We do both already.

The team we have is the result of previous seasons investments, and we all know that in November there will be news of a "big" signing just before the season ticket prices are announced, its as certain as christmas.

It's bemusing because it means we're not playing as well as we can.

Not playing as well as we can means it isn't as attractive to the spectators (evidenced by our lower attendances this season), corporates, sponsors etc.

And don't forget, we're out of the cup. One of our goals at the beginning of the season was to win the cup, so we're clearly not achieving our goals.

You're right - it is a business. Which is why it's important to increase revenue by drawing the crowds, and also to stay in relatively lucrative competitions like the Challenge Cup.

How does spending up to your cap limit mean you'll play better?

For the last two years Wigan have most likely had a salary spend equal to or more than that of Leeds - remind me again how far that got them both on the field and in terms of increasing crowds?

Wigan and Leeds are two completely different clubs with different players. To compare the two is pointless.

In the case of Leeds, spending up to cap would mean more players. This would benefit the club in two ways. Firstly, players could be rotated and rested, ensuring we get the best out of them for as long as possible. Secondly, it allows the coach to drop players if they're not playing well and replace them with people who are eager to prove their place.

This worked particularly well in 2004. Do you remember 2004?

Thats only relevant if these"signings" are the right people on the right money.
GH has consistently been trying to improve the squad i.e. Pritchard,Soliola,Millard,Eastwood etc the reasons these haven't come off are not imo the clubs fault.
Whats the point in signing players to top up yer squad if the deals and players aren't right for the club???????

Duncan that is the what the salary cap does - it produces a more even more mediocre competition. It has happened in Australia and it is happening here. Rather than forcing teams to improve their team, youth development, infrastructure, marketing etc it simply allows the poorer sides to wait for the better sides to come back to them.

Add to that the fact the cap has not moved in 10+ years what have you got poorer squads - the teams that will prosper are those that can develop a good crop of young players who are able to function at the elite level for a fraction of their very average NRL developed team mates - Saints look to be in the best position with their current crop of youngsters.

On the positive it could give a number of Bristish youngsters the opportunity to develop at the elite level - every cloud!!!!

Of course it would only make sense if the players were right.

But I can't believe that there aren't any players in the world of rugby league that wouldn't have improved our squad.

I do, I remember Leeds had a raft of young players in the first team squad, many of whom were on their first professional contracts still.

I also remember that the cap was £200k higher five years ago.

Why is comparing what two clubs of similar size have done with their respective playing budgets and their contrasting results pointless?

I also remember us signing Ali mid-season that year, so must have played at least part of that season under the cap.

What is obvious is that the club have identified and tried to sign who they deem suitable for the right price this hasn't happened for reasons beyond the clubs control.

The point is that we had lots of bodies, meaning we could rest/drop players. This played a major part in our success.



I could use Saints instead of Wigan and point them out as an example of how spending all your cap results in success. You could pick whichever club suits your viewpoint. That's why it's pointless.

Exactly - a signing mid-season this year would have been good for us I'm sure.

IIRC the signing was only possible because in his 1st half season here we used the CC bonus money to get him so i don't think the "cap space" was all that big.

So really your point about spending up to the cap is pointless as you've come up with two examples that completely contradict each other ?

The way I look at it is that Leeds would have had a better squad if they had spent their full allocation that the cap permits this season.

Had they done so, results and performances may have been better than they have been so far. They may have retained the WCC, they may have been playing in a Challenge Cup semi final next weekend and they may have been sat four points clear on the table in good shape to defend their championship.

Were Leeds at full cap spend none of these unknowns would be possible we'd simply be where we are now. No longer WCC holders, out of the Challenge Cup at the first hurdle, sat in second on the competition table and mounting a regular version of the great escape on matchdays.

They way I look at it a settled squad allowed us to retain the Lazenby Cup this year and guarantee us a second chance in the end of season play-offs. Of course the failure to recapture the Tetley's Festive Challenge was a set back, but I'm sure we can put that right next season.

The way I see it at the start of the season there are four objectives for the reigning champion team:

1) The SL Title
2) The Challenge Cup
3) The World Club Championship
4) The League Leaders Shield

In the off season the club will seek to assemble a squad (within the limits of salary cap and quotas) to achieve as many of the objectives as is humanly possible.

So far the reigning champions have recorded two fails with two targets still possibilities.

Maybe I care less about "the game" than you do then because none of thios concerns me in the slightest.

I am happy that the "lesser" teams are competetive and that the game I watch is hardly ever a foregone conclusion these days.

If you're right about the dropping of standards I don't really care to be honest. One thing I know, sport is cyclical and one day leeds will go through what the Bulls are going through, one day the Bulls will become dominant again, one day GB/England will dominate the Aussies.

I can do nothing to bring any of that about so I just enjoy my rugby and I enjoyed Saturday.

Perhaps that is a sad indictment of me. Perhaps I should demonstrate I care as much about the game as you do. How does your concern for the game manifest itself because you haven't paid to watch a match in several years? So how does this work - I don't put any money into the game at all and sit back and moan and criticise it?

I don't see either of these things happening whether I agree with the cyclical nature of sport or not.

Bradford (I think) are going to have a very difficult future.

Yes, that's it.

If you want to keep your money in your pocket your choice enjoy watching whatever it is you enjoy watching and if its rugby league then prehaps another team more exciting who spend lots of money on STARS might be your cup of tea , can I suggest Huddersfield ?

No.

Comparing Leeds against other teams with regard to the cap is pointless for the reasons already stated.

Making a point about Leeds being better for having more players if they spent to cap is not.

Is it really that difficult to understand?

So setting aside the fact that there is a finite number of players suitable for SL and that in some positions there may actually be none available at the time of spending - you're saying that you're confident that spending all of the salary budget would have benefitted Leeds whilst at the same time you're providing evidence of clubs where doing the same thing has not benefitted them ?

Do you often take all of the cake off the table and eat it ?

I'm saying that spending fully to cap compared with our current (alleged) spending would bring in more players, thereby improving our performances due to the ability to rest players, and to drop them if need be.

And I can't believe there aren't any players who would enhance our squad out there. Rugby league is a relatively small world, but it isn't that small!

I haven't said anything about any other club with regards to the cap, other than to state how pointless it is to mention them in this context. Someone mentioned Wigan, I mentioned Saints to highlight the fact.

I quite like cake, though.

There has to be cake in there somewhere, I simply can't imagine a world without cake.