Canterbury (NSW) Cup - Round 19 - Team and Game Discussion

[Spoonman84]

yes reserves was for players on the way up or players winding down their careers. You didn't play reggies for 5 years. Maybe there is a shortage of talent across the league which allows players to go years without making an NRL debut.

Yeah im an older fan so I remember the 13 import rule clearly. you would buy a Big league program and a plyer who is a non junior ( an import) would have an asterix against there name. Each club could only have 13 imports across all 3 grades. So when Steve Mortimer joined he was an import. Then his brother Peter joined. To get Chris a few years later they had to move on another player to make way.

I think it’s having the salary cap and having rosters at 25 and now 30 players that does it. Clubs need to find cheap players to take up the minimum contracts so they pick up average reserve graders just to fill the roster up.

Ahh right! I vaguely remember my family talking about that one day. I might have the wrong player here but wasn’t Johnny Raper in the Berries area and the Dragons some how stole him?

 

[Dogsville]

I think it’s having the salary cap and having rosters at 25 and now 30 players that does it. Clubs need to find cheap players to take up the minimum contracts so they pick up average reserve graders just to fill the roster up.

Ahh right! I vaguely remember my family talking about that one day. I might have the wrong player here but wasn’t Johnny Raper in the Berries area and the Dragons some how stole him?

Raper was a bit before my time but I know he was born In revesby. But was a Newtown junior playing for Camperdown Dragons. Dragons tried to poach him so he hat to sit out one year because he had agreed to play with Newtown. I think the 13 import rule was introduced to stop teams doing the successful teams stealing everyone's players. When I first started watching League, Manly, Roosters and even Rabbits and Dragons were always getting all the good young players. To make it easier for new clubs like Penrith and Cronulla the rule was introduced. But you are right the top 30 salary cap is causing clubs to sign players who really have no chance of playing NRL but just to fill a spot in squad.