Year after year in recent decades, numerous rugby league coaches and administrators have had their names dragged through the mud and their lives turned upside-down by salary cap scandals in the NRL – and it makes me incredibly sad and angry.
Every time I see a Justin Pascoe or a Scott Seward have to clean out their desk, tell their families they are now known as cheats, I die a little inside. And I am sure I’m not alone in my silent misery.
I know there are many thousands of rugby league fans just like me who don’t understand the salary cap at all, and don’t believe it is creating anything like a level playing field in the NRL.
Unless you support one of three clubs who collectively hold a mortgage on NRL grand final spots over the past 20 years, I am sure you are nodding along intently at this point. Nod on.
To supporters of those not-to-be-named three clubs, you are free to stop reading right now and continue to believe that you will forever support the most professionally run club in the sport of rugby league. It’s clearly all about those astonishing accountants in your eyes.
For those of you still playing along. What if I could offer up a system that would truly create a level playing field – would you be interested to know what it looks like?
Today I am going to explain how any old sports administrator could achieve an evenness never before witnessed in elite sporting competitions.
The utopia for sports fans that I am describing would play out just like this:
The system is designed around awarding every eligible player a score out of 100 after the season and any rep games are complete, based on a pre-determined set of statistical criteria.
A player such as Cameron Smith, having captained his country and won the 2017 premiership while also dominating the game statistically in his position, would have started 2018 with a score near 100.
Meanwhile a player with a story like a Matt King – plucked from behind a leagues club bar having quit the game prematurely after being overlooked in the junior representative grades – when he was first picked up by the Melbourne in 2003, would start his rookie year with a score closer to 0.
Based on the pre-determined performance and statistical data, all eligible players would fall somewhere in between Cameron’s rating (say 99) and King’s rating (say 1.4).
Applying a well thought out points system, you would end up with an average player score of somewhere between 60-75 which would give you the basis of your points system.
(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Now the best part for the players. There is no cap on salary. Each club can pay a player whatever amount the market determines is fair, but the club can not exceed a total player score of 2100 points. With a 30 man squad that equates to an average player score of 70 points.
Clearly this points system would lead to a level playing field more so than the system the NRL has in place now – and lives would not be damaged in the process.
A team with a bunch of rep players worth 90+ points would lack depth at the bottom end of their roster, while a team with their top players outside of the rep arena would be able to stack up on non-rep-playing ‘depth’ players.
While players stand to gain substantially from the removal of a salary ceiling, the clubs could also gain by introducing a limit on the length of playing contracts of two or maybe three years, which would enable the clubs to stagger deals to better manage their points limit each year. Another side benefit is that this would reduce the risk of major injury always borne by the clubs.
Under this system we would no longer have to endure the annoying code-hopping superstars as clubs could pay the truly elite players any amount they are worth. Your Sonny Bill Williams types would be remembered as rugby league greats, as they should have been.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg described the current salary cap rules as ‘simple’ and ‘clear’ in handing down penalties to the Cronulla Sharks and Wests Tigers, which made me chuckle a little bit through my gritted teeth.
Footy fans are mostly salt of the earth people who care for exciting end-to-end action, big tackles, speedy backs, and the notion that all competitors get a fair go. Legal speak and sub-sections in rule books don’t tend to tickle their fancy too much.
The ‘utopian’ system outlined above would no doubt work to level the playing field across any number of elite sports – I’ve tested it and the system also makes perfect sense to common rugby league people like my mates and my family.
Regrettably, with power, money and the various different agendas at play, the people who make the decisions in our elite sports are just not common, everyday people anymore. And I don’t expect they’ll be knocking on my door to ask about my ideas.
Cameron McPherson
Guest
My son mentioned this concept to me about four or five years ago. He heard it from listening to Warren Ryan on the radio. It was not as refined then but the idea has fermented in my brain for all that time. The way you put it everybody wins especially the fans. There must be something we can do to make it happen. Anybody got any Ideas?
mushi
Roar Guru
Sorry focused on your hypothetical, thought you were trying to come up with something workable. Though the double face palm was intended for the author!
