The National Rugby League says there’s been unfair criticism of the Salary Cap Auditor, but has admitted that the current rules deserve an “extensive review”.
However, the league says it won’t be changing the Salary Cap rules mid-season.
The latest development means the Panthers could be forced to again play Matt Molyan in reserve grade once Wes Naiqama has recovered from an ankle injury.
Moylan is not in Penrith’s top 25 players and his unexpected rise came only thanks to injuries to players in the top squad. The Panthers have now exceeded their second tier salary cap and require special exemptions to play Moylan – which are unlikely to be granted by the NRL for the remainder of the season.
The NRL said yesterday that it is developing terms for a complete review of the NRL Salary Cap for 2014 and beyond.
“A meeting of the Club Salary Cap Committee, which includes four NRL clubs, last week reaffirmed that the current Cap system warrants an extensive review but unanimously agreed that it was not appropriate to change the present rules this season, given that all clubs have finalised their squads on the basis of the current rules,” an NRL statement said.
The irony of that statement is that the NRL has notoriously changed rules mid-season, including the introduction of a time limit to set scrums half way through this year, and reducing the time limit to take line drop-outs.
“The Salary Cap and its enforcement have been an integral part of the game’s success since the formation of the NRL,” said NRL Chief Operating Officer, Jim Doyle.
“The fact that it has been in place for so long and the fact that it is so important underlines the value of a proper review to ensure it meets the needs of the future.
“You can’t simply change the rules mid-season but we do intend to give Ian Schubert greater support by establishing a panel of appropriately qualified people to assist him in determining any applications under the current system.
“What has been completely unfair is the extent to which people have focused on the Salary Cap Auditor rather than the rules.
“The Salary Cap Auditor’s job is to apply the same rules that the clubs commit to before each season.
“Ian Schubert plays a valuable role in what can be at times difficult circumstances but, again, he can only apply the rules as they are laid down.
“We will continue to work with clubs both in finalising the terms for the review and in applying the existing provisions of the Cap.”
