Leeds Rhinos - southstander.com • Salary Cap

Basing strategic decisions on the answer to the question "can Salford afford it?" is not a way to run a professional sport.

The salary cap is £1m less in real terms than it should be. If Salford, Wakefield or anyone else (Leeds included) cannot afford to compete when one of the main costs is £1m less than it should be, whose fault is that? And why should it be the players who pay for that lack of growth and poor commercial performance at club level?

The question we should be asking is not "CAN Salford or Wakefield afford it?" and instead "WHY can't Salford or Wakefield afford it?".

People like Neil Hudgell and Ken Davy will always vote to supress player wages because their clubs rely on their personal investment, so keeping those costs as low as possible reduces their personal contribution. Michael Carter will always vote likewise because he's an accountant and he wants Wakefield to stay competitive as possible whilst spending as little as possible.

I hoped Leeds and Hetherington were better than that.