The NRL is confident Sam Burgess will not slip through their fingers in a repeat of the Israel Folau blunder despite the English prop’s deal with South Sydney hitting a roadblock.
The Rabbitohs have been told they must clear room in their salary cap if Burgess’ big-money three-year deal is to be registered by the NRL.
Even after releasing Dylan Walker on Thursday, the Rabbitohs were told they must shed further weight.
The situation took a further twist when Penrith passed up an offer to sign back-rower Chris McQueen.
McQueen is off contract at Redfern at the end of next season but has been shopped around to rival clubs.
He had been heavily linked with a move to the foot of the mountains however Panthers general manager Phil Gould said on twitter McQueen was out of the club’s price range.
“We’ve withdrawn from discussions with Chris McQueen. Genuinely nice bloke & quality player but not in our budget,” Gould wrote.
NRL head of football Todd Greenberg said on Friday he was confident the situation could be resolved but it was up to the Rabbitohs to balance their salary cap.
“The Rabbitohs are like every one of the 16 clubs that need to balance their salary cap and I’m sure they’ll do it,” Greenberg said.
Losing Burgess, who announced his return to the game this month after a stint in English rugby union, would be a black eye for the NRL.
The NRL failed to sign dual international Folau earlier this year after he expressed an interest in returning to rugby league.
Former NRL chief executive Dave Smith was criticised for not doing more to lure Folau home in what was seen as a major lost opportunity.
However Greenberg believes Burgess’ impasse can be easily resolved.
He also reiterated previous commitments that the NRL would not use their much-talked about slush fund to top up Burgess’ contract should the Rabbitohs hit any more hurdles.
The Gold Coast shapes as a possible destination for McQueen, despite the former Queensland Origin back-rower knocking back a deal tabled by the Titans last week.
up in the north
Roar Rookie
Shock. Gasp. Splutter. Are you implying our favourite gladiator is somehow contributing to the Burgii household in a nefarious manner. The outrage.
Casper
Guest
How does an nrl salary cap thread turn into a debate on codes, never fails when trolls like bakkies get involved in conversations on a game he obviously doesn't like. Just go to the top of the page and hit rugby and stay there. I don't much like Union for that old school tie attitude so don't bother to comment, try that approach. Played both with limited success but only watch NRL. The ARU squandered all the money they made from the 2005 World Cup buying NRL wingers in some sort of one-upmanship game and are probably only in the black because of the latest World Cup revenue share. If Union is so appealing, why isn't someone giving them $2b for super rugby rights. Hope Sam Burgess enjoys it back at Souths, but they can't exceed the cap just to get him. Rusty can only pay SAMs mum so much a year under the table.
Russ
Guest
Bore, bore, yawn, yawn, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Vichy is sliced bread are you mad? They did this, he did that, bore, tedium. heave! yawn! push over try, 13 penalties to 11 score 39 to 33, kick, clap, they've made it to the half way line, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Go to the dunny, what time does the rugby start? The never ending story but I don't think Disney will buy the rights! As the French say tel sport tel fannas! He found out he didn't like Vichy on one side of the coin this is a crime, that many silly people find too hard to forgive. And who the hell cares if SB had potential at snail baiting, synchronised swimming or ballroom dancing?
nerval
Guest
Don't tell Bakkies that Jimmmy... he'll get his mates the Tuilagis on to you...
nerval
Guest
Burgess did make it, CC. He played for England in his truncated debut season and was outstanding for his club in the Premiership final.
nerval
Guest
Fearns' reputation has grown in his absence. Burgess' potential, as evidenced in the Premierhip final, was far, far greater than anything Fearns has ever produced.
nerval
Guest
No, just your mate - you feign to know an awful lot about him...
Bakkies
Guest
Bath aren't a joke of a club none of the blame came from them. They also gave him time to clear his head after the RWC. As soon as it was mentioned that Burgess was heading towards the backrow Fearns took an offer in France. Burgess decides two to three weeks in to the premiership season that he's off they end up being short and having to look elsewhere. Too late to get Fearns back. Bath told England he wasn't a centre so played him at flanker where he started to show potential. That's where the angst towards and within the England setup started from. England picked him as a centre and he shown at club and A level that he wasn't one. There were players that were performing in the midfield ahead of him which the media jumped on. Bath were just as baffled by this and insisted that will play at flanker where he was performing and not satisfy what England want. As for back where he belongs that's got nothing to do with it and back where you belong isn't how pro sports works. He also chose to leave in the first place. Now he's high tailed back to Australia on the back of Souths advances that they couldn't afford to pay. Just before December they get notice that the contract can't be registered due to salary cap rules. Good luck to those who will be squeezed out to find a new club before next season. They're going to need it.
Bakkies
Guest
My dog's food? So Chumpy you can carve it
nerval
Guest
No, it's nowhere near enough. Burgess would have your chum for breakfast, and spit him out for lunch...
Jimmmy
Guest
RL clubs should chase whoever they want whenever they want . We owe RU sweet FA. Burgess is a star in our game he belongs here.
Jimmmy
Guest
Sorry squids Burgess is so much better. If he goes the full season Souths make the GF. He is the equal of any forward I have ever seen.
Justthetip
Guest
Wow good read I've experienced the same. Bak Bath are a joke of a club if they move a player on to accommodate Burgess then excessively blame him for the teams failings. Englands problems at the WC had zero to do with Burgess and everything to do with there attitude and culture. Of course Burgess wants out of that basket case set up. I bet you have no problem with the kiwis bringing SBW back or Thorn.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Bakkies. Rugby union signed up rugby league players in France ,during the so called amateur years.Your suggestion implies this sort of thing only happened when union went "openly" professional is way off the mark.Something some union fans continue not to accept.
Bakkies
Guest
Paragraphs please. The NRL and its clubs shouldn't even bother chasing blokes who left the game. Let the players do that themselves or via their agents if they have an interest in coming back. Souths went out chasing Burgess with a contract they were unable to pay under the rules. Burgess told Bath that he was off and the Bath captain said he wouldn't be welcome to say goodbye to the lads. There's more to this than what's already publicised. A highly regarded player in Carl Fearns left the club to accommodate Burgess, no wonder he wasn't welcome to leave on reasonable terms. As for Rugby signing league players that's only happened since '95. Whereas league clubs were signing Rugby players from the turn of the century now since high profile players are no longer are signing with league clubs (I wouldn't count past it players in Powell and Gareth Thomas) they're targeting youth players.
Bakkies
Guest
Bakkies would slap him or drop a shoulder. That's not enough.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
The comment by Bakkies "getting a player back to make headlines" shows he does not understand the issues involved with Burgess.The guy virtually helped raise the rest of his family at a young age,when his dad died of MND.He of course did not make it in union,and various reasons have been put forward.However knowing his situation and his extremely close relationship with his family,succeeded in bringing him home. Wow,I experienced exactly the same when I attended a great school ,which only provided rugby union. The ones who liked and followed rugby league also enjoyed rugby union,had no such issues.I attended Bok tests here and a Barbaa match.The union only ones (admittedly only few in number) .always seemed to have it in for rugby league,either disparaging comments like mungos,mercenaries,thugs .socially beneath them so would never attend a rl game et al. When the insular head of the ARU has to bag rl with the comment" Folau gets to play oversea in Capetown instead of Campbelltown" it reinforces the point .I have been making. Yet pretty obvious none knew of the deeds of 1941 in France,nor of shamateurism.None knew of the issues trying to get rl played in South Africa, Michael Cheika is the example shown ,who enjoys both codes of rugby and openly states so.
nerval
Guest
You sound like a real tough guy, Bakkies, but why nominate the Tuilagis ahead of your namesake?
Wow
Guest
The NRL has a chip on its shoulder as opposed to rugby? Ived experienced the exact opposite from Union supporters. Rugby fans are well known to be much more snobby towards league than vice versa. I went to a rugby school and played the game for years, there was a good chunk who enjoyed and even played league. However there was a majority that looked down on league and would say that league was (add vulgar derogatory comment here). It's a real shame because I loved both codes and at the end of the day to me they are both footy. Rugby in Aus have long recruited league players to get ratings and AFL did the same. I think a better tactic would be for the ARU to start acknowledging league as a brother sport and not a rival. League should do the same and both would attract new fans. In my league side some of the pure 'leaguies' didn't like rugby because it was a private school game that thought was just a bastard child. They would enjoy watching it but couldn't bring them to support it. My pure rugby mates where in a similar mind frame. Michael Cheika going along to train with the Roosters and Souths paid off with the WBs onfield performance. Also publicity wise it had league blokes thinking hold on this blokes actually likes our game. Maybe there game isn't so bad. Then the Walker brothers at the Ipswich Jets brought some rugby tactics to their qcup side this year and they went on to become state cup champs. The tactics worked and I was thrilled to here the talk about how they were huge rugby fans and regularly watch SR matches. Really great stuff to see. I'm sick of AFL and soccer eating into rugby league and rugby unions territory. While I like soccer they already dominate junior numbers and the rugby codes need to keep high junior participation to have success. As for AFL they despise all codes aside soccer and cricket in Melbourne but have aggressively expanded into QLD and NSW. The least amount of juniors playing that game, the better for the futures of the 2 codes I love.
Wow
Guest
You can't be serious. I'm a QLDER and think Izzy seems a genuinely good person which is rare in pro sport but there's a lot of players better than Folau running around right now. He has had less and less impact in rugby the longer he has played. Teams worked him out and he's been unable to evolve. He's not a FB in rugby and the sooner he moves to centre or wing the better. He was a great winger in league with his aerial tries but he wasn't a standout centre. Hodges, GI, Jennings, Ferguson and chambers all far better players. Im regards to Sam B he was treated like crap by people surrounding him at rugby so being a whatever to them is normal. Doing it to Souths is a bit rich when you walked out to go back to England in a rival code. In saying that some of the Souths players have let that success railroad their form and a boot to another team for a few is a needed warning for the rest. Shape up or ship out.