The NRL are bracing for the arrival of expansion clubs PNG and Perth Bears.
Though, with exciting times ahead as the competition braces for a new and old front, there are worries the player pool of talent is about to be seriously tested.
Both Danny Weidler and Michael Chammas expressed on Triple M NRL’s The Journos that neither future clubs can afford to struggle on the pitch.
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PNG’s salary cap advantages have been well documented, but what about convincing players to go to Perth?
Chammas believes that the Bears desperately need salary cap relief in order to be competitive instead of facing desperate struggles in an AFL dominated market.
“To make them a success they need to give them a dispensation,” exclaimed Chammas.
“Some sort of extra salary cap money to spend.”
Though at Magic Round, Chammas asked various club head honchos about it, seeing where they sit on their future rival gaining an advantage but was met with a strong rebuttal.
“The argument the club CEO’s made was, ok, let’s say you give them an extra $2m to spend, suddenly we are competing with a salary cap, even with players with no intention of going to Perth but are getting offers inflated by 20% because they have the ability to offer 20% more.
“So to keep our players, we have to offer more money but our cap stays the same.
“It’s a fair argument.”
Though, understanding of their concerns, it’s still something Chammas believes needs to happen, whilst his colleague used a certain Cronulla Sharks hooker as an example who could benefit from uprooting from the Eastern coast to the Far West.
“Look at Blayke Brailey,” Weidler added.
“We know Cronulla are probably going to go to $750k to start with, I reckon they’ll have to go to $850k.
“If he hangs out for Perth, he would not struggle to get $1m a year.”