Howdy Davo Smithy, long time no speak! I hear a new NRL salary cap review panel is looking to examine the benefits of a rookie draft in terms of talent equalisation, as recently discussed by fellow Roarer Cameron Mee.
“The 1991 draft was created in order to even out the NSW rugby league competition after years of imbalance,” Mee wrote. “This was typified by clubs, such as Manly, recruiting players on big contracts even if they already had a star player in that position – with the sole purpose of preventing players from playing for rival clubs.”
History showed us that the draft went down like a sack of spuds, so the question is obvious – why didn’t the league remain a lopsided competition?
When you compare the overall performances of teams over time from before and after the salary cap era, it becomes clear that the imbalance issue was directly addressed by the cap.
Sure, the salary cap isn’t perfect, and its application by the NRL has previously been heavy-handed to the point of being self-damaging. But when fans attack the cap for costing their teams talent, they conveniently forget that without it richer rival teams would steal their talent anyway.
The other component that frequently goes unmentioned is that for teams to lock out talent from the rest of the competition, they frequently went into severe debt to do so. You effectively had most clubs in the league gambling on turning their fortunes around by buying up big. But when only one team can win a premiership there are going to be losers, as the NSWRL knew all too well.
Call it socialism, but for the game as a whole to prosper every team must be afforded equal opportunity. With talent equalisation, prosperity depends on the ingenuity of recruitment, coaching and high performance football departments. Teams that fail to perform are typically failing in these off-field arenas.
Perhaps we’ll one day see some kind of football department salary cap, something this NRL panel is also investigating.
So with that understanding I ask – what problem is a rookie draft going to solve?
Ignoring the tanking issue for the moment, if clubs are disincentivised from developing juniors then there’s going to be a general disconnect from the grassroots, which would be devastating for the game.
People need to see NRL clubs proactively engaging in their communities. In the competitive Australian sporting market we can’t afford a league of plastic franchises with no connection to the realities of the game. The correct balance would see the NRL developing the grassroots through the prism of the club brands.
Clubs that don’t have junior nurseries should be encouraged to develop them elsewhere. There are massive swathes of Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands calling out for an NRL side to take an interest.
I’ve written before that the NSW and Queensland Cups should be redesigned into proper statewide competitions with regional district teams, and each NRL club should affiliated with multiple sides with distinct territories. NSW clubs with only one feeder side in the NSW Cup and out-of-state teams such as the Warriors, Storm, West Coast Pirates, Wellington Orcas and the Queensland NRL sides would form affiliations with the Queensland Cup sides.
Clubs would be rewarded under the salary cap (or via a points system) for developing and retaining junior talent within their systems. That reward is extended the longer the player stays at the club. That way both the top and bottom tiers of the game benefit.
The reality is that rugby league competes with other codes for its player pool. If a player doesn’t like the forced relocation imposed by the draft, they may be inclined to take another option outside of the sport.
Instead of a draft, I’d like to see the NRL explore a different option.
After speaking to some of the people involved with the new Papua New Guinea Hunters QRL side, I discovered that one of the main reasons this side exists is to showcase the talent on offer in Papua New Guinea. If an NRL coach watches them play and wants to recruit a player, the club is more than happy to see that player go.
Why? Because there’s a country of seven million rugby league mad supporters waiting to replace them. Their biggest issue isn’t a lack of talent, it’s about talent not being seen.
So instead of a rookie draft, what if the NRL had scheduled scouting days?
Clubs that have developed juniors would have age limits, time limits and a maximum quota to recruit players within their own grassroots system. This forces clubs to be proactive in signing up their best talent first, and also prevents hoarding.
Once those restrictions expire, juniors are essentially free agents but can remain within the same grassroots system. Every pre-season, unsigned rookies and free agents could attend NRL-only closed door scouting sessions. These camps would rotate through key locations each year – Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Port Moresby, Suva, Auckland, regional NSW, regional Queensland, regional New Zealand, and so on.
