Salary cap breach - Rugby League

12noon · 04-07-2007, 09:42

LINK - Clubs to face salary cap hearings

Quote:

A number of Super League clubs will be summoned to hearings this week to explain possible infringements of the salary cap last season.

LINK - Castleford relegated because Wigan broke the salary cap allegedly.

Quote:

The Rugby Football League will confirm on Thursday that Wigan Warriors overspent on players for a second successive year, in 2006, when they secured their Super League status with a massive recruitment drive.

What's your views on Wigan allegedly breaking the salary cap and being able to buy themselves out of relegation and in so doing sending Castleford down into national league one.

Paul K · 04-07-2007, 09:44

If they broke the rules then they should be fined and docked enough points to make sure they cannot escape relegation this time. Especially if it has happened for the last 2 seasons.

12noon · 04-07-2007, 10:03

They will get fined and get a 4 to 12 point deduction, but the points deduction will come off this season and they will have escaped relegation last season by overspending and in doing so Castleford who were just behind them in the league got relegated.

Wigan also bought a player that Castleford were trying to buy. The thing is that Wigan offered him a very big payment and so he went to Wigan instead of Castleford.

BTW they (RFL) have changed the rules as of next year, so that this can't happen again.

Shadow Demon UK · 04-07-2007, 10:41

If i remember rightly Wigan were a good few points ahead of castleford at the end of the season and were closer to being in the playoffs than being relegated. You could argue that its the RFL's fault for allowing things like this to happen and have now finally realised this and changed the rules for next season.

12noon · 04-07-2007, 11:03

Here's the 2006 RL league table : -

St Helens 48 pts
Hull FC 40 pts
Leeds Rhinos 38 pts
Bradford Bulls 34 pts
Salford City Reds 26 pts
Warrington Wolves 26 pts
Harlequins RL 23 pts
Wigan Warriors 22 pts
Huddersfield Giants 22 pts
Wakefield Trinity 20 pts
Castleford Tigers 19 pts
Catalans Dragons 16 pts *Exempt from relegation*

*Wigan deducted two points for salary cap breach the year before*
So you could say that Wigan had more points before they had the 2 points removed.

Mal · 04-07-2007, 12:42

Is Wigan still owned by Dave Whelan, the same person who kicked up a fuss about West Ham not having points docked?

Can't wait to read what his view is...

12noon · 04-07-2007, 17:46

Yup, Dave Whelan owns Wigan RLFC.

It's a sorry state of affairs when a team that doesn't cheat and gets relegated, loses the Sky TV money, loses most of it's players and now has smaller gates with less money because another team allegedly cheated.

BTW another good read is here

Quote:

BRITISH rugby league authorities are poised to fire a landmark shot across the bows of big-spending Super League clubs by handing down massive salary cap penalties.

Shadow Demon UK · 04-07-2007, 18:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by 12noon

It's a sorry state of affairs when a team that doesn't cheat and gets relegated, loses the Sky TV money, loses most of it's players and now has smaller gates with less money because another team allegedly cheated.

But Castleford also went over the salary cap last season as said in that BBC report, so it could be argued that they should have been docked points last season also, but they weren't for some reason and were only given a written warning. The RFL has been in a mess for a few years now and needs to sort itself out, you can't dock points off Wigan and Bradford and just forget about St. Helens, Hull, Castleford and Wakefield who also broke the rules and in your words 'cheated'.

12noon · 04-07-2007, 19:08

I think it's down to the degree that the cap is broken. Cas made a small error and went over the cap a little bit. Wigan went way over the cap.

It's like one club over spent by a few quid and the other over spent by enough for the RFL to have to dock them points.

The 2006 season Castleford only had a small squad and no way did they even reach the cap, never mind go over it !

12noon · 05-07-2007, 22:02

Bradford, St Helens & Wigan

RFL have confirmed three clubs have cases to answer. bulls and saints are to have their hearing thursday 12th july, wigan monday 16th july.

Shadow Demon UK · 06-07-2007, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by 12noon

Bradford, St Helens & Wigan

RFL have confirmed three clubs have cases to answer. bulls and saints are to have their hearing thursday 12th july, wigan monday 16th july.

Oh dear, Wigan are screwed, it wouldn't suprise me if they get the full 12 point deduction seeing that they have a seperate hearing date to the other teams

Jimofwigan · 06-07-2007, 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by 12noon

LINK - Clubs to face salary cap hearings

LINK - Castleford relegated because Wigan broke the salary cap allegedly.

What's your views on Wigan allegedly breaking the salary cap and being able to buy themselves out of relegation and in so doing sending Castleford down into national league one.

This blog is full of comments by people with very short memories

St Helens have breached the salary cap three times they are serial offenders.
Bradford were guilty of breaching the salary cap. Both these sides hammered Castleford Wakefield were guity of breaching the salary cap and not even punished. Castleford were guilty of breaching the salary cap when they gained promotion from NL1 ---- What did Whitehaven & Leigh say about that?
Wigan was the only club last season to get permision off the Rugby League to make the signings it did, Why did they get approval to make Fielding a Wigan player? Answer after they had audited the books we were not in an overspend situation.All is not clear. The only certainty is that those who breach the rules should be punished and serial offenders like St Helens need to ask is their position as No1 CLUB down to their overspend.

12noon · 06-07-2007, 19:52

Looks to me like Wigan robbed us, got found out and will face the music, but Castleford don't even get an apology.

I suppose Wigan will have to have the chance to explain their spending before action will be taken.

Shadow Demon UK · 06-07-2007, 20:06

Well it seems Wigan feel they havn't done too much wrong -

Quote:

Wigan insist they have acted "honestly and reasonably" after being charged with breaching salary cap rules.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugb...ue/6277634.stm

TheDaddy · 07-07-2007, 08:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadow Demon UK

Well it seems Wigan feel they havn't done too much wrong -

Considering how honest Dave ran his business, thats no shock