Rugby League: Market forces the winner

By PETER JESSUP


The NRL and its 15 clubs will face player resistance to any attempt to shift the anti-tampering deadline from June 30 to season's end.

The issue has been raised again, as it is every season, because some clubs feel hard done-by, not least the Bulldogs, who have lost their skipper to the Warriors for 2005.

New Dogs chief executive Malcolm Noad has bitterly attacked the allowance for "parking" funds under the A$3.25 million ($3.57 million) cap - money not spent this year can be allocated to next season or, conversely, an over-spend of A$300,000 can be allowed if the money comes from the following season's budget.

Ironic. Because that was exactly how the Bulldogs extracted themselves from the salary cap rort they constructed in 2002.

What has really got up the Bulldogs' nose is they didn't think Steve Price would go. They busily secured everyone else they wanted but forgot about building block No 1.

There have been four very smart clubs in this year's trade - the Warriors, the Dragons, the Roosters and Penrith - and some pretty dumb ones, especially the Bulldogs and Canberra.

In the Warriors' case, snaring Price was no flash in the pan. The club management carefully worked out what would bring him across, then cleared the decks so they could do that. Cut from the 2003 squad have been Ali Lauitiiti, Motu Tony, Logan Swann, Dallas Rennie, Jeremiah Pai, with Mark Tookey, Danny Sullivan and Vince Mellars let go lately and Justin Murphy likely to follow at the end of the season.

So they clearly had the money to attract Price and Kiwi skipper Ruben Wiki from Canberra.

They went about it the right way, expressing interest to the players' agents and even going so far as to inform the NRL of the players they wanted and would target. That was perhaps a gamble - had the news leaked, the clubs involved would have fought back harder. But by the time the Dogs realised, it was too late.

The Dragons, too, were smart in telling some of their players to look elsewhere. The club knew they could not hold all the rising stars, as well as the established ones. Prop Brent Kite, halfback Brett Firman and hooker Mark Riddell were allowed to look in the market before the anti-tamper deadline, subject to tabling any offers they received and allowing the Dragons to match them. When both presented offers way above what the Dragons had allowed, they were released. That meant the Dragons could keep the likes of star halfback Matt Head, Ashton Sims, the Howell brothers and their international props Jason Ryles and Luke Bailey. They are all local juniors. That sends a good message to the other up-and-comers.

It was similar at the Roosters, who looked at their balance sheet, then told prop Peter Cusack and centre Shannon Hegarty they could look elsewhere. That let the club secure the players they wanted in their existing squad, then chase Joel Monaghan.

Penrith likewise. As defending premiers, their players were being chased by others. Lots of juniors had pushed on to representative honours and commanded more pay. Penrith have kept them together, releasing last year's buy-in, Amos Roberts - who came cheap but isn't any more after recent performances - and Kiwi Paul Whatuira. Again, it was all done and dusted early.

Canberra, meanwhile, tossed offers at several players and failed to secure any.

The deadline issue will be discussed at the NRL annual conference in December. But movement is unlikely, for the simple reason that although June may be a bad time, others are worse.

The players want the transfer market complete before finals. They want surety of employment, and time to shift clubs in the off-season.

The clubs are beset with angst right now, especially those who have not scored well or at all. But their employees will resist any move to change.

The clubs know that fans find it hard to accept players signing to leave in the middle of the season. The majority are willing to trial an end-of-season anti-tamper deadline.

But there is also wariness that those clubs not involved in the playoffs will have an extra four-week window of opportunity to prepare their line of attack in the market. They don't trust each other to stay out of the market until regulations allow.

North Queensland chief executive Denis Keeffe called the June deadline "the single biggest blight on the game - it's a distraction no one needs".

But Parramatta's Denis Fitzgerald backs the status quo. "I'm 100 per cent behind June 30," he said. "If you leave it longer, then the speculation will drag on."

Price, a Rugby League Players' Association representative, backs the June 30 date. He now has time to win a competition and say goodbye to his loyal Bulldogs supporters.

"I wouldn't have liked not knowing until after the grand final," Price said.

"Now I'll get an opportunity to play in front of the fans for the rest of this year and hopefully please them. This gives me a chance to say goodbye to so many people who have supported me."

The anti-tamper deadline was a big topic of conversation when players met in Sydney mid-week. But there is no ideal answer.