Hands up if you are confused about the points cap?
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You're not alone. The Player Points Index System has been the cause of much angst among fans since it was implemented in its updated format in 2022.
Put simply - each Peter McDonald Premiership club gets 100 points to play with at the start of the season. They are then only eligible to use a certain percentage of the 100 points based on where they finished the previous season as a means of equalisation.
For example Orange CYMS can use 100 points whereas Dubbo CYMS can only use 80.
Players are assigned values, an ex-NRL player who has played more than 25 games will cost you 30 points straight up but a junior will cost you 0.
It's why Wellington Cowboys could sign up Blake Ferguson without a care in the world and ditto Dan Mortimer, who is back in green and gold in 2024.
All the rules are available on the NSW Rugby League website.
But here is where it gets a bit murky - player values and club totals are not publicly available.
Newcastle Rugby League, widely considered the best club competition in NSW, on the other hand have a link on their website taking you to a spreadsheet with each club's totals, including a player-by-player breakdown.
Hell, even AFL Sydney has all their transfers publicly available on their site.
Now there's no suggestion here anything untoward is being done or anyone is hiding anything, it's just confusing.
Particularly because there is so much player movement between both clubs and tiers in Western NSW ahead of the 2024 season.
Mitch Andrews was a huge coup for Bathurst St Pat's but he'll come at a points cost, how many do they have left for their other 16 players?
Woodbridge Cup clubs only have 50 points to play with. If they managed to snare an ex-NRL player it would be more than half their cap gone.
This past off season there was a lot of back and forth. Molong Bulls in particular picked up a heap of PMP players although many of them qualify as Cabonne Roos juniors and so count for zero.
Former Lithgow Workies coach Jack Sullivan has linked up with Oberon Tigers, Ben Blimka moved from Orange Hawks to Molong and Kaeden Dickson swapped CYMS for Manildra Rhinos.
The other way Ethan Bereyne and Dion Jones have left Orange United Warriors for CYMS and Rhinos winger Zac Reimer looks to have landed at Parkes Spacemen.
Fans have the right to know what these players are worth and to know how clubs are managing their cap.
Again there's no suggestion clubs are rorting the system but making the information public for all competitions in NSW, just like they do in Newcastle, removes any doubt fans have.
It would also reveal which clubs are doing what the NSWRL wants, investing in juniors. A club like Hawks would probably not be too fazed about having a reduced cap given their strategy of promoting from within.
CYMS too have been deliberate in their recruitment in 2024, signing former juniors like Mitch Collins, Mortimer and Ryan Griffin alongside imports such as Dylan Kelly and Jack Nobes.
But without being able to look it up, fans are left guessing and speculation can run rampant, especially if your team goes down to a line-up you suspect is boasting a fair few points.
So let's get it out there in the open before a ball is kicked and focus on the footy.
