I know the clubs themselves decided on the sanctions but this should merit a points deduction - there's no satisfactory mitigating circumstances.

I know the senior management at the club had a billion things going on last year but this should be their absolute top priority at all times and this is an example of incompetence, something I've never accused them (Hetherington) of before.

frankly anyone who paid that shower of so much they broke the cap needs sacking

You’re right to a degree which is why I’d rather it were a points deduction as a punishment however you would assume the punishment would be harsher had Leeds previously broken the cap.

Breaching the cap to upgrade the contract of Luke Briscoe, sums up the post treble mismanagement, unbelievable.

Luke Briscoe’s contract isn’t/wasn’t the problem though. It’s that of squad players on significantly more than a squad players cap space.

I think we can guess some of those that were taking up space that Sinfield didn’t think were worth it. The likes of Garbutt, Parcell, Golding, Keinhorst etc.

I suppose no-one really knows (including at Leeds apparently) what the players are on but I’d guess that we’re getting more value for money out of Luke Briscoe than plenty of other players contracts.

Its not acceptable for any team to go a penny over the cap in my opinion. They all know the fogure, all know their wage bill and every team that cheats claims 'administration error" as some kind of excuse. Its nonsense.

A 20k fine, half suspended suns up the game. What deterrent is that? Unbelievable.

Leeds is a gold standard club that does things the right way. Any breach is not acceptable. Its a clear sign how eyes have been taken off the ball im recent years and an indication of why weve finished so low in the table. Overpaying below average players.

For a live system to take so long to bring this to a conclusion isnt right either.

The only deterrent should be a points deduction. Fines do nothing. All clubs should know the points they get deducted based on the amount they go over and it should increase for 2nd and 3rd offences.

I repeat again this is not acceptable for Leeds and a major embarrassment for the club and its fanbase.

This is a very honest post, which I whole heartedly agree with.

I agree that the fine is no deterrent and that the club is bang out of order.

That said, the cap is now ridiculously low for what is supposed to be a professional sport. I can only see there being further breaches as the better-off sides struggle to accommodate squads of even half-decent quality.

So Leeds give Parcell an improved contract part way through the season, his pay goes up accordingly, but they don't actually bother to tell the RFL about the improved deal until the end of the season?
Hetherington calls this an 'administrative error', I think that's putting it lightly to be honest. You could argue that that sounds like an intentional decision. And not being able to monitor your own spend on salaries is just amateurish.

Its so embarrassing. Everyone will think our fantastic squad and success of the last 2 years is due to the breach!






Seriously, it shows how far our management’s eyes were off the ball. Maybe its time for a retirement?

fantastic post.

23 year unblemished record to 4 breaches in 1 season? Absolute nonsense.

Don't disagree. But proving intent would be well nigh impossible. The rules are a fudge designed purely to ensure the cap remains acceptable. Personally, I reckon it'll be scrapped in a year or two if there's no substantial raising of the level.

Forgetting to register a contract's right up there with the dog ate my homework in terms of credibility.

Breaching the cap to avoid relegation with that squad though ?

If we don’t have a salary cap manager, we should have. In fact each SL club should have to have one if they don’t already. Perfect job for someone with basic accounting / auditing skills.

Or simple ability to add and subtract. Which shows what a stupid mistake it was. Head(s) should roll.

Best run club in Rugby League, but slipped up on that one .like what has been Intimated maybe it of management fatigue has been setting in. Bit of freshening up needed?

I can't imagine many bonuses are paid that year either.

For me blaming contact upgrades reeks of BS to me. Leeds singed the likes of Crosby, briscoe and another bloke in a bid to avoid relegation.

A small fine it's a poor punishment especially as I feel Leeds have done this cynically

It's easy to forget most of the 2018 squad were GF winners a few months prior.

Hall
Briscoe
Watkins
Moon
Myler
Garbutt
Parcel
Cuthbertson
Ferres
Delaney

Won't have been cheap.

The whole thing just shows how we've taken our eye off the ball though, and how much breaches should be punished as they're found.

At least it puts paid to the rubbish that was been spouted about how Leeds never paid up to the cap.

Yes but with arguably the worst squad in years

I think we should put Dianne Abbott in charge...

The younger players of the great team had been underpaid for years, they'd finally got the deserved upgrades. This was always how it worked and as long as the team kept winning and players who left for more money turned into turkeys, it worked a treat.

Ah well, it brings us in line with most of the other teams in SL. Who's left that hasn't been done for SL breaches now? We did the crime we pay the fine!

Didn’t most of the other breaches involve clubs challenging for honours? If so, another sign of our ineptitude. I’ve always respected GH for what he’s achieved at HQ and at Sheffield and still do, but he’s presided over this mess for too long now.