The salary cap only applies to players who have played a competitive game for us in the season I think. There will be several players who have been here all through pre-season, maybe a friendly as well, but they don't actually count on the cap.

If they set foot on the pitch in a competitive game, their entire salary for the season would immediately count on the cap.

Which is why I think we are obviously spending the cap limit (£1m), but I think our playing staff wages (at least until loans started happening) is probably more - ie £1.1m. I think this explains what has happened to Davies, Petersen, Conroy & Brook.

Not Conroy, who has played competitively (sub away at Batley), but perhaps Bates.

That can't be right. Why would we ever sign a raft of players on the basis that we do have to pay their wages, but they can never set foot in a competitive game?

Bates/Brooks didn't develop as planned? Davies/Petersen training stats didn't match their youtube highlights reel? quota?

You get 3 or 4 months with them before the first competitive game of the season.

An early injury then squad reassessment means you're suddenly surplus to requirements?

If for example you're on £40k for the season, but 6months have passed and you've not played, then the opportunity arises for the coach to sign 2 players about April/May time, both on £20k for the next 6months.

The £40k player is effectively benched, taken off the 25man squad that the RFL hold and unless he gets a loan arranged, is going to be paid without playing.

Or maybe I'm just overanalysing this....

It used to be that the cap applied just to the top 25 earners, not sure about now though as that was in SL. I've never heard of it not applying to blokes who don't play, and to be honest it sounds a bit too sensible for the RFL.