Ooooooh no I didn't

It might have done, had it been enforced.

It doesn't stop it but it does make it less likely. Crusaders went bust the first time round because they were already in debt and accumulating CCJs before they joined SL. That's despite the RFL describing them as "financially stable" in their licensing decision. Had they not entered SL with debts, they might not have gone bust.

They had these debts partly because the RFL was turning a blind eye to them breaking the salary cap by importing Queensland league players on full-time contracts whilst in NL2. Had they not been doing this, it is unlikely that they would have been promoted to NL1 and thus been in a position to apply for SL.



Yes, the worst aspect of the salary cap was removing the restriction on %age of turnover thus allowing everybody to spend the full cap. Some clubs can afford the full cap and others can't but will spend it anyway.

It would be fine by me if they actually had the money to do this and not run up debts. My issue is that a blanket "salary cap restrictions should not apply to expansion clubs" is a) unfair (although I do agree about the player availability and travelling costs which perhaps should be taken into account) b) madness if the expansion clubs don't have the money (and they usually don't).

It's a dead-duck argument, as the expansion clubs aren't getting a different salary cap, and all teams will get the same central funding and travel costs over a set distance paid.

We're arguing about what "ought to be" not "what is".

Although I'd point out that Crusaders were breaching the SC as an NL club.

Times passed since the interview but he did clearly mention about going to SL. No mention of fast tracking or anything, just they hoped they could be in SL in a couple of years

They didnt spend it, so it made no difference.

I'm talking about pre-SL. The first Crusaders bankruptcy was supposedly due to debts run up chasing the SL dream. Crusaders clearly were breaking the NL salary cap even if they never got anywhere near the SL salary cap.

Welcome to rugby league northhampton, hope to draw you in the cup in the not to distant future, best of luck for the future.