Leigh Leopards Prepare for New Signing Amid Salary Cap Discussions
Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont has teased fans about a new signing arriving this week, while also commenting on the Super League’s salary cap and potential changes.
The Leopards suffered a 12-0 defeat to Hull KR at the weekend, halting their recent run of good form and damaging their playoff chances. Despite the setback, Beaumont remains committed to pushing Leigh into the top six and has confirmed they will be adding a new player this week to aid those efforts.
Speaking on the Leigh Leopards’ YouTube channel, Beaumont stated, “There’ll be a signing announced this week who hopefully will arrive on Friday. You could argue we don’t need to do that. It all comes at a cost.” The new signing is widely expected to be Melbourne Storm prop Aaron Pene.
Beaumont previously criticized Hull FC’s business practices, accusing them of complacency due to their “Grade A” status under the IMG system. He highlighted the financial investment he is making to keep Leigh as competitive as possible. “I’m putting money in monthly now and it’ll be a big one next month with no home games and that gets extended further because ultimately I’m looking at what do we need to do to get in the playoffs, not what do we need to do to not finish bottom or not get relegated.“
Regarding the salary cap, Beaumont believes the system is close to being right, but he has highlighted the failure to mirror inflation as an issue that needs to be addressed. “The difficulty at the moment is that everything is going south in terms of income coming into the sport, in terms of broadcast deals and various things. We’re working in terms of other ways of growing those numbers in assets that we keep like the free-to-air games and the Super League Plus platform. There is a projection of intended growth to increase income but at the moment the sport is too reliant on benefactors.“
Beaumont’s comments on the salary cap indicate that while progress has been made, further discussions and adjustments are necessary to ensure the system provides the necessary flexibility and support for clubs like Leigh to remain competitive in the