Yup. He can apply during the 2011 season and the change would take effect from November 2011.

Unless Rovers manage to work the same loophole that we did with Manu...

isn't it 4 years in the country? vella signed in 2007 so he would be able to quailfy for dispensation on 2 counts.

Lovergrove is club trained while he's at rovers, if he leaves he becomes fed trained with any future club including if he returned to rovers.

The 4 year residency rule just stops him being classed as an 'overseas player' (quota). He still counts as non-Fed until 2011.

lost me there kosh.

how has manu gone to be fed trained then?

Easily done - the rules are pretty opaque IMO.

There are two main classes of player - Overseas, which is what used to be called Quota, and everyone else - i.e. players with a legal right to work in the UK through EU citizenship, residency, or one or two other treaties. As a non-EU citizen Vella would have been classed as an Overseas player, but through residency now isn't.

This used to be fairly important as there were different limits on numbers of players depending on whether they were classed as Overseas or not. Now the numbers have been reduced it's less significant.

The Federation Trained requirement applies to all players whether Overseas or not.


I don't know. If I had to guess, based on the published rules and emails from the RFL, I'd say that Hull renegotiated his contract somehow so that his existing contract ended this season (allowing him to apply for exemption) and was replaced by a new one with a new one with the same end date as the original.

Manu's original contract ended in Nov 08, which is when he should have applied to become a fed trained player, but been Hull FC we didn't apply until this year. Luckly the RFL still allowed Manu to become a fed trained player. It's cos Manu signed his extension 3 days after the 'Gene Ruling' took effect, is why some people are getting confused at when he could apply.

He has a Maltese passport so is classed was always classed as non fed trainined not quota, as you say I don;t believe this makes any difference any more as non fed and quota seem to be one and the same thing except having an EU passport makes it easier getting in the country in the first place.

I'd forgotten about his extension - I'd rolled it into his existing contract in my mind. That rather neatly explains everything.

You could be right there Paul, haven't covered themselves in glory so far on the handling of this one,think the club think they can just sign him on the cheap

you could risk covering your keyboard in glory if you go on the cheerleader thread...

with cusack bound for retirement at the end of 2010 i think the club were daft not to sign sam moa a couple of months ago. i think stinkers have released 2 or 3 forwards so maybe they'll be sniffing around

But surely, there was little else they could once they had re-signed Cusack be (so maybe that's what tripped them up). They brought Sam on as a project and he did well, so hats off to them. They have been looking oversees for quality signings and, to their credit, have made some. They continued to look for a quality oversees player (in which position I don't know) but, it would seem, failed to get their man. Sam appears to have been in the loop all along, aware that his re-signing rested on whether or not an overseas signing was made. He has subsequently been offered an extension of one year, as would appear to have been promised. Now, given the fact that the quota is on a continued loop of reduction and that Fitz and Cusack have signed for 1 year, isn't it sensible to have a couple of overseas props finishing at the same time each of whom could be offered further extensions dependant on performance/injury etc (or, in Sam's case a longer deal if he proves his worth)? Fitz is on one year, Berrigan and O'Meley have contracts beyond that, and I'm boogered if I know if there are any other available slots. Also Dowes' contract ends at the end of 2010 which should make next year interesting for the front row.

What a refreshing change....a reasoned and well thought out post

I'm not well. I promise it won't happen again.

Good post, I too was thinking at least if we offer him a year and he is going well they can start talking to him pretty quickly about extending, as with the others.

If we don't sign moa then we'll only have 3 recognised props in the squad for next season. Seems poor planning to me given the abundance of back rowers. They'll end up playing 2nd rowers there

Radford
Dowes
Cusack
O'Meley

Now that fantastic four really will rip up it in Super League won't it !!!!

get moa signed up
get chris bridge in for cover and competition in the pivots
and that squad will take some stopping

Lauaki has been signed to play prop, thats 4 props with radford and fitzgibbon able to cover.

[url=http://www.hullfc.com/hullfc/contents/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/squad10.pngApparently not any more.[/url

Confusing.

I have squashed my face against the monitor and I am still unable to read the names

click on the picture to enlarge it

Oh yes

Booooooooo!!!