispensation rules going on as well, if you're in the circle of trusted clubs, obviously.

Currie is very obviously gonna be a star...but as of now isn't even a rep player. I'd pick that right apart if I was a chairman of another club..thinking particularly of wakey with young johnston gI've how hard it is for them to hold players at the best of times

Add to that we have yet to see evidence that Tomkins is still deserving of superstar status because there was very little of it last season, plus I thought he was the marquee player so there is no need to chip in.

Looks like Warrington have got their salary cap bending mojo back though - Wigan of course have never lost it.

If that is correct its an absolute disgrace.

Hope the heads of the non-preferred clubs get together and make their immediate representations to the RL hierarchy.

There is no transparency with this organisation, and total lack of trust from the fan base and many of the Chairman and Coaches.
There are no grounds for any assistance or favouritism regarding governing bodies in sport favouring certain players or clubs, and yet ours seems to live by this standard !!. A standard which can only cause further concern in the game generally, and places our game firmly in the laughing stock Category.

If what Mrs B has shared is correct, it does beg questions of the moral standing of some individuals on both sides of the fence. Providers and receivers.
How do such decisions come about ? do the club go cap in hand to the RL when they realise they can not afford a players revised £££ aspirations versus overseas competition ? or is their an unwritten rule, that a certain number of named elite players can benefit from such an "arrangement" in order to keep them in our game ? What on earth is actually going on ??

I hope Hull FC are not involved.

If the RL want this new standard, then surely the way is to be open and honest about it, and raise the cap, and let those clubs who can afford it take advantage of it ? Because in hidden way that's what is happening anyway. !!!

For me the cap system has created a more interesting and level competition. If there was more transparency perhaps it would be "even more level."

Does this mean that the farce over Solomona could have been avoided?

Divide and rule comes to mind. Whilst the RL have a posse of friends ( clubs enjoying favours beyond the norm ) then it will be very difficult to unseat the current regime ; which has been needed for a considerable time. Ever since the success of the World Cup competition in this country they have undersold the game starting with the premature commitment to an extended undervalued Sky contract.
At that time we were second only to Soccer in the viewing figures, a bargaining tool lost that should have secured a better deal with or outside of Sky as we were told other broadcasters were supposedly interested. Instead we are saddled with our current deal till 2022 and more lucrative deals were struck by other sports enabling in part larger salary cap limits . This in no small way has lead to a whole raft of problems not least in funding areas of the game which should be standard throughout , such as properly organised Academy and Under 23 sides for all clubs . More development staff not less as we now have .
It's all well and good , and we all want to have a strong and succesful international side but we can't put the roof on the house without a solid foundation !

Can we just ensure we don't start slinging mud (particularly at the RFL) where there is no evidence?

Thanks