Former National Rugby League salary cap auditor Ian Schubert believes the salary cap needs to make way for a "fantasy league" style points system to prevent clubs from cheating the system, according to Adrian Proszenko of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Schubert "was one of the most influential figures in the game while the NRL's salary cap auditor for 18 years, a post he left in 2013." The former Kangaroos representative "is again involved in the salary cap as a consultant to Parramatta, where he is attempting to clean up the financial mess at the club." Schubert "began pressure testing a points system alongside the cap in 2010 while cap auditor, with a view to rewarding loyalty and providing a more transparent means of equalising talent across the competition." Schubert said, "As a personal project really, I have considered a points system for years and have run models over the NRL clubs and the actual figures, just looking at how an alternative might measure up. Effectively it would be almost a real Fantasy League with a lot of variables covering injury, talent differentiation between same-level rep players, encouragement for clubs to be development rather than recruitment clubs etc. In principle, I see the value in it being considered. Its greatest benefit is transparency." A five-man sub-committee of club CEOs was formed in '10 "to consider the original proposal." Two of those members, Canberra CEO Don Furner and former Brisbane boss Bruno Cullen, "are both still of the belief the points system has merit and warrants further investigation." Furner said, "It's the only system you can have that realistically can't be cheated" (SMH, 6/15).
