Professional sport in Australia has blossomed with the traditional sports of league, cricket and Australian rules expanding.
But with Super rugby, A-League soccer, NBL basketball and now netball joining the professional ranks, the landscape of pro sport has changed.
League is holding on to some traditions which dictated the game for many years and still permeates its decision making.
There is some truth that the cap was introduced to keep clubs from spending money it didn't have, thus preventing insolvency and probable collapse.
Times have changed, environments have altered but the salary cap remains, to the detriment of the game.
Folau is an example, Benji Marshall is a casualty and Sonny Bill Williams could be next.
A host of stars could be lost from the sport, but just as important, players could leave their clubs because of cap issues. For example, the Melbourne Storm could lose Cameron Smith if reports are true that the Brisbane Broncos want the Queenslander.
The cap restricts clubs from holding on to their self-developed talent who are targeted by other clubs as soon as they become stars. Rival teams clear the decks to snare superstars and the cap prevents the at-risk team of holding on to them. This shouldn't be allowed.
The market dictates price, I understand that, but if a club has the resources to hold on to that player and the cap says no, then there's an anomaly.
The market also dictates who is smart enough to attract the finance by which clubs either rise or fall.
The salary cap stops the strong becoming stronger and limits them to the inadequacies of the weak.
It keeps a life jacket on clubs struggling and handcuffs on those strong enough to flourish.
For a club that maintains a place in the bottom three or four for three consecutive years then that club's tenure in the NRL should be at risk.
There is no promotion-relegation format, but remember there are franchises keen and ready to join the NRL, which is more for the ARL commission to think about.
