I suppose that's true if you ignore:
a) the salary cap exemptions given to Wigan when the cap was introduced, and
b) the biggest cap breach penalty in SL history, and
c) the fact that Wigan have been quoted as one of the clubs that used the "tax breaks", in fact I think IL admitted as much IIRC (someone on here will recall).

Funny that Dave Whelan is reported to have refused to use such nefarious tax schemes (despite his large usage of other tax 'efficiency' schemes in his various companies), yet Wigan Athletic are one of the football clubs that are being investigated for just such use.

Amusing thread. Typical of the CC debate. Wigan fans raise genuine concerns about the threat to the game as a whole - which is consistent with the way that most Wigan fans have approached salary cap issues since the cap was first proposed, with many, myself included believing at the outset that it was worth trying for the good of RL even if likely not to be in Wigan's short term interest.

Saints fans then attempt to derail the debate and turn it into a discussion about Wigan, recycling many of the old, failed arguments, irrelevancies and urban myths.... the one argument they can't use of course is that Wigan fans wouldn't be opposing the CC if their team was on top. We are back on top and many of us are still against the CC, because we are RL fans first, not blinded by hatred/fear of another club or a parochial my-club-first mentality....

Someone should now lock this thread, because that sums it up perfectly.

The SC exemptions were only given to Wigan because they had to be.
Wigan had players under contract to a value far more than the SC. The SC limit was decided almost overnight. Wigan let the RFL know that if they (Wigan RL) cancelled the player's contracts those players most certainly would sue the club for breech of contract. Equally certain, I believe, the RFL were informed that should that happen Wigan would seek financial redress from the RFL.
As you know the RFL capitualted and Wigan were allowed dispensation.

"The most massive breech" Not sure which case this is. Wigan were deducted points for a massive breech and contested the decision. An independent panel was set up who's decision was that Wigan had not breeched the salary cap nor broken the salary cap rules but had contravened the spirit of the salary cap. They were therefore deducted league points although of course they had not breeched the cap nor broken the SC rules.

The various scams I mentioned were the use of image rights, benefit trusts etc and the then numerous other scams. The HMRC has now set limits on amounts allowed for image rights so all clubs can work on the same basis.

As long as the SC is in force there will be suspicion that winning clubs are breaking the cap when very likely they are not. This is not healthy for the game.
I really do think that after 10 years or so of this SC we do look for an alternative which will be transparent, easily understood and virtually cost free to administer. The Aussies appear ready to do it, so should we.

Try telling that to your players, some of whom epitomised playing the victim card during the GF and at other times during the season, particularly in the case of your ginger scouse Whinger. Secondly tell it to your fans who have been moaning about injuries, your coach and many of your players all season on PlasticScouse.com.

Incidentally the only thing I have against the salary cap is that no fulltime professional player should be expected to put their bodies on the line week in week out to entertain the fans whilst earning less than 25k a year in some cases due to a system which doesn't allow for young players coming through from the under 20's to cover for injuries to have their contracts renegotiated mid season due to the 'spirit of the cap'. Judging by your frequent visits to our forums I'd say the phrase 'all about Wigan' could quite easily be used to describe the reasons for your apparent obsession, bitterness and jealousy. I suggest you spent a bit less time on here and a little bit more time dealing with your issues whilst reflecting on another Grand Final loss.

Can't we get past this Saints/Wigan argument and see who the real enemy is.
We all have to stick together and fight for the good of the game.
I understand the rivalry between our two great clubs but we both have a common enemy(not Wire BTW) and fight for the kids in our game.
Surely we can all do this for the good of the game.

The 20/25 was abolished a few years back wasn't it?

Well yeah, but the RFL don't post on here, AFAIK...

English RL needs Sam Tomkins as he's the best player in the league. Shame he isn't more marketable.

Interesting view. Let's just ignore that he's one of the few British RL players to date - if not the only one - who's featured in a TV advertising campaign.

Clearly someone doesn't agree with you.

Which one?

The one run on Granada for the Wigan v Warrington match last July.

