NRL How can the NRL combat losing players to Union?

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HarryZLA

All Australian
Mar 1, 2010
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I don't closely follow League, but I do often hear about the amount of players that swap codes for more money in Union sides overseas etc.

Is there anything being done about it, or can anything even be done?

If I imagine a world where the AFL often loses superstars from it's league for more money elsewhere, it'd be so dissapointing, so hard to get excited when a young gun appears.

Has the NRL salary cap been increasing at all? Or is there simply not enough money in Australia for them to atm?
 

bigleague

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Apr 4, 2011
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Not sure of which star you are referring to, but the majority of players that go to union for more money are backs. It's not a matter of the game not being able to afford to keep them but more that they are valued higher in union than league, who spend the majority of their cap on 'spine' players, the 1, 6, 7 & 9, because they are the playmakers. It's much easier for league clubs to replace wingers.

The NRL cap has risen every year since 2013 and will increase substantially in 2018.

For every 'star' that has moved on, another has replaced them, losing players to other competitions is just a reality for codes with international competition.
 

moto748

Premiership Player
Apr 19, 2010
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Fair to say that whatever issues the NRL may have in losing players to RU, it's much worse in England. Our salary cap is much lower than the NRL's, which means we are losing out doubly; increasingly our best players end up in the NRL, and those that don't go to Union. Just this season Wigan and England winger Josh Charnley is going to Union with Sale, and there is persistent talk of SL top try-scorer and best winger Denny Solomona (an ex-Storm junior some of you may remember) ending up there too.
 

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Bomberboyokay

Cancelled
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Sep 27, 2014
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There's not much they can do about it short of making changes to the salary cap that completely undermine it (not going to happen).

But the silver lining is the players are going to Europe or Japan to play in competitions Australians are by and large oblivious too. It's not like 10+ years ago when they were quitting to get a Wallabies jersey. The NRL is fortunate the ARU's revenues have dried up.
 

papabear

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Jun 18, 2012
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by and large the best players from the NRL stay in the NRL.
Besides French Rugby Union, the NRL is probably spending more on players then any other Rugby competition.

As bigleague pointed out, the only risk is to outside backs, as play makers / forwards are generally going to get more in league if they are any good.

With outside backs generally the "stars" will slot into fullback and make very good money and if you aren't good enough to make one of the 16 nrl clubs roster as a fullback you probably aren't a star.
 

singaport

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Dec 21, 2013
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port
Arrest warrant issued for Semi Radradra on domestic violence no show .Apparently in Fiji visiting sick dad (dankesque)
Also a tweet from Toulon saying he has signed for french rugby
 
May 5, 2016
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I don't have a problem with it.

They invariably get replaced quickly with an equally good or entertaining.

If anything it reflects a lot worse on rugby that they sign these blokes who often aren't even that good in league, and within moments they're in the wallabies side.
 

moto748

Premiership Player
Apr 19, 2010
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As I said upthread, not a real prob in Australia, but a big one in England. The next Shaun Edwards will play for Saracens or Wasps, not Wigan.
 

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