The National Rugby League "will look at tweaking the terms of its salary cap, but only once the 2013 season is over," according to the AAP. The league "has been criticised recently for halting the burgeoning careers of Penrith fullback Matt Moylan and Sydney Roosters forward Kane Evans due to second-tier salary cap restrictions." The NRL released a statement on Monday confirming that "the club salary cap committee had met last week and agreed that an 'extensive review' was required." But the league's COO Jim Doyle said that it is "unfeasible to expect the game's laws to be changed halfway through a season." Doyle said, "You can't simply change the rules mid-season but we do intend to give (salary cap auditor) Ian Schubert greater support by establishing a panel of appropriately qualified people to assist him in determining any applications under the current system" (AAP, 6/24). In Sydney, Glenn Jackson reported depending on who you talk to, the new panel will either give Schubert "more support, or dilute his powers -- or both." What is clear is that Schubert's sole discretionary powers over matters of the cap "will be taken away by the formation of a panel of experts, which will include the current auditor" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 6/25).
BOOZE BAN: Also in Sydney, Adrian Proszenko reported new New South Wales Rugby League CEO David Trodden "has ruled out introducing a booze ban to curb the spate of alcohol-fuelled incidents affecting Origin, saying a blanket ban would create more problems than it solves." While the adverse headlines they have generated "prompted some pundits to call for an end to bonding sessions," Trodden said that abolition is not the answer. Trodden said, "I'm a believer in everything in moderation. The world has moved on from the days of the old bonding sessions that used to go on. It's difficult to legislate for every single instance. If you try to do that, you legislate yourself out of existence" (SMH, 6/25).