NRL clubs would be encouraged to send coaching staff and scouts (for fear of missing out to rival clubs), while players who would normally be overlooked get an opportunity to showcase themselves.
If the league is serious about expansion, identifying and nurturing talent is vitally important. We shouldn’t run the risk of teams relying on bad performances in order to spread talent. Negativity breeds negativity.
The only way our game can prosper is by fostering stronger links between the grassroots and the game’s most important marketing element – the clubs.
Jack
Guest
Northen Pride are in Cairns and Mackay Cutters are in Mackay. Toowoomba are long gone, Johnno.
code 13
Roar Guru
I think we're mostly on the same page with this. Honestly I can understand why clubs get annoyed about funding development and then having players poached, hence why I endorse an exclusivity timeframe for clubs to adopt a junior. But it also prevents clubs from hoarding talent, they're forced to make a decision rather than just lockout other clubs. Players thinking of leaving the development club would have to wait for that timeline to expire. For mine I believe there's some smoke and mirrors going on here. For every club that complains about a junior getting poached they at some point will poach a player from another club in a similar fashion. The true reason why clubs are complaining is simply the money. And if we have clubs pulling out their interest in grassroots football we're going to see decent percentages of the fanbase disconnected from the club. For mine as I've said before the answer is the NRL funding grassroots through the club brands. Say for example the Knights. In conjunction with the Hunter Valley they might also have a second team in New England. The Knights & NRL together would propose a mutually funded development strategy for the region. That's linked as well to trial matches, even a Country Round match etc. Through the Knights brand the local game prospers and long term that grows both the rugby league and Knights support base. Similar for other NRL clubs. Scouting days are the future of rugby league. Everywhere I go I keep hearing - if only the NRL came here and took an interest in local talent. I genuinely belive that in regional NSW & QLD, the developing states, PNG, NZ & Pacific Islands there's more than enough talent to support the expansion clubs.
code 13
Roar Guru
Whilst there are *some* regional teams in the state cups certain key markets have no state level representation. One of the teams you mention, Toowoomba Clydesdales no longer play in the Intrust Super Cup. Toowoomba - a key grassroots market has no representation at the second tier level. So that begs the question? Is the composition of the State leagues by strategic design or simply survival of the fittest? If we're worried about the growth of teams in country NSW & QLD then surely it makes sense for places like Riverina or Central-West to be represented at state level. Those teams playing week in week out football one rung below the NRL flush with NRL fringe players would be a massive boost to the game in those local communities. NRL teams that complain about having no juniors are simply too lazy, too self involved and too ignorant to go to these places and develop those markets. This is co-branding is essential for revitalising the game in the bush.
Stolzy
Guest
I think the biggest issue coming up and why people are looking at the draft, is certain clubs are talking about not paying the bill for their juniours anymore, i know the raiders are filthy that they signed Anthony milford as a 13 year old from logan, put 8 years development into him and now he has signed with the broncos, this is always going to happen when you are recruiting players not form your area...same reason why scott prince, william zillman and co went back to the gold coast when the titans came in, cause they are from QLD. i like the idea of the scouting or pro day, its very similar to what the nfl does with their college players... i think every NRL club should have 3 feeder teams, one in either NSW/QLD Cup, and 2 out in the bush in either the CRL or one of the regional QLD comps. and look at playing their trials there. but for as long as rugby league has been around, players will be poached, it is the reason why state of origin was born, cause players like arthur beetson played one year for redcliffe killed it and balmain offered him big money to head down south so he did and who could blame him. i think also the NRL should look at offering incentives to clubs who spend a certain $ amount on their juniour development as re-embursment, like how they are trying to incentivise memberships and offer cash bonuses for teams who get the most members.
Johnno
Guest
There are regional teams in the QLD cup. Northern pride at Mackay, and Towoomba clydesdales. NSW cup has a team at Wyong, and Newcastle, and Woollongong. The Raiders get the massive junior nursery at Logan QLD. Warriors have there own team in the NSW cup.