Contract rebels lead to call from Leeds Rhinos' Brett Ferres to tap into young talent pool

LEEDS RHINOS' Brett Ferres hopes Super League clubs will give 'talented, loyal' youngsters greater opportunities as tensions with various 'disrespectful' NRL imports heighten further.
Leeds Rhinos' Brett Ferres.Leeds Rhinos' Brett Ferres.
Leeds Rhinos' Brett Ferres.

Rugby league is facing mounting concerns after Steve Diamond, director of rugby at Premiership rugby union side Sale Sharks, confirmed Castleford Tigers star Denny Solomona had ‘resigned’ from the sport and was attracting interest from them and other clubs in the 15-man code.

Sale hope to complete a deal without paying a fee for the prolific former Melbourne Storm winger – who has two years left on his contract at Wheldon Road – in a controversial move that may end up in the High Court.

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If successful, it could set a dangerous precedent, but it comes at the same time as other recruits from Australia are turning their back on Super League, too.

Despite being under contract for 2017, scrum-half Chris Sandow quit Warrington Wolves last week, refusing to return to the UK after his break at home in Australia.

Leeds’s own James Segeyaro, the former Penrith hooker, is reported as saying he does not want to come back to see out his two-year deal at Headingley either.

With Jamie Soward, the former Queensland State of Origin half-back who retired this month after completing a second spell with London Broncos, claiming Super League is “10 years behind the NRL”, the domestic game has certainly taken a battering of late.

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On yesterday’s Solomona development, England second-row Ferres, 30, said: “I’m not sure of the whole situation there, but it certainly does look like opening a big can of worms. If this happens, potentially, if someone wants you in a different sport, they can just come and get you. There’s a right and wrong way of doing it; clubs and players need to be honest.

“It’s a tough one. You don’t see it happening in other sports. These deals always seem to get sorted out very quickly elsewhere so it is disappointing. With other stuff, though, it does seem we’re letting some NRL players come over here and disrespect our game, maybe using us as a springboard to get back over there.

“But we’ve got a very talented pool of players, which is getting bigger and, hopefully, we’ll now see some of the young lads, who have got talent and are very loyal, too, getting an opportunity.”

Scotland second-row Dale Ferguson, 28, has rejoined Huddersfield Giants from Bradford Bulls on a two-year deal.