sport, raiders, canberra raiders, nrl, nrl contracts, nrl player managers, ricky stuart, jordan rapana, curtis scott

When did the inmates start running the asylum? The Canberra Raiders have been dragged into a game controlled by player managers to leave coach Ricky Stuart demanding compensation for developing emerging players. It seems the madhouse that is rugby league is no longer built on loyalty. Those days are seemingly long gone in most cases. Today it feels as though it is about who can pay the most, with rosters being picked apart by success and receiving nothing in return. Sure, the Raiders aren't complaining about adding former Melbourne Storm centre Curtis Scott onto the books to bolster the club's depth in the outside backs. But the man who has left that same group was "the life and soul" of the group - Japanese rugby-bound Jordan Rapana. Stuart didn't want to lose him and hopes there will be scope to lure him back after he rose from the Queanbeyan Blues ranks in search of an opportunity to a superstar New Zealand international. MORE RAIDERS NEWS Roll into the car park at Raiders headquarters this week and you will see scores of youngsters looking to press their claims for an eventual first grade debut. But the sheer reality is so many will be steered elsewhere and the Raiders, much like other clubs in similar positions, will get nothing for bringing them through the ranks. "It's in our charter to develop rugby league and develop young players," Stuart said. "But you don't get rewarded for it which just makes me disappointed in our game. Less clubs are developing, there are more and more clubs now poaching. "They're saving money in regards to spending it on young development coaches and trying to bring on young players at your club. "I can understand why they're doing it, because there is a lot of money involved that you don't get compensated for when you're getting players pinched. "When you have a little bit of success in this competition, the two things that affect you is developing young players because the salary cap doesn't give you any compensation, and being successful. "You don't get any compensation for making them better and turning them into first-graders and then into representative players. "Secondly, being successful, it doesn't give you a lot of hope of retaining your roster. This is where the opportunity with Curtis has given me a chance to improve our roster. "They're the two things that affect the roster, and it's very important for me to keep the stability of our roster, but if I can find improvement such as Curtis, it's a bonus." MORE CANBERRA SPORT Few things in life are more uncertain than the stability of a roster. Former Wests Tigers chairman Barry O'Farrell said player managers are letting the game down. For some, it seems the grass is always greener on the other side. Latrell Mitchell is still searching for a club after the Tigers pulled their offer and many others don't have pockets deep enough to meet his near $1 million asking price. Something must be done to give power back to the clubs. Raiders chief executive Don Furner has long been in favour of salary cap concessions for club juniors and long-term servants. He even made a spreadsheet for the NRL and rival CEOs more than a decade ago which built in salary cap discounts for players that graduated from the club's Harold Matthews Cup, SG Ball and under-20s system. If Jarrod Croker played all three grades at the Raiders and was offered $500,000, the club could exclude $75,000 from its cap. Then there are the players that made a name for themselves in the top grade at one club, just like Rapana. "It's happened with Jordan Rapana. Jordan didn't want to leave, he is the life and the soul of the boys here," Stuart said. "We all love him, he's got a good bunch of mates here, and unfortunately he got squeezed out. I would love to have him back one day, but this is what success does to you. "I've got to try to keep as much stability and improvement in the roster as I can, and this is the benefit of the scenario that was put in front of me of having Curtis Scott available." Todd Greenberg, Peter V'landys, it's your set of six.

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