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NRL CEO David Smith has hired independent consultants to conduct a review of the competition’s salary cap, with changes expected to be made to the way the cap is implemented, and the rules underneath it.
Meanwhile, executives from all 16 NRL clubs met in Sydney yesterday, with other drastic changes to the game high on the agenda, including the possible scrapping of the All Stars concept and the introduction of a Super Nines tournament.
Though nothing has been made official yet, the fact such changes are being discussed highlights the game is not afraid of evolution, or of addressing big issues.
It also reflects positively on David Smith, and gives further credence to the opinion he is a shrewd operator with a vision and long-term plans for the code.
I’ll discuss my praise for Smith in detail at another time, so let’s move onto my thoughts on the three big topics from the headline: the salary cap, the NRL versus Indigenous All Stars game, and the introduction of a Super Nines tournament.
Salary Cap Review
Last week on Fox Sports’ NRL 360 program, Smith stated the salary cap hasn’t been reviewed in 15 years.
15 years.
Think about the changes that have occurred to the world during that period. That’s a long time to be stagnant, especially on a concept perceived to be too inflexible anyway.
A review of the cap – and potential changes to the way its rules are implemented – is a long time overdue.
In fact, the salary cap requires a massive overhaul, and it’s been refreshing, if not exciting, to hear David Smith talk about the different options available to the NRL.
They include: a marquee player system, no cap assigned to players that have come through a club’s juniors, player trades, and a points (rather than salary) cap.
Smith said all those options should be analysed, along with drawing inspiration from the different salary caps utilised by the major sports in the US.
A marquee player rule is a no-brainer. If a wealthy sponsor wants to top up one elite player’s contract, it’s ridiculous to not allow them to inject money into the code for the benefit of the entire game.
Smith stressed rugby league can’t afford to lose stars like Sonny Bill Williams and Israel Folau, and if changes to the salary cap can prevent that from happening, it would be madness not to implement them.
All Stars game
Scrap it.
I’m simply not a fan of all-star games. What attracts me to sport is competition, and few all-star games, in any sport, represent true competition.
There is nothing ‘on the line’ in such spectacles, apart from pride. Yet even then, because the result normally matters little, pride becomes a passenger anyway.
Despite being a rugby league fan, I’ve watched very little of the NRL versus Indigenous All Stars games. I simply couldn’t care less about the result, so I don’t watch it.
Having said that, my opinion doesn’t mean a damn thing. There are people, I’m sure, that don’t like State of Origin, but that concept is hardly going to be scrapped based on their opinion alone.
To that point, the All Star game shouldn’t be canned just because I don’t like it.
Why it should be axed is because there is genuine concern about player burnout, and adding a meaningless ‘representative’ game to an already crowded rugby league calendar is putting unnecessary added burden on the game’s best players.
It’s also only matter of time before a superstar player suffers a major injury in the ‘nothing’ game, and then all hell will break loose.
Imagine the outcry from Melbourne officials and fans if Cameron Smith tore his ACL in next year’s match.
Gorden Tallis is a fan of the concept and wants it to continue, stating, “It’s shown that it is bigger than race. It’s a celebration of the game.”
If that is truly the case, then it’s a bit of a concern.
Firstly, the game should be about race, as it’s a way to celebrate the Indigenous players in rugby league. If it’s no longer about that, what exactly is the point?
Secondly, the State of Origin series and the grand final are the greatest celebrations of the game. Do we really need yet another celebration?
Put it this way, if you throw too many parties for your birthday, you know what happens…
I fully support celebrating the Indigenous players in rugby league, and the charity and PR work done in the week prior to the game is absolutely brilliant.
However, the celebration can be done in a better way than the All Stars game. More on this at another time.
Super Nines tournament
A number of club officials have called for the All Stars game to be scrapped due to concerns over player burnout, with a Nines tournament being introduced as the showpiece of the NRL pre-season instead.
The cynic in me thinks the opposition to the All Star game and the support for a Nines tournament has less to do with player burnout and more to do with the fact the clubs have more to individually gain from a Nines tournament than they do the All Star game.
And they would be correct.
The proposed Super Nines tournament will be held over a weekend in February next year, at Eden Park, Auckland.
The tournament will provide the game with fantastic exposure in New Zealand.
Yet, other than that, I don’t necessarily see the additional benefits of it.
However, if growth in New Zealand is deemed to be of important strategic value to rugby league, then the move makes sense.
While I’m definitely curious to watch the tournament, I’m uncertain if the concept has longevity.
There is only one way to find out for certain though; and it would unquestionably be more intriguing than the banal pre-season games currently played.
Just one suggestion though: to ensure the tournament actually means something, the winning club should receive not just prize money, but two NRL competition points.