SMITH FLOATS CAP PLAN TO REWARD THE LOYAL
RUGBY LEAGUE: At a time when the NRL has been rocked by off-field scandals, Queensland champion Cameron Smith believes the code should look to generate goodwill and loyalty by effectively allowing 300-game, one-club players not to be included in the salary cap.
Smith, who has played a record 384 games, was caught in the crosshairs of a salary cap saga this week when Melbourne was faced with having to offload a teammate to ensure their skipper could play in round one against Brisbane next Thursday night.
Melbourne had exceeded the payment ceiling by about $200,000 and Smith faced being sidelined until the Storm became cap compliant, because he was the last player in their NRL squad to have his deal registered in January.
A nervous Smith made some internal inquiries before Melbourne released Sam Kasiano yesterday to French club Catalans – clearing the Storm captain to face the Broncos in Melbourne.
The scenario of the NRL’s most-capped player sitting on the sidelines would have been an embarrassing look for the code and Smith believes there is a viable solution to look after rugby league’s most experienced stalwarts.
“If you develop a player and he plays 300 games for a club, is he fully exempt from the cap?” Smith said.
“One thing I would like to see ... is giving clubs exemptions in some instances. I’ve played 380 matches for the Melbourne Storm yet there is no exemption nor reward for our club.
“I don’t think that (a full exemption) is unreasonable. That would be a positive ... to see one-club players playing 300 games (get a full salary cap discount). It’s great for our fans, our clubs and great for the game. Why not give some (salary cap) relief to clubs who can achieve that feat?”