IAN Blease sounded the alarm over the drain of talent from the Betfred Super League to the NRL as Leeds Rhinos face losing one of their homegrown players.
Rhinos second row Morgan Gannon has reportedly agreed a three-year deal with New Zealand Warriors, and would become the latest English prospect to swap these shores for down under if the deal is confirmed.
Morgan Smithies, Matty Nicholson and Will Pryce, who has since returned to Super League with Hull FC, are among others to have made the switch in recent seasons and Leeds sporting director Blease is concerned about the wider implications for the competition.
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“We’ve got a problem in the game,” Blease told The Leeds Rhinos Podcast.
“I think the game has got to somehow come up with a solution for this.
“The salary cap is a big difference in Australia and, as a professional, do you want to go and play in the NRL? Yeah, of course you do.
“But it’s all about timing and you’ve got to realise when is the right time to go there if the opportunity does arise.”
Super League’s finite salary cap limit is £2.1million, while the NRL’s base salary cap for 2025 is around £5.47million at current exchange rates.
Blease admitted the Rhinos have been considering bidding for cross-code talent as Super League rivals Wigan Warriors did in signing former England rugby union winger Christian Wade until the end of the 2025 season.
Players crossing from the 15-a-side code carry a zero percent value on the salary cap in their first year and only 50 percent in their second, although Blease believes the risks are greater than when league was able to plunder union’s stocks during the amateur era.
“It’s more of a risk now, so it’s got to be the right person and player,” Blease said.
“We’ve had a look, we’ve been close to one or two, but we’ll pick up the right one when it’s ready.”
