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NRL needs marquee player rule

Nik0 new author
Roar Rookie
17th December, 2012
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Nik0 new author
Roar Rookie
17th December, 2012
46

Why shouldn’t the NRL implement a marquee player rule that allows clubs to sign such players outside the salary cap, like in the A-League?

The salary cap was introduced to share talent across the competition and to ensure clubs don’t go under for overspending.

So why not let them overspend on a marquee player, at the least, to ensure our talent doesn’t leave the game for an extra couple of thousand in the AFL, rugby union or overseas?

Just think about it for a second, Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater, Jarryd Hayne, Ben Barber and so on excluded from the current salary cap.

Firstly, you then wouldn’t need to increase the current cap. Secondly, by moving $500,000-plus off each club’s current cap, there will be more room in the cap, which would increase the minimum player wage. And thirdly, our stars can finally remain in the game they love and earn what they deserve.

Having seen the list of top 50 sports earners for 2012 with not one NRL star making the list, it just shows how undervalued the players are.

Crowds are at a record high, memberships at a record high, there’s a new media rights deal worth more than a billion dollars, and not one star on the top 50 earners for 2012!

A small change to the current setup would have seen the likes of Sonny Bill Williams stay at the Bulldogs, Folau stay in the NRL, Karmichael Hunt stay in the NRL, and so on….

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Each club has a marquee player of some description, so let’s keep them in the game and let’s reward them for giving us the greatest game of all.

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