The reasons for the suggested change in SC % spent is so that the numbers of players don’t drop! The Coaches are wanting players cut so that it becomes 28 & 4 not 30 & 6. So the head of the RLPA is actually representing ALL the players not just the top few.

You still get paid if you are injured: you just don’t get the match payments.

Thanks. Good point Barry about bringing forward the unspent funds, perhaps on a rolling cycle every 3 years.

IMO you are wrong & I will explain why.

There are plenty of good players out there through the Juniors & the grades…..Talent is not the problem. Some of it is undeveloped talent and needs to be properly coached. There are semi pro players in the Qld & NSW Cups who just can’t get a go because the recruitment managers at different clubs won’t look at them or take a chance. They are 22/23/24/25 and mature experienced players but because they aren’t currently in “the system” they don’t get looked at or signed. These recruitment “gurus” would rather stick with an ordinary player who has played a couple of NRL games than give a top State Cup player a chance. And there are plenty of them. Yet when those ordinary NRL players go back to State Cup they get belted by the top Cup players again & again. The Clubs argue there is no room or they can’t take the risk. When we see a club who is forced to put an “older” rookie in, they fire!

The under 20’s was not the answer as the younger players need to play against men and learn from experience. Some players also get “branded” and no matter how much they improve & mature, the Clubs won’t look at them again.

As I said plenty of talent out there: the Clubs just need to look for it. I know of 6 players who could all have been signed to the Titans; all played junior rep footy or Residents; but they won’t sign them. They wanna rehash ordinary players; not the answer. I say to the recruitment managers at the bottom clubs: work harder!

I strongly disagree with Smithy’s comments Mary. He is a player not an administrator & at the moment we have one of the best administrators in sport Peter V’Landys. Lucky the media tart isn’t there. I think everyone should lay off everyone but his & other negative comments are unhelpful.

V’Landys idea to quarantine the players & sell the product to the US & UK; who have no live sport now; is brilliant.

The NRL should test the players ASAP & get them into camp. Each Club can take 10 support staff & 30-35 uninjured players & it will work. They will be away from their family for 2-3 months: just like the old Kangaroo tours. If they can sell the product everyone will get bonuses….happy days!

What about David Nucifora!!!!????

Elvis is correct.

Dwayne, the commentators a lot those “ex Players” are not in & around the game….they just watch the NRL. They have a “NOW” mentality. There is an enormous depth of talent just in the schools, juniors & the State cups, At the moment it is currently largely undeveloped. It takes around 12-18 months in a full-time system to develop that talent to their real potential. There is no “headroom” for those players to push up to NRL with only 30 players in each squad. Anyone who says there is not enough talent does not know what they are talking about. And that is not taking into account the Pacific Island talent or NZ. Elvis is correct there is plenty, but the NRL aren’t interested in developing it through 2 additional Clubs.

For a 2nd team in Qld, Redcliffe Dolphins are a no brainer! They have the infrastructure, funds & facilities that most other NRL Clubs can only dream about. They should have the Falcons & Wynnum as the 2 feeder clubs from the Intrust Cup (given that they will not be allowed to have a team in the Q Cup). They can play their big games at Suncorp: play their lesser games at the Sunny Coast Stadium & Dolphin Oval. They cover a large growing geographical area on the Northside of greater Brisbane & are far enough away not to affect the Titans. As I said it’s a No Brainer commercially & logically & they are ready to go NOW!

*Ipswich does not have the infrastructure or the funds & facilities & encroach on Titans territory.
*Bombers starting from scratch, don’t cover the geographical area & encroach on Titans territory.
*CQ – good idea but will struggle to get the commercial support & don’t have the infrastructure of funds.

Perth would be odds on for the other team; they have work to do but have a development system in place already & they can be commercially viable.

As to the talent; there is plenty of talent but it is as yet undeveloped talent…. There are a lot of quality Australian players in Super League & the State cups who would jump at the chance to train & play in the NRL & it would take 2-3 years to bring them through. Look at the long term picture; not the must win next week scenario. The AFL has 18 teams with more contracted players & they have a great development system; but the RL one is better. Talent is not an issue!

Mary is correct & so was Ashley Klein. Could have pulled out. It was a frustrated shot from a guy who was having a “Barry Crocker”! It was a cheap shot & he should get 2 weeks for it. At the time I wasn’t happy with the decision (I tipped Parra) but it was correct. Shoulder charge on Gutherson should be on report. If it was high then he should have gone: but it wasn’t high. Push on Moses wasn’t much….penalty was sufficient.

Tim you want some rules: Try these two!
3.1 (g)(ii)(A) Schedule ONE – NRL Code of Conduct & 3.1 (k) at all times act in the best interest of the Club & the NRL.
And for those who are concerned with his attacking the civil liberties and rights of the player, what about the civil liberties and rights of the victim?
The NFL have got this right; they stand down the player until it is dealt with by a Court. The NRL have done the correct thing. Lets remember that the DPP clearly have sufficient evidence to charge JDB with an extremely serious offence. He is on full pay and I’m sure his legal team will want to bring the matter on ASAP. Also he has brought the game into disrepute; there is no doubt about that so he has broken more than a few rules!

Did you get a lawyer to read your comments before you made them? You obviously didn’t. Lets get some facts right. Bolton pled guilty to Common assault which is NOT a serious criminal charge. The result was no conviction recorded. I am not saying the incident wasn’t wrong & shouldn’t have happened but the degree of criminality is minor. Some degree of penalty from the NRL is warranted. Case closed! The other 2 charges against De Belin & Walker, which ARE serious criminal charges, warrant stand downs. You cannot declare they are innocent; that is up to the Court to decide. There is clearly enough evidence to go to trial on both matters. While they have the presumption of innocence (a point you don’t make very well) your comments border on contempt of court and could be called an attempt to pervert the course of justice. Being an editor (alleged editor) you should know better than making outrageous comments like that while a matter is before the Court. In any event, the NRL is attempting to finally clean up the behaviour of players off the field and comments & articles like this do nothing to assist that. I believe it is the correct line and it follows the NFL who are all over this type of behaviour. So why not try supporting the game we all love and stop criticising the NRL when they finally take some action.

Connor Watson : Utility but may play 6 when they realise Ponga is a better 1.
Keiran Foran : Will look ok then break down AGAIN!
Jordan Kahu : Will go OK as he always does filling holes and when Boyd goes he will shuffle into backline somewhere.
Bevan French : Too small for FB & gets manhandled …Winger only…the FB should be Hoffman with Gutho at 6! Salmon has a lot of work to do to be a regular 6 at NRL level.

Corey Norman : Widdop has gone Norman will play 5/8 & look $1M for a while then drop off at the back end AGAIN!
Connor Watson : Utility but may play 6 when they realise Ponga is a better 1.
Keiran Foran : Will look ok then break down AGAIN!
Jordan Kahu : Will go OK as he always does filling holes and when Boyd goes he will shuffle into backline somewhere.
Bevan French : Too small for FB & gets manhandled …Winger…the FB should be Hoffman with Gutho at 6! Salmon has a lot of work to do to be a regular 6 at NRL level.

You say Nah but then you make my case for me. It doesn’t matter how they started out; if they don’t have great administration they will not continue to be successful in some of the most competitive markets in world sports. Just look at some of the new clubs in Australia in rugby league. Broncos & Storm most successful of NRL era….stared from scratch, have great culture & administration. Look at the Patriots in NFL: they were horrible 20 years ago & then changed their front office; now the most successful team over the last 20 years. It come down to what they do now not what they did when sport became professional.

Agree with Bobby & incorrect trytime. McKellar & Wessels are doing a very good job with what they have. The issue is that they are trying to develop the players talents while coaching to win.

Australian Rugby needs to be run better and put more resources into the Clubs and their development systems before they will start to rise again.

Not True. They buy the best players to suit them because they have great management & are successful.

“Winning starts in the front office” (Lombardi)

The most successful football clubs in the world have the best administration; they might not always win the premiership but they always have the most fans and are there at the business end of the season.

The Rugby system in Australia is broken at the moment. It can be fixed, but more resources need to be put into Club rugby and developing the players out of the school system. That goes for coaches as well as players. There is so much rugby talent in Australia however other codes such as League & Aussie Rules are taking the players because they have better development pathways (its not just the money). A lot of the players left are not the best of the crop. Subsequently a lot of the very good coaches are becoming disillusioned with Rugby & it’s administration, and leaving the game (e.g. McKenzie et al.) and these players are not getting the better coaching. It’s a vicious circle, but until the Clubs are given more assistance, rugby will continue to spiral downward.

He’s not the only one leaving rugby to go to league. A lot of these players get better development in League over those couple of years after they leave school. They can always go back later; but if they start in Rugby after school they will not make it in League. See story below.
https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2018/11/30/sharks-snare-jangala-bennet-teenage-rugby-whiz/
also from The Mole:
SHARKS SNATCH RUGBY JUNIOR

Cronulla have scored a coup by signing on of the brightest young talents in the rugby union world.

Australian schoolboys utility back Jangala Bennet was chased by half a dozen clubs but has agreed to join the Sharks next season on a two-year deal.

A freakish side-stepper with the ability to read a game, Bennet hails from Brisbane rugby nursery Nudgee College.

He shone in the GPS rugby competition in Brisbane last season, the arena in which Kalyn Ponga cut his teeth, scoring 15 tries in eight games, and can play anywhere in the backline.