I think what he means is that he is not marketable on a national scale.

Of course he has featured in the clubs TV ad, but that is not the same as advertising products for Nike, Puma, Adidas, Gilette etc.

Thats not the lads fault obviously, more another symptom our sports lack of media coverage.

He is withouth a doubt the best young English player in the game at the momment and it is a shame that your average man on the street will never know who he is because of the sport he plays.

In that respect, I can't think of too many British RL players who've been marketable.

Personally, I thought the OP was having a snide dig at Sam, but if I'm wrong I apologise to him and take the point.

Perhaps he was, i dont know.

Regards other RL players in marketing. i cant think of anybody either.

Strange one really, these lads are at the absolute top of their physical peak and they are not even picked up by Maximuscle etc.

Weird one that when they have these skinny footballers in there adverts and not hulking beasts like Fielden, Morely, Joel etc.

You would have thought that the build of your average RL player would be more desired by males than that of a scrawney wendyballer?

Mind you there was a time when you could not move for pictures of that ponce Gavin Henson. Maybe we should get Sam to shack up with some minor celebrity and the cash will start rolling in.

Not a dig at all. He is the brightest star in the game and would be great if we could use him to promote our game nationwide. If you look at Offiah and Hanley in the 90's lot's of people outside of our game knew who they were.

I think that is more the fault of the fact that RL in not really on mainstream TV. When Hanly and Offiah were playing, games were on either BBC or ITV much more often. Plus the international game was more high profile.

Plus appearances on BBC TV shows like Superstars didn't hurt either for RL players at that time.

Didn't know the club had run tv ads (I don't watch ITV much these days).

The last person to have a national profile was Sculthorpe (and that was still less than some in the 80's), Tomkins has little chance of similar due to his less than 'celebrity' looks rather than playing ability.

It would be worth the RFL writing to some big name companies asking to be more recognised in the media.

Good idea mate companies like Aviva,Heineken,Zurich,Guinness and 02 would be a start.

getting on a lucazade add or i think its jessica ennis on a powerade add at the minute, we could have players doing similar, thing like this.

however it is a wierd cross over, its actually the job of the the players agent to sort these things out, however with rugby league the way it is, we could really do with the marketing and press officers at the RFL pulling some strings.

Getting players on soccer am ( i think burgess was the last about 2 years ago!) and on some kind of TV programme e.g. stirckly come dancing or saturday kitchen, they might come across cheesy but at least the faces and names are out and about, their must be some bad celebrity game show, charity thing we could get the lads on like come dine with me, I don't know half of them on those programmes so they can't be that fussy.

I'm pretty sure the RFU have these tatics especially with the dancing/skating thing and other such programmes. When was the last time there was a rugby player that didn't work for the BBC on a question of sport!

alternatively we need one of the lads to go out with some kind of actress/singer and have some dodgey wedding that will devorce in a year? isn't Cheryl Cole avaliable these days.

Thats because he has the face of a rat!!

Maybe they could promote a cosmetic surgen and get worked done while there at it.

I'm a bit confused about this clamour to get rid of the salary cap?.....Would getting rid of it, not just lead to clubs spending money they don't have, on players they can't afford??

You say that clubs would be responsible and wouldn't be so kamikaze with their cash, but didn't we all think that when Widnes went belly up after chasing the dream in the late 80's/early 90's??.....Similarly, Wigan's own glory years eventually cost them their ground and probably set them back 5-10 years, a similar story to my own club, Warrington, who tried in vain to keep up with the big boys and have spent years in the wilderness through poor financial management. Only now, with good management, have we been able to compete in the game and yet, even with Simon Moran's undoubted financial muscle, I would be against the removal of a salary limit, mainly beacsue I fear that ego and ambition might take over clear thinking.

I do believe though that a raising of the actual cap could be a benefit....Surely, thinking logically, as the cost of living goes up, then shouldn't a player's wages??.....It seems to me that the sport's cap has been enduring some sort of pay freeze which needs looking at?