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
I fully agree with you. My reason for giving a model was to show the author giving an idea with no thought of the application was wrong. Hypothetically, you could argue that the amount of rep games played should be a factor, but, as you were alluding to, that doesn't address quality of contribution.
mushi
Roar Guru
The irony of that comment is delicious
mushi
Roar Guru
Definitely no raven claw...
mushi
Roar Guru
That’s terrible though because it’s binary. Wally Lewis = Daniel wagon kind of rubbish. The only certainty with a fixed system, using current useless data, is that it will be horrendously exploited. This is a double face palm idea.
mushi
Roar Guru
Which statistics? The stats currently kept in league are terrible and arbitrary. If you create this system all you'll do is exacerbate the “unlevel” playing field by encouraging teams to hire actual competent statisticians and build better models to arbitrage the NRLs, which you could probably to with 1$10.50 and coffee card
mushi
Roar Guru
The NRL could just police the cap properly? All the other comeptitions around the world seem to udnerstand the benfits or manipulating the cap and have effective punishments but the NRL's "punishments" basically encourage team's to cheat.
mushi
Roar Guru
If any other sport want's to support their "NRL fans aren't very bright" sledge this article wouldn't be the worst piece of supporting evidence. How often do we hear [insert position here] money? Meaning the same person deployed in different positions have different value. Also different systems have different values. Even that aside it assumes the value of a player over the entire life of their contract can be accurately ascribed. Which is ludicrous, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to suggest that by the end of the year at least half the league is better or worse than we thought going in. This isn’t a horrible idea, that’s insulting to horrible ideas, this creeps into one of those ideas that a sane person should let go immediately and never share with a another living soul lest it taint everyone’s opinion of them.
pot stirrer
Guest
The simplest fix is for the NRL to pay all players contracts. But as for your comment about the succesful clubs only being so becuase they rort the cap better is ridiculous. The sad fact is clubs like the Tigers and eels is that they have to pay massive overs to get players to thier club which is how they get in to trouble. Both the tigers and eels would have players at thier clubs being paid 30% more than the elite clubs would offer.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Hi Footy Fan, Loved your comment mate. Supercoach and Fantasy is fun but the scoring is flawed in the REAL world and any type of points cap system would have similar flaws for varied reasons. Here's just one. The on field General is and should be the highest rated player, but it is impossible to score his most important contributions - communication, organising and his last tackle option. Players that are workaholics and play big minutes score well, but are not necessarily the best players. My personal opinion is that analytics along with a clever panel could deliver a workable solution that would be approved by the administrators and the fans, but it would be a gutsy move. Dont hold your breath!
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Hi Rob, Allow me to answer your questions: * Its is a huge advantage to have Rep Class players * Origin is the highest rated class of RL in the world in my system, greater than International games. * Semi v O'Neil is like comparing Phar Lap v Raddish. * Sam Burgess is the best English forward in my system ever. I ask people I rate who would they prefer out of Sam Burgess, SBW or Taumalolo and most say Sam. Interesting no Aussies. * Again the tiny Dallas Johnson does not come close to Taumalolo. Different stratosphere.
Footy Fan
Guest
Ever played NRL fantasy? A lot of thought goes into the stats collected and the formula to combine them into an overall score. The system's been tweaked and tweaked some more over the years. Naturally, could still improve by tweaking some more and broadening the stats collected. The result? Weak correlation between price and fantasy points. a) Many of the games highest earners are, indeed, also top fantasy scorers (looking at Cam Smith, James Tedesco, James Taumololo, plus JT and Jarryd Hayne in their heyday). b) Many of the game's highest earners actually score quite poorly in fantasy stats (looking at Cooper Cronk, James Maloney, Keiran Foran, Valentine Homes, ). Heck if you'd judged player value by points, then there have been times where Sean Fensom, Elijah Taylor, Andrew Fifita, Corey Parker and Robbie Farah would be rated as the very best, valued at 50%-100% higher than their true salary. Four big, obvious problems (there are others): 1) Defensive stats account really well for "quantity" (volume) but not "quality" (impact) - then Fensom & Taylor get waay over-rated, and punishing defenders like Paulo, JWH, Napa, Ma'u score poorly. 2) Offensive stats do really poorly at allocating points accurately across all the players involved in a play - the try-scorer and last passer get all the credit, the dummy half making decisions & controlling the play, the decoys, early runner who dummies and passes to get the play going, all get next to nothing; you could again argue this involves some quantity v quality issues. 3) All stats are individual-focussed, measured via direct individual involvment with the ball or ball-runner - there's no accounting for team dynamics, style, decision making & control or action off the ball, which is all kinda the whole point of attack and defense; it's a team game. 4) Different players contribute via different playing styles: innovation comes into play and sometimes players produce real results doing a different volume & impact of actions - producing wildly different (lower) stats. You could say "we'll fix all those". But we've yet to get close despite much trying in the fantasy world, with media stats and with team statisticians. Maybe it is just a question of time, but as it stands the stats could be +/- 100% compared to "true value".
Big Daddy
Guest
One way of looking at is that the bottom 10 player's get their $105 k each, the next 10 get approximately $300k each and the top 10 get to split the remaining $5.4 ( approx) on sliding scale some may get $400k , some may get more. If any one wants 3rd party it MUST be disclosed. Either that or raise cap to say $10 million and have no third party. Any one caught , bad luck. Roosters are a bit lucky having Nick Polites , he could probably use some car salesmen.
db
Guest
You say, 'lower rating for Pac Island test players than Eng, Aus, NZ'. This means Jason Taumalolo would be rated less than Josh Mcguire in regards to points allocation for playing representative football. A points system that rates Mcguire higher than Taumalolo on any measure is problematic. In regards to the Author's proposal, the ranking for a player like Vic Radley would be significantly higher next year than this year. 2 year contracts aren't going to fix the problem that arises when a team has a couple players who have really strong rookie seasons.
Bearfax
Roar Guru
I've been for a draft or points system structure for years and fully support the intent of your suggestion, Coachtrending. It could be simplified even further by giving ratings based on such criteria as existing test players, existing test players with 3 or more test, former test players after 3 years out, SOO, former SOO after 3 year out, lower rating for Pac Island test players than Eng, Aus, NZ, reduced points for players with 6 years or more straight in same club. It could be done and it would create a more equitable system. Teams can pay players what they like, but they cant exceed the total accepted value for your 30 or what ever agreed number of eligible players. The existing system is a joke. How can you have teams penalised from trying to compete on an even level with clubs benefiting from $700000-$800,000 more in TPAs. How can the NRL seriously know whether a TPA is legit or not...they cant, anymore than they could determine backroom payments. Most players in receipt of these payments are not going to admit it. Only those who dont get the money owed will blab...which is primarily how its discovered. Its a joke, but a very destructive one for the game. Drafts or points systems may have their flaws. But they are petty compared with Greenbergs 'simple' salary cap system. Get real Todd. We all know what's happening while your head is in the sand.
Mr Hufflepuff
Guest
why not just make a few tweaks to the existing salary cap to make distribution of talent fairer and prevent rorting? We'll leave coming up with these tweaks in the hands of mathematical geniuses; ima not coming up with it
The Barry
Roar Guru
How do you stop third party deals? Do you really think the NRL should be telling players “sorry, you can’t sign a deal with Foxtel / Gatorade / Nike etc while you’re playing in our code”?
The Barry
Roar Guru
I don’t think you’ll get players on board by telling them they can only sign two year contracts. But even with two year contracts it’s impossible to budget points when a player’s value can skyrocket in the space of a season and halfway through a contract. If your concern is that rich clubs have an advantage having no salary cap will make that worse, even with a points system.
Big Daddy
Guest
You lost me when you bought Scott Seward's name into the conversation.