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The story about Super League introducing a marquee player system has been written about a dozen times – but it looks like it’s finally happening.
Under the plan, wealthier clubs such as Salford, Leeds, Wigan, St Helens and Warrington would be able to sign someone outside the cap. Well, they all would be allowed – but they’re the ones with the moolah to actually do it.
So what will it mean for the player market, the British game and the Australian game?
It is without doubt a populist move. People like Salford owner Marwan Koukash have been banging on about it for years – Koukash even wants to ‘buy’ other clubs’ marquee signing rights off them so he can assemble a team of superstars.
It will help Super League stave off raids from the NRL, and more importantly, rugby union.
But the biggest problem with marquee player systems is that it is often just a defacto way around the salary cap – which in England is about half that of NRL clubs.
When you don’t have to pay a star inside the cap, the money goes to two or three other players whom you can effectively stockpile. That makes the gap between the clubs I’ve mentioned and the Castlefords and Wakefields of the world far tougher to bridge.
How can you allow some clubs to spend outside the cap when others they are competing against can’t even afford to spend up to the payment ceiling? How can you argue that does not promote inequality?
Super League clubs lose money, their television rights deals and crowds are smaller than those in the NRL and the season is much longer. There are two entire rounds played over the Easter weekend and there’s the Challenge Cup to consider as well.
There have been unmitigated financial disasters in recent years at Bradford and Celtic Crusaders. A marquee player system might add to the crowds but these other problems won’t go away easily.
If we are going to get marquee players from next year anyway, there needs to be a stringent vetting process where the men involved actually add to the competition.
Making a current player a marquee man has to be strictly outlawed – that’s just a cap fiddle. OK, it gets complicated if the fellow in question claims to be a rugby union target – maybe he just has to change clubs if he wants to stay in our game.
Outside of that, players who qualify must be judged to add to the competition – that means a representative standard NRL player or a rugby union international, someone who is going to get bums on seats.
But flying in a few big names is really just a temporary high for the British game – a way for it to feel better about itself for five minutes.
Real salvation lies in as much integration with the NRL as League Central will allow, a rationalised fixture list that allows for mid-season internationals at Origin time, better national media exposure and regular Tests against Australia.
The best aspect of the idea is that it may bring some players back from rugby union and will restore a bit of lost prestige to the Super League.
The worst aspect is all the problems it doesn’t solve.