The Castleford coach, Daryl Powell, has expressed his dismay after clubs voted to allow the signing of so-called marquee players on top of their salary caps.
Under the terms of the agreement clubs will be entitled to sign one marquee player who will have a notional value on their salary cap of either £100,000 if club-trained or £175,000 if non-club-trained. The proposal had been rejected on three previous occasions before finally going through with an 8-4 majority at Super League’s annual general meeting.
Clubs who voted in favour were keen to be able to increase their chances of attracting world-class talent outside the salary cap limit of £1.8m, while in the eyes of the clubs who voted against it the move will simply benefit those teams with significantly richer owners who can now spend above and beyond the current regulations to further their chances of success.
Powell, whose club are understood to be one of the four who voted against the proposal, sees little benefit in the idea. “It’s a tough one,” he said. “You should either just raise the salary cap or leave it as it is – I don’t understand it at all, what’s the point to it?
“If you want more money in the game just raise the salary cap. It’s good that you can keep people in the UK which is good for the competition, but it’s a bad thing for some clubs now promotion and relegation is in again. It doesn’t benefit everyone, put it that way. It could be detrimental if it creates a divide – which there is potential for.
“I’m not sure it’s something that we need to do given how we’ve got a competition that’s got a bit of parity to it at long last. We’ve got a strong competition at the moment that’s tough to call – but that’s rugby league for you, we tend to jump about with things and try new things. It’ll be interesting to see where it goes.
“There’s a lot of questions and I’m not sure the people who are making these moves have got the answers to them.”
However, the Wigan coach, Shaun Wane, countered Powell’s comments, insisting that the ruling can only bring about good things for the development and status of rugby league as a major sport.
“I think it’s great news,” said Wane. “I know quite a few of the chairmen have been pushing for it. If it lifts the profile of the game, then I’m all in favour of it.
“Obviously, if we can bring some more great players to the club – we already have got some great players – and we get a better team, then I’m all in favour of it.”
Clubs will be allowed to sign a marquee player only if they meet what are described as “clearly defined affordability criteria”, which revolves around income and expenditure of the clubs.
The move was welcomed by the chief executive of Super League, Nigel Wood, who believes it will have a positive impact on the sport in general.
“I would like to congratulate the clubs on both their foresight in approving the marquee player proposal and for the mature and responsible way in which they have reached their decision,” said Wood.
“The clubs recognise that the salary cap continues to have an important regulatory function and the marquee player allowance provides a level of flexibility that will benefit both Super League and the wider sport.
“The ability to recruit one marquee player each will enable the clubs to enhance the talent pool within a competition which has a proud record of developing outstanding world-class talent.”
It is understood the other three clubs who joined Castleford in voting against the proposal were Hull FC, Huddersfield Giants and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.
