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I know it's early but I'm very excited for this game and reckon we could notch up another emphatic victory.

The team is fairly easy to pick, which usually is the case after a dominant performance. Only issue is who drops out for Chambers assuming he's fit to play?

1. Billy Slater
2. Sisa Waqa
3. Will Chambers
4. Kurt Mann
5. Young Tonumaipea
6. Ben Hampton
7. Ben Roberts
8. Jesse Bromwich
9. Cameron Smith
10. Jordan McLean
11. Tohu Harris
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Ryan Hinchcliffe

14. Bryan Norrie - Many called that he'd fall to the bench midway through 2014, are they going to be right, or was today a one off?
15. Kevin Proctor
16. Kenny Bromwich
17. Junior Moors

Inglis#3 while on form Mann gets picked ahead of Fonua. Unfortunately due to second tier salary cap issues if Chambers comes back I think we may have to leave Mann out.

I think McLean was a better option against today's opposition. Other games he's probably better off the bench as an impact player.

Scooter wrote:Inglis#3 while on form Mann gets picked ahead of Fonua. Unfortunately due to second tier salary cap issues if Chambers comes back I think we may have to leave Mann out.

Well this isn't good at all.

Inglis#3 wrote:

Scooter wrote:Inglis#3 while on form Mann gets picked ahead of Fonua. Unfortunately due to second tier salary cap issues if Chambers comes back I think we may have to leave Mann out.

Well this isn't good at all.

Sadly, correct. My understanding is that we will now only be able to pick him to cover injuries.

Mattpoet wrote:

Inglis#3 wrote:

Scooter wrote:Inglis#3 while on form Mann gets picked ahead of Fonua. Unfortunately due to second tier salary cap issues if Chambers comes back I think we may have to leave Mann out.

Well this isn't good at all.

Sadly, correct. My understanding is that we will now only be able to pick him to cover injuries.

It appears to be the same situation Penrith had last year with with Matt Moylan. Came into the team for injuries and absolutely starred.
There really needs to be a total rework of the 2nd tier cap. It penalises the player unfairly (not to mention the team).

How is this policed. If the club says this player has a injury and can not play and we need to bring in this player from our 2nd tier cap. Does the NRL get a doctor to come to the club and examine the player? How do they know? The clubs can just say the player injured has back spasms, very hard to disprove. This must happen in the NRL.

The match payments paid to those players in the second tier (outside the highest paid 25) go against the second tier cap. Regardless of who is injured.

This will typically mean if we are close to hitting the limit on second tier cap, we MUST play a top 25 player even if it means playing them out of position or shuffling someone else out of position.

It really is the NRL cutting their nose off to spite their face. It will result in less competitive games and disappointed fans.

Last year, the Wests Tigers were granted an exemption by the NRL to bust the second tier cap and play Luke Brooks. I don't like the chances of a non-Sydney team being given the same exemption.

yourhero wrote:Last year, the Wests Tigers were granted an exemption by the NRL to bust the second tier cap and play Luke Brooks. I don't like the chances of a non-Sydney team being given the same exemption.

That was only for one game though.

blazza18 wrote:

yourhero wrote:Last year, the Wests Tigers were granted an exemption by the NRL to bust the second tier cap and play Luke Brooks. I don't like the chances of a non-Sydney team being given the same exemption.

That was only for one game though.

I didn't think the rules could be arbitrarily applied. Is one game the cutoff for when clubs are allowed to break a salary cap? Two games?

The entire point of a "rule" is that it is supposed to apply to all competitors equally. Much like we see with the referees/judiciary, it seems rules and punishments only apply at certain times. Consistency... The NRL wouldn't know what it was if it hit them in the face.

they tried to justify it on the basis that game had no impact on the finals

Yep, I appreciate that is the reasoning put forward by the NRL... but again, I fail to see where within the rules that the salary caps only apply to teams that make the top 8.

The second tier cap and the way it is applied is poor, however it should be equally poor for everyone.

The stupid thing with the Brooks situation is that they allowed him to play in round 25 v Dragons because neither team could make the finals but he wasn't allowed to play in round 26 against a team who could make the finals.

you're 100% right, however the NRL are a law unto themselves as we all know