Wigan have vastly improved their training facilities, academy and back room staff as a way of investing cash in other facets of the club as they cannot pay the players any more because of the cap.

My main issue with the cap is that we are losing players to RU and NRL who have a much higher cap. The reason for the higher caps in both these other sports is TV revenue. The poor deal with Sky that was agreed earlier this year will limit our cap until the end of the decade. The RFL/SL need to point out to Sky that unless they double, or preferably treble their payments to allow a cap that can compete with the other two competitions then they will be televising an increasingly poor product that will ultimately lose them viewers.

4 clubs want it because they've got rich backers. 8 clubs dont because they can see where it will lead to. For the first time next season we should have every SL club able to pay the full salary cap. Let's give it a couple of years to see if the level salary cap, cough, actually brings a more even playing field.

Something has to happen quicker than two more years.

Much as I think it would benefit RL in Europe just to scrap the salary cap at all levels (along with something like MC suggested) I'd be happy for 2015 to keep the salary cap but with each club's highest salary cap value player exempted - so long as the decision is made before the 2015 Super League season kicks-off.

That could well mean we get Sam Burgess back in Super League in time for the 2015 NZ tour here. (Burgess is a FORWARD. But it's looking like he won't be in the England RU team - they don't want skilled rugby players in their forwards - they just need people who are good at "specialised jobs"icon_wink.gif.

that's not true. 3 clubs want it because the businesses can afford it and they see the damage of not having it. 2 clubs want it because they have rich backers. 1 club doesn't want it because they have bought themselves a massive new asset and are happy to see the player paying for that, 2 clubs don't want it because they are a financial basket case operating at a level above what their finances can sustain and 4 clubs don't want it because they can't afford it and believe that rules should be put in place to keep them competitive.

We have had the same salary cap for 10 year and it is lower than it was 13 years, and wages themselves are far lower than they were 15 years ago, not just in real terms adjusted for inflation but in absolute terms.

The top clubs have been going backwards for 15 years in terms of wages, some clubs STILL haven't caught up and they have STILL spent themselves in to oblivion and the STILL got the facilities they need to compete. At what point do we accept that they aren't catching up? 20 years? 50 years?

Which is great, but if thing keep going, the awesome facilities and grass roots work at Wigan and other such club are just going to become a nursery for future RU and NRL stars.

Like I said this next season is the first year all 12 clubs can afford full cap. Players earn what the game can afford, it's not like clubs are using the spare cash they are making to pocket it or give it to share holders. When the game can get a bigger tv deal and more people through the gate the players can earn more. I've got no problem with a comp basing on a reasonable medium its salary cap to keep the games competitive as possible.

If we were losing 15-20 players out of the comp fair enough, but we aren't and won't.

Some clubs do have spare cash that they are giving to shareholders. Some have money they are desperate to spend. We have lost our best halfback, best back, and best forwards, but keeping businesses who haven't invested in and grown their businesses sufficiently competitive is clearly the most important thing .

Of the 12 clubs that will start SL in 2015 how many had cash to spare at the end of 2014?

well Leeds, Wigan, Wire, Salford and Hudds have all told us they want to spend more money, so at least 5. The RFL have told us they think more should be spent on wages so id expect more, but some find it quite beneficial to run the clubs at a loss whilst paying back directors loans to themselves.

I don't know as all the super league chairman? I doubt they'll tell you tbh though.

All the chairmens best friend is ol' gutters. If you ask him nicely he might give you Ian Lenegans personal private home phone number.

Telling us they want to spend more and HAVING spare cash are not the same thing........we've had plenty if clubs wanting to spend more in the past when they didn't HAVE the spare cash....._BOOM.
Ian lenegans home number I don't have......but you do like embellishing things in an attempt to appear clever!

I think certain clubs need to spend more on junior development than they do now, and be fully committed to it.

A marquee player exemption would solve the issue. Make it so the marquee signing has to be either in your own club, to keep a star player, or a signing outside of SL so we don't weaken half the comp. pay them whatever you like. Issue sorted.

Hang some rich guy willing to spend money the club doesn't have is a short sighted recipe for un sustainability. The games history is littered with failed clubs whose owners gambled and lost.

Well put in a financial fair play rule then instead of a cap, if an owner puts money in and he writes the money off then.fair play, this will stop all these barmy chairman that everyone seems to think are about that will spend millions they don't have, tbh I don't think chairman of the lower clubs would over spend, it's the big clubs in the past who've done it.

This has to be the 1 st option

This has to be the 1 st option

The marquee player option will kill a team. Ask Wally Lewis about hi time at Wakey.

Your that good and you get all the big bucks, then you do it all will be the general feeling in the rest of the team.

Recipe for disaster, but then the RFL are such good cooks.

Oh right so because wally Lewis at Wakefield didn't work out that means no other player at any other club would?

Wally Lewis was a c0ck so that wouldn't help either.

Wire have spent £500k on a new indoor training facility even though we only started using the UoC campus a few seasons back.

We definitely have some cash to spend.

Isn't fraudulent trading illegal?

Yes it is. But what was described isn't fraudulent trading unless the company know they cannot or will not pay back the creditor.
That's different to having fewer assets than liabilities.
Most people who've gone into negative equity have fewer assets than liabilities, it doesn't necessarily mean you can't pay the mortgage.

What year was that?

Why what would Wally Lewis say?
I played 11 games alongside Wally Lewis at Wakefield Trinity and he loved every minute of his time with the team and in the city. I still speak to him regularly today and he holds a special place in his heart for the club and really wants to come back at some stage to do after-dinner speaking and catch up with the many friends he made.

The only way it didn't work out was that Wakefield even with Wally Lewis didn't avoid relegation that season but his influence and impact on the club is felt even today.

If you are referring to the supposed player revolt because of the money he was earning whilst it is true there were about three older senior players who for their own petty reasons resented the money that Wally was being paid that was the limit of it. It lasted about a week and those three senior professionals were put firmly in their place by the other players the committee of the club and Wally himself via his performances on the field.

To the poster who says that he was a c0ck, you obviously didn't know him and have never spent any time with him because he is anything but!

Must be great memories!

Wonder if you played at Belle Vue on Wally's debut. (Also Pter Sterling's debut for Hull FC). I can recall to this day the amazing roar when Wally made his first clean break!

Also saw him sent off at Headingley on Boxing Day for back chat. Recall Nigel Stephenson I think ushering him off the field. Wonder if Nigel was one of the 3? Wally said he would never play in England again after that - and he didn't!