Is a Marquee allowance essential for the NRL?

With talk of players returning to the NRL under a marquee allowance, I was wondering whether the NRL needed such measures. The potential windfall for Parra if a particular rumoured situation eventuates would be obvious. But let's consider some facts.Firstly, any such situation being determined on a case by case basis by the NRL is fraught with the danger of perceived bias. How would one club be allowed a player outside of the cap and others not? It may be that every club is allowed a marquee player that is not cap listed and they can decide who it is. The only other possible arrangement is some sort of top up payment made by the NRL with a market value payment made by the club. In the case of a player returning on short notice from another sport, a possibility would be the preferred club being allowed to back end a contract as part of a short term solution.Secondly, how much of a threat are other codes, specifically from a financial perspective? In this recent NFL foray, for the first time in my memory a player at the height of their career is throwing that away in the hope of achieving a lifelong dream. If he's successful, money would never lure him back because there's no comparison possible. He is the first player that I can recall attempting to switch to NFL from a rugby sport at the height of their career. In the past, there have been younger players, or players at the end of their AFL or soccer careers who tried their luck as punters/kickers. This recent scenario seems quite unique.Now, the other sports we are looking at are AFL and Union (kick and clap). Money wise, the NRL is on a similar footing in the global scheme of things. Union can offer more, especially overseas clubs, so it really comes down to the stage of the players' careers and whether they are challenged by an inferior rugby code (albeit one that offers a bigger world stage and is less physically demanding). AFL is such a non threat that it doesn't warrant any protection to guard the loss of senior talent. Its threat comes from inroads in the junior player participation levels.So, is a marquee allowance necessary? Taking my Eels hat off, I'll say no. We will never compete financially with the NFL and we are unlikely to see a drain of talent to that code. Furthermore, the NRL didn't lose SBW or Burgess purely for financial reasons. We don't need one off marquee allowances, and if that means losing certain players, so be it. There is enough money in the game to provide our elite players with a very comfortable lifestyle.

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  • I guess the real million dollar question 60's boy is how the NRL intend to implement the marqee allowance. There are several potential ways /  theories on how it could be implemented. I got no doubt that we will soon see it in action for the 1st time whether that be for Izzy or the return of Jarrod who knows but the NRL have a war chest ready to go and the Player Mgr's will be hungry to test the waters.

    My thoughts are that the NRL should do it in the form of a 1 off sign on bonus IE: they pay player A a hefty sign on bonus and he signs a NRL contract for x amount of years to tie him to the NRL. The NRL then sit back and let the CEO's in club then fight it to get individual's signature on a additional playing contract that ties him to a club.

    • Isn't this pretty much the same model the ARU use? Sign the guys to National contracts and let the Australian Super Rugby franchises compete for their signatures.
  • This sign on, that ties a player to the Nrl and not a club, is the only way to go. The problem may come if you have a club with several players on such payments. This is where the can of worms would open.
  • If we were to institute a player allowance, we'd be better off copying the A-League. Each team is allowed a specified number of international and Australian marquees. The A-League I believe assists in subsidising some of those players' wages. The fairest thing to do is have a marquee system that's equal in value across the board.
  • Do we have a definition of what makes a Marquee player?

    Thats our starting point. ie if Merrin gets $600k does that make him a marquee player and if he leaves for union is he someone the NRL would pay extra to get him back?

  • If the past is any indication they will block us using it to get Jarryd back but allow the Roosters to use it for SBW, The rabbits for Burgess and Brisbane for Izzy. The NRL is a corrupt joke and it's about time that some of that corruption worked in our favour. As for the original question of course we need an allowance, it one season three of the codes biggest stars walked out to play elsewhere.

  • imo the NRL should have nothing to do with it. A marquee allowance should be someone who is not on the salary cap at all. It'll give the best players in the game more money and give more money to those who are on the cap more money.

    • Agreed. IMO the clubs without the political clout within the NRL will be disadvantaged. Players come & go but the game goes on. If a player leaves the game it really creates an opportunity for another aspiring player to have a go.

  • Do we really think we can make it so no player wants to leave?

    I say, if they get a better offer and leave, then they leave and if they want to come back, then they do that at whatever the Clubs can realistically afford.

    There are always new stars coming up through the ranks and our market is limited.

    We were going alright before Sam Burgess came and will be OK now that he's gone.

    Yes it's good to have the really good players playing in your comp, but not at the expense of bankrupting your comp or clubs.

    Every years theres a new player on the cusp of greatness, so Im happy if those who left, dont come back.

  • I make the following observations;

    1. The salary cap is a restraint of trade and I'm surprised that someone hasn't challenged its legality. That someone hasn't means rorts are aplenty in the game so there is no need to. Read Bulldogs, Rorters, Broncos et al

    2. I disagree that the NRL is on the same financial footing globably as French rugby where clubs are owned by billionaire businessmen and Japanese rugby clubs are owned by big multinational corporations such as Coca-Cola & Sanyo.

    3. A marquee allowance may work so we should trial it and it should be partly funded by NRL money. We sbould be protecting our assets but at the moment we aren't and our players are being tempted by the big money available in international rugby.
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