Flipping the Bird: The case for a cap on off-field spending

Money buys success, if you can afford it. There is a correlation between the amount of money spent outside of the salary cap and success on the field.

Perennial finalists like Brisbane, Melbourne and Canterbury routinely outspend their opposition, while cellar dwellers like Newcastle, Wests and the Gold Coast struggle just to pay the bills.

So how much does it cost to win a Telstra Premiership? That’s the question that the Newcastle Knights must be asking themselves. In an all too familiar scene, the Knights were left Bird watching as their marquee target spurned their advances and elected to sign with the Brisbane Broncos.

The offer from Newcastle was incredible. Bird was handed a blank cheque, and was set to become one of the highest-paid players in the game.

He was also gifted the number 6 jersey, a position that he openly covets and one that’s unavailable to him at Brisbane.

Matt Gidley even had the Screaming Jets on standby to play at the contract signing, but apparently Bird had never heard of them.

So why did he choose to sign with the Broncos?

For a promising young player like Jack Bird, the chance to play for the Brisbane Broncos is about much more than the number of zeros on your payslip. It represents the opportunity to be mentored by coaching royalty.

It represents having the finest of training and medical facilities at your fingertips. It represents the high probability of playing finals football each and every season. And that’s without even delving into the murky waters of TPAs.

The reality is that any offering tabled by Brisbane can’t be matched. There is no cap on spending outside of the salary cap, meaning well-resourced clubs like the Broncos have a competitive advantage over the likes of the Newcastle Knights.

The AFL cottoned on to this issue a couple of years ago. Concerned about the spending differential between the haves and have nots, they introduced a cap on off-field spending. Any financial investment above this threshold currently attracts a luxury tax, with the goal of eventually moving towards a fixed ‘hard’ cap similar to the salary cap.

True to form, once the AFL identified this problem and actioned a suitable solution, the NRL begrudgingly acknowledged that the problem exists. They talked about it, formed committees around it, discussed the issue with their clubs, released plans on how to address it, and then failed to follow through. And so the problem remains.

As it stands, the competition is imbalanced and unfair. Despite rugby league championing parity, there is no getting around the fact that wealthy clubs give their football team a higher probability of success. Until the NRL implements a cap on off-field spending, clubs like Newcastle will remain at a competitive disadvantage.

A Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
So now that they’ve got him, what are they planning to do with him? Despite winning a premiership at the position, Jack Bird has made no secret of his displeasure at playing centre for the Cronulla Sharks. In true millennial fashion, the 22-year-old concedes that he gets bored lurking on the periphery, and wants to get his hands on the ball more often.

It’s easy to see why. Bird has excelled when given the opportunity to play in the halves, and the Sharks were equally impressed when he trained at fullback. His natural footballing instincts, powerful running game and brute strength would make him a dominant five eighth in the mould of Laurie Daley, or a Greg Inglis style force at fullback.

But Brisbane doesn’t need a five eighth. Or a fullback. Anthony Milford and Darius Boyd are superstars at their respective positions, and Wayne Bennett has made it clear that neither will be shifting to accommodate the new recruit. So where does he play?

In the short term, he’ll likely line up at centre. But in Wayne’s world, there’s always a plan. And my money is on Bennett viewing Bird as a lock forward in the long-term. He possesses ideal size, he’s very strong defensively and his ball-playing ability will make him a threat from the back of the scrum.

Bird also has the potential to develop into the leader of the Brisbane forward pack. With Corey Parker now retired, and Sam Thaiday soon to join him, the Broncos will have a substantial void to fill.

Matt Gillett is an outstanding player, and Josh Maguire is well-suited to the enforcer role, but neither has the natural presence and or confidence of Jack Bird. Whether he means to or not, Jack leads by example, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Wayne grooms him to eventually take over from Darius Boyd.

So despite the money and opportunity on offer in Newcastle, I think the move north will be a positive one for Bird. At the Broncos, he has the potential to join the prestigious alumni of Brisbane forwards that includes the likes of Gorden Tallis, Shane Webcke, Brad Thorn, Petero Civoniceva and Parker, just to name a few.

Thank goodness he had already pledged his allegiance to the Blues!

5th Tackle Option
Here are five quick thoughts on the action from Round 7:

1. You have to feel for the Gold Coast Titans. The club travels with a M*A*S*H unit these days just to keep a team of healthy bodies on the park. But despite a Stefanovic salary’s worth of talent stuck on the sideline, they never stop competing.

I hope the club persists with Neil Henry. He deserves the chance to show what he can do with a full squad of healthy players.

2. Nathan Peats looks poised to pull a Bradbury. Who else is there? On current form, Robbie Farah doesn’t deserve his spot in the NSW side. Laurie Daley needs to take a Gough Whitlam approach to selecting his number 9, and make the change. It’s time.

3. Wild scenes on Saturday night. It was sugar rush footy at its best: the boys must have tucked into their Easter eggs a day early. There were 9 tries scored in the first half alone between the Storm and the Sea Eagles, while up in Townsville, a Thurstonless Cowboys almost overturned a 24 point deficit in the space of ten minutes! It was blink and you’ll miss it stuff.

4. Cronulla are such a physical side. I wondered if some of the niggle would fade out of their game with the departure of Michael Ennis, but his legacy of grubby tactics lives on. There were cheap shots, late hits, forearms rubbed across the bridge of noses. It reminded me of playing footy against my older brother.

5. St George Illawarra are top of the table. You read that correctly.

Follow Tom on Twitter @_TomRock_