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Is there any coincidence that Clubs who are one city and/or have strong TPA backing retain their best players? They may throw a bone every now and then such as a Connor Watson or Kevin Proctor but they usually keep their best.
The blight on the game that hinders its development and growth is not expansion - it is the salary cap and the rorts associated with the TPAs. Regardless of expansion the issue will continue to hold the game back. The three biggest rorters are the Broncos, Roosters, Storm and Bulldogs. If you look at the grand final participation rate since the inception of the NRL in 1998 it becomes obvious that these four clubs are always fancied and the pointy end of the competition. In fact there is about a 25% chance that one of the four will reach a grand final whereas it is about an 8% for other teams reaching that goal.
If the NRL was serious about the games growth then it must be serious about leveling out the field through the system of payments. All supporters would like to cheer their teams into a grand final and not just the four favoured teams.
Look at the salary cap in the AFL and one can see how it should work. The administration of the NRL is a joke.
Absolutely, they don't want a level playing field. They want a perception of relative fairness, but we all know it's as crooked as a dog's hind leg. That's what made it all the more special on 2005 when we got up there despite all the things against us holding us down.
That's what will make it all the more special when we get back up there as well.
AFL modeled their salary cap system on the NRL. They have the same issues, but just aren't as good as the NRL at capturing the cheats or prosecuting them.
Brisbane and Roosters have won one competition since 2006 between them (hardly inspiring)
Melbourne have 3 of the greatest players either in one team - good luck to them. How many of you would have picked Cooper Cronk or even Billy Slater as an all time great when they nobodies? And now you complain about their right to retain them? Should they be punished for developing a nobody like Tim Glasby and Jordan McLean?
Don't blame the salary cap or teams just being better at recruiting and identifying talent than teams like the Tigers who do less with more.
Stop complaining.. Teams like the Tigers have stuffed up recruitment and retention for years.. It has NOTHING to do with TPAs.
Honestly how can you tell any league fan that it has nothing to do with TPAs? Of course TPAs have an impact.
You've been rather selective about premierships, sure Broncos and Roosters have not run riot in premierships, but they make the finals most years and Roosters were MPs 3 years running. The NRL is even in terms of turnover of premiers, the salary cap helps that, but it's not even in terms of who makes the finals.
When it comes to finals appearances over the past 12 seasons, only 6 clubs have made it more than 50% of the time - Broncos (83.33%), Dogs (66.67%), Manly (83.33%), Melbourne (91.67%), Cowboys (66.67%), Dragons (58.33%). Sharks have made it 50% of the time. Roosters have made it 41.67% because despite some terrific seasons, when they get it wrong they really bomb out.
But when 6 teams make the finals on a very regular basis, that means at least 6 teams don't make the finals on a very regular basis. And what ends up happening is the bottom 10 teams duke it out for the last two spots most seasons.
Of course we don't officially know which clubs have TPAs but I don't think anyone finds it surprising that the teams associated with strong TPAs are almost entirely the teams that regularly make up the Top 8, Roosters being the exception.
That's not to say clubs like Melbourne do not have excellent recruitment and retention strategies, because clearly they have a good system. BUT also as you say, Melbourne struck gold with a handful of elite quality juniors who all came to prominence at the same time and formed the core of a top side. Broncos had the same thing in the early 90s and mid 2000s, a golden crop of talent all at the top of their game at once. That's both good recruitment and just good luck for the timing of that.
But Melbourne are also confirmed as the most systematic cheats in the game, so anything they've done is frankly tainted with the knowledge that they knowingly rorted the system over many seasons to get ahead of the pack.
