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The Roar

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NRL fans dust of their tin foil caps as Roosters look to go back to back

Roar Rookie
11th September, 2014
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Boyd Cordner could return from a foot injury. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)
Roar Rookie
11th September, 2014
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Perhaps the downfall of sports fans from around the world is their short memories.

Don’t believe me? Google your favourite club and have a look at their squad from a few years ago, say 2011. How many of them have already disappeared into the deep recesses of your memory, or have been forgotten all together?

The short collective memory of the rugby league public and media was on full display this week as the crosshairs were aimed at the Sydney Roosters for being salary cap cheats. This week Phil Rothfield brought us the story that there was no possible way that the Roosters were playing on the same level playing field as the other 15 clubs, he even had a list of player ‘values’ to prove it.

Luckily this was followed by a story from a Roosters ‘insider’ who brought some semblance of reason to the debate pointing out – rightly – that it is not the current value of a player that is counted towards the salary cap, but their contract amount.

And this is the crux of any salary cap debate.

Hop back in your time machine to January 2013. What did you think the Roosters chance of winning the premiership was? Yes they had signed Sonny Bill Williams, James Maloney and Michael Jennings, but they also had a rookie coach and were coming off a legless 13th in 2012 and 11th in 2011.

The fact is they were expected to be improvers and place in the lower half of the top eight. Premiership contenders they were not.

But it’s in 2011 that I start to explain how in 2014 the Roosters are not over the salary cap. Get your pen and Casio ready, because this is going to get rough.

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Coming off their grand final appearance the year before, 2011 was a disaster for the tri-colours – both on and off the field. As he does so well, Brian Smith got out the broom and started sweeping.

Out went Dally M-winner Todd Carney and Australian representative Nate Myles, both at the peak of both their playing and earning powers. Joining them was promising centre Kane Linnett and former representative player Jason Ryles, among a host of lesser names.

Who did they sign to fill these rather large holes?

Josh Ailaomai, Alofa Alofa, Jack Bosden, Glenn Dumbrell, Adam Henry, Mark Kheirallah, Issac Liu, Ben Loxley, Daniel Mortimer, Curtis Rona, and Peni Tagive. Not exactly a list to get the heart racing is it?

Also on the ‘ins’ list were a couple of no names, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Daniel Tupou, who at the time wouldn’t have raised the slightest eyebrow.

After not replacing their best two players, the Roosters rather predictably finished outside the top eight But it was also no secret that the Roosters were under the cap for 2012.

In fact their signing of James Maloney with a year to run on his contract with the Warriors allowed them to front load his contract with the free space.

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The addition of Maloney and the promise of a new dawn under rookie coach Trent Robinson had Roosters fans excited for the 2013 season – especially as a certain Sonny Bill Williams had also signed on the dotted line. Joining Maloney and Williams was a no-name prop called Sam Moa, and Michael Oldfield from Manly
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But again it’s the outs that paint the real picture. Club captain Braith Anasta departed, as did international winger Sam Perret. Highly talented youngsters Tom Symonds, BJ Leilua and Mose Masoe also departed for a variety of reasons.

So since 2011 the Roosters had lost Todd Carney, Nate Myles, Braith Anasta and Sam Perret, all internationals, to sign James Maloney (who at the time was not a representative player), Sonny Bill Williams, and veteran Luke O’Donnell.

Assuming increases in the salary of other players in the squad during that time this seems pretty spot on to me, if anything they would have a little extra space.

It turns out they did.

When the Panthers cut Michael Jennings free from his long term contract, the Roosters swooped and snagged one of the most exciting talents in the game. And the best part? The Panthers footed some of the bill.

We all know of course that the Roosters would march all the way to grand final glory in 2013. No names like Sam Moa, Daniel Tupou, and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck would become representative players and the likes of Boyd Cordner and Aiden Guerra went to another level. But of course a premiership ring doesn’t add zeros to a current contract.

Leading into 2014, the squad remained largely unchanged. The biggest signing during the off season was a French prop that no reasonable NRL fan would have known existed. Out went O’Donnell and fringe representative prop Martin Kennedy. Also lost mid-season were Daniel Mortimer and former ‘star of the future’ Tautau Moga.

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The fact is that the Roosters 2014 salary cap position is easily explainable, and there isn’t the conspiracy at play we seemly are being lead to believe.

But this story isn’t about the Roosters. If Manly had won last year’s premiership it would be asking how they manage to keep their host of stars, or how Brisbane have managed to sign half of the competition’s fullbacks. For whatever reason rugby league fans love to wear tin foil hats.

However there is a simple solution for the NRL to solve this never ending debate, like professional sports in the US, they must simply publish player salaries. That way we all know exactly where a club sits at any moment, and this cloud that forever hangs over the game since the Melbourne Storm affair disappears.

Because the Roosters aren’t cheating, they are just better at playing the game both on and off the field.

And isn’t that what sport is all about?

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