NRL blocks Burgess' Souths move: report

+ Adam Reynolds, $500k + John Sutton + The other two burgess brothers Rest must be on burger flipper wages to fit into the cap

Right, so GI & SB on $2,500,000. The other 23 guys on $2,500,000 combined. Unless the rest of the team are from the NSW cup that's not going to fit in any case.

The old classic. Team A had a successful season so they must be cheating the cap.

Of course I think its good for the game as he is an elite player. With hindsight, Folau's gone to Union & won back to back John Eales medals as Australian Rugby player of the year, while journeymen Brad Takairangi/Ryan Morgan have bumbled their way in the centres for Parra. Do you think thats a better outcome for the game? As an NRL fan, give me Folau everyday of the week.

No doubt the Broncos will squeeze him into their cap.

Good to see the NRL enforcing the cap and in an up front manner that allows Souths the chance the opportunity to shift things around and still sign Burgess. The NRL can't make exceptions to the cap just because someone is a good / great player. That's the whole point of it !!

Sam Burgess isn't worth 1.5 mil pa. it's that simple, but Souths need him and reportedly they had to match the offers he received from ESL clubs under their new marquee rule (which if I understand it right they can offer any one player as much as they want/possibly can and only have it count as a minimum contract in the salary cap or something along those lines)

What a surprise - according to the press Walker was on $250K

Oh well I 100% disagree with the underlying premise. But more to the folau point I'm still struggling that with the benefit of hindsight you still think giving special cap exemptions, and sending him to a team that effectively had no idea how the cap worked, would be good for the game?

I understand the reasons for the cap but I think there should be dispensations in special circumstances. Signing an elite player from a rival code is 1 such dispensation Id like to see. The NRL would be better with these superstar players so signing Folau from AFL & Burgess from English rugby is in their best interests. I thought Burgess was the worlds best forward when he left & Id hate to see a player of his ilk declined from returning because he couldn't get a dispensation.

Fair enough too, if Burgess wants to come back then he can play for a team which has the cap room or take less money. He's not worth the reported figures anyway, hard to comprehend how he could be getting paid better money than a large chunk of the Qld legends who have been tearing up NSW the past decade, this coming from a NSW supporter. Also raises another question, why don't the NRL introduce a marquee type allowance that sit's outside the cap? There seems to be a lot more players willing to switch between League and Union these days so how else will clubs sign these players (should they want to of course)...

Manly, NZ and Cronulla have bought up big but no salary cap problem? Souths have lost a number of players and now Walker and signed two players beside Sam (Oldfield and Cook). They are the best managed club in the NRL and one of only two who make a profit is testament to their leadership. Can't see how they can be over the limit, especially as the NRKL said Sam's value would be at the level when he left to go to UK. Shades of the GI issue (only Souths get this sort of treatment).

The cap exists and it works. I have trouble though believing SB is worth 1.5pa. Does that mean he's on more money than GI? I honestly can't understand how the values are reached.

Really you think the NRL erred in not allowing the Eels' more flexibility? The cap is there to try and stop badly managed teams from spending themselves into oblivion not give one of the most hapless group of mismanagers extra bullets to shoot themselves in the foot with.

Unrelated but all who were saying that Dave Smith wasn't any good are no looking like they may be fools if what is being reported that the NRL will end up with more then the AFL. When they have one more game a week. Good work Dave Smith As an eels fan i would of loved us to have Izzy but it didn't happen but now we have Foran prob would not of happened with Izzy in our team. You can't allow teams to cheat the cap. Also given said team has already won a premiership this Decade they don't really need extra help to win another

I thought the NRL made an error by taking such a hard stance against Folau & the game is poorer for not having a top player of his ilk running around. Id be happy for an exception to be made for Burgess as well as they are effectively stealing an elite player (back) from another code.

Fair is fair. We can't make one rule for one team and one for another.

It's a shame for rugby league. But rules are rules. They'll figure something out to the detriment of lesser players that are happy were they are