Hugh McGahan: Salary cap increase won't stop the rich getting richer

What will the increase in the salary cap do to the NRL next year? Will it improve quality, will it increase the numbers playing, or will it secure vital players for clubs struggling from the threat of rugby union and the English Super League?

The request for an increase to the cap has been made for a number of years now and, in short, it has been to pay players more so as not to lose them to other clubs. Now with the public recruitment policy of the Australian Rugby Union and their targeting of specific NRL players, the administration is reluctantly increasing the cap to appease not only the clubs but the league fans who want to see their idols remain in the sport.

For those of us old enough to remember, the salary cap was introduced to assist in the survival of clubs financially. The vast majority of clubs, if not all, were spending more than they could afford and were calling on their rich Leagues clubs to pick up the shortfall at the end of the season.

The cap increase is in the vicinity of $150,000 - which does not seem a large amount but it will be viewed overdue and used for the retention of profile players.

I was interested to read the article of Australian hard man Mark Geyer and his call for the culling of teams because the quality of games so far has been below normal standards. His assessment is after blowout scores in the first three rounds with the Raiders on the end of two of them. I agree a number of games have been scrappy and mistake-ridden.

But the reduction of teams to 10 on those grounds is a little drastic. Mark's solution is too simplistic with establishing new clubs or amalgamating existing ones to form North Queensland, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Central Coast, Western Sydney, Eastern Sydney, Northern Sydney, Southern Sydney, Newcastle and New Zealand.

The game could not survive such a move. Not only are there still ripples of the Super League war in the game but the aftermath of the amalgamation of clubs is still hurting with clubs no longer in the competition (Norths, Western Suburbs, Balmain and Illawarra).

Such a move would bring legal action similar to that of recent years which the game cannot afford financially, but would certainly open the door for players to move quickly to the other code in droves. Generally today's players are not loyal to the sport or clubs; they are loyal to themselves and the dollar.

What the salary cap issue will initiate is players receiving more money for their services. The quality of the competition will not improve, the development of young players will remain the same and the result of the increase in the salary cap is that profile players will receive more money. Is that what all the lobbying has been about?

Then there can be no surprise as to why clubs look to negotiate and pay outside the salary cap. Every one wants more - more money, more prestige and more status.

Unfortunately, coaches, managers and players will pay the price when success is not achieved, so nothing has really changed. The increase in the cap will change nothing other than people will receive more for doing the same.

-HERALD ON SUNDAY