Jack Wighton saga shows it's time for NRL to rethink broken salary cap

Because if it is working, then how do you explain to Raiders fans how their star five-eighth Jack Wighton is even a possibility of leaving the club - not for $1 million more, but $1 million less?

While the Raiders have laid their $4.4 million, four-year offer on the NRL card table, South Sydney were reportedly offering just $3.4 million over the same period.

The Redcliffe Dolphins have landed in the middle, stumping up $4 million.

It's enough to send the entire capital bald from having pulled their collective hair out.

It's time for the NRL to consider salary cap exemptions to help certain clubs recruit or retain players.

Places like Canberra, which clearly struggles to attract star players, could get an extra allowance in the cap - similar to the cost-of-living allowance the Sydney Swans used to get in the AFL.

Interestingly, it's something the NSWRL actually introduced themselves last year - by way of a (complicated) player points system where the teams that made last year's finals get less points than the teams that didn't.

For Raiders fans there's none of the usual comfort of, "Oh well, we couldn't compete with South Sydney's offer because of the salary cap. The club offered as much as they could".

That's how the salary cap's meant to work. Or some players might stay at their club for less because they're settled.

Instead it's the exact opposite: "Oh well, there was nothing we could do - they've got far less room in the salary cap than us. We could only offer 30 per cent more."

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A quick look at the Rabbitohs' teamsheet only makes for more depressing reading for the Green Machine.

Next season they could find themselves up against a Souths left edge of Alex Johnston, Wighton and Cody Walker, with Latrell Mitchell chiming in from fullback.

Even the Great Wall of China's going to have trouble stopping that lot.

It's why I called the NRL to find out what the process was when contracts were lodged - all of which were then examined by the salary cap auditors.

Is there a process they go through when a player leaves a club for a lot less money? Is there anything like "fair market value" that would be counted in the cap if the actual contract was much less?

The Canberra Times was still waiting for a response.

No one's suggesting the Rabbitohs are doing anything wrong. If you can land a star like Wighton for less money, then that's just good business.

And no one's suggesting just because there's a higher offer on the table then that's a fair market value. There's always going to be mitigating factors like family and a go-home factor.

Meanwhile, Wighton's travelled the country during Canberra's bye, stopping in for a chat with Redcliffe Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett on Thursday before having rabbit stew for breakfast with his cousin Mitchell on Friday.

It's expected the Raiders could know Wighton's fate before they head to Wagga Wagga to take on one of his potential destinations, the Dolphins, next Saturday.

And before anyone starts thinking this is just Canberrans whingeing, think again.

A quick look at sport's most basic statistic paints a bleak picture for a majority of clubs.

That's despite the NRL spruiking how even things are and producing statistics to show why the cap was working.

In the NRL era, 64 per cent of grand finals won have been won by just four clubs. Sixty-four per cent.

The Melbourne Storm (six), the Sydney Roosters (four), the Brisbane Broncos (three) and the Penrith Panthers (three) have won 15 of the 25 grand finals on offer.

Maybe it's time for the NRL to do things differently, because the current system's clearly not working the way it's intended.

NRL ROUND NINE

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Redcliffe Dolphins at Wagga Wagga, 3pm.

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