I'd be ok with another year of Austin but no thanks to Thompson. If Prior does retire then between them that's two quota spots which should be sufficient to do some decent business.

Just to add to the previous comments on P&R I think if we are serious about growth then no P&R and also a lower number of foreign players allowed. What we want is teams with a majority of players who have come via their own academy or from a UK academy.
I would much rather have 2-3 foreign players but they be better quality if possible.
Another major issue is the NRL clubs signing young players from the UK, we simply cannot compete in terms of money or lifestyle so it becomes difficult. However that is another reason to scrap P&R and let teams build foundations over 4-5 years.

Academy produced players should be exempt from the cap.

I agree 100% Seth
As the salary cap in SL is still relatively low and that it also hasn't probably even kept up with inflation rates over the years either.
I think that this could be a very positive way for all SL clubs to produce home grown players moving forward as they would then be rewarded for their input and player development that they had put in.
Rather than SL clubs relying on picking up talented young kids that had been trained from a young age but who have been released from a club that regularly produces a large number of juniors each year despite not being able to retain them all

Imagine that..

Jack Walker, Harry Newman, Liam Sutcliffe, Ash Handley, Mikolaj Oledzki, Cameron Smith, Tom Holroyd, Sam Walters, Jack Broadbent, Jarrod O’Connor, Corey Johnson, Muizz Mustapha, Max Simpson, Liam Tindall, Levi Edwards, Oli Field, Jack Sinfield, Zak Hardaker.

You’d probably question why Jarrod O’Connor, Sam Walters and Zak Hardaker are on the list, because of the age they signed for Leeds, they are classed as club trained.

You can't exempt all Academy players. You could give a discount against the cap though (e.g. max of their salary or 50k/player). You also shouldn't count the likes of Hardaker under any system. If not developed by the club as a junior they shouldn't count at all.

Even if you were to introduce this you'd also need to start from scratch - no giving the likes of Leeds and Wigan an immediate free kick.

I'd also exclude exemptions until players progress - e.g. 50 games. You don't want clubs stockpiling kids just because they developed them if they're not going to get a game, and this should be about quality not just quantity.

I think you'd also need to introduce catchments. Its not fair to the likes of Cas/Wakey if Leeds cherry-pick kids from their area and count them as their own (or Warrington from everywhere). How would you treat clubs with virtually no natural catchment (e.g. Salford)?

We all need to be developing more players, but while there are lots of ideas the devil's in the detail.

One other idea I like is the father-son rule they have in AFL. If a kid's dad played more than 100 games for a club, they get first pick in the draft. We don't have a draft so I'd just have a cap deduction. It would hurt us today, but I like the idea - recognises history which is something our sport is not good at.

...on a separate topic I see Wire have moved to correct their prop shortage, with one this year and two next. Wonder if we'll see similar activity once Smith gets a feel for the squad?

It is to be hoped so don't think there is a Leeds supporter who dosen't think the front row needs strengthening.

I know. It really beggars belief that we've got a million backrowers and so few genuine props, most of whom are on the smaller side. Only Holroyd is a genuinely big guy. Agar and his bloody 'middles'.....

Agar's recruitment has gone badly overall imo.

Wolves have now also signed Kyle Amor on a short term loan deal until the end of the season too
Amor was just a young kid in 2009 when we initially signed him and he was also well down the pecking order whilst he was at the club

I'd have taken him on a similar loan deal, Although Warrington have probably offered him silly money just to keep Daryll happy

Would have been a good short term option for us this year imo.