The second last placed club in Super League, Hull KR have made a decision that shows everything that is wrong with the British game.
The club has put in a massive offer for Australian Test player Matt King.
The deal is subject to them avoiding relegation this season and just shows the mindset of British clubs and why the game in the UK is on the verge of falling into a perilous state.
Super League clubs have no problems throwing money at imports but only St Helen’s, coached by Australian Daniel Anderson, make any effort to invest in a longer term plan and in British players.
The current mindset to sign imports and forget development is only going to get worse if the RFL’s proposed rules come into place that will see clubs spending even more on imports and less on British born and bred players.
As even a larger portion of a teams salary cap will now be dedicated to signing Imports, less money will be available for professional Rugby League players born in Britain. Thats will see them looking towards others leagues where they can earn money, and that is going to mean playing rugby union in 95% of cases.
Unlike Australia and New Zealand who have strong players development systems and who have been able to cope with over 90 players being signed by Super League clubs, Great Britain does not have the capacity to produce more players to fill the void that will be left.
Many people joke that Super League is just a big pay day for Aussie and Kiwi Rugby League players. Well that joke is about to become the basis of the way Super League is run from 2008.
