and one rule for Wigan!
Yes folks its that fun time of year again, when any Salary Cap infringements are punished. So as sure as day follows night everyone is up in arms about Wigan getting out of jail free again!
Last year they were docked 4 points for going over the cap,(a control on how much money you can spend on wages). This year the self same thing has happened, but Wigan overspent with such a devil may care attitude it sticks in the craw.
Firstly a loop hole was found so any points deducted would be to last years scale, (all clubs had agreed to double the penalties for this year), then their hearing was deferred for over a week to help them to prepare a case, when Saints and Bradford just had their hearings on the stipulated date. Mind you, Wigan had to get the big time lawyers in I would think.
Anyway, in the end they've been deducted 4 points again. Now this doesn't make sense to me, not only are they are turning out to be serial offenders, they where even worse this season!
They didn't even get the full punishment of 6 points deduction!
All through the 80's Wigan where the team to beat, won everything, and I'll tell you why. 1. For a great deal of that time they where the only fully professional club, and 2. They just bought up every good player so no one else could get em (ala Chelski) That is one of the reasons the salary cap was brought in, to stop clubs doing that, and to stop them from getting into financial difficulties.
In quite a few things the RFL are seen not to be even handed, you see this practically every week in the disciplinary hearings. Certain clubs seem to have preferential treatment. Gawd help you if your up on a disciplinary charge if you're from Hull FC or Hull KR!
I'm starting to rant now so I'll shut up....hopefully I've made my point. The RFL make our game a laughing stock year in year out, they want to sort themselves out and stop being bloody starstruck!
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2 comments:
tut tut tut, shame on you for being so cynical!!!!! the salary cap was set at 1.8m, and wigan went "slightly" over that limit to the tune of £220,000, an easy oversight!(can you see im being sarcastic)
what i cant understand is, when wigan went on the shopping spree to end all shopping sprees last season, when, incidentally, they were bottom of super league and certainties to go down (sorry i mean were certainties to be saved from relegation when the league would have scrapped relegation) every rugby league fan, and reporter for that matter knew that they were going over the salary cap. so why didnt the rugby league step in at that time and say to them could we have a look at your books please, then stopped them signing more players or telling them to sell or even not allowing some of the transfers that had taken them over. if this had been hull or rovers we would be in the conference now.
as for the other teams, bradford i believe were just over and the reason for this im not quite sure but as for saints, i almost have a little sympathy with them, they only went over because a couple of players got international call ups and bonuses took them over, but on the other hand you could argue that they should have looked at the possibility of this happening, but at least they only went over because of players performing well and not just sticking two fingers up to every other team in super league. im nearly finished, dont worry i wont go on too much more.
my theory on wigans thinking was.............if we dont do summat we are down, lets just buy our way out of trouble, and then with the players we are gonna have next season(this season now)we are gonna have a bloody good team, so, even if we are docked the maximum (12 points) we are still going to be safe, and in the process we keep our super league place, bollocks to rules, because we have got Maurice Lindsay and the rugby league are scared shitless of him..................discuss.
Well I'd like to know what Uncle Mo has on the RFL?
Their excuse is they held back some wages to be paid this season. But surely that would make this season over too! Its like living on your overdraft!
I've just read an article on The Independent web site about the Wigan saga one paragraph is very interesting:
"The League also believes it has proof of offshore payments to players and that Kris Radlinski, who supposedly came out of retirement to play for nothing, was actually being paid. It also said yesterday that it plans to examine further the club's figures for past seasons."
Offshore bloody payments??? Whats going on? you can read the full article here:
http://sport.independent.co.uk/rugby_league/article2802584.ece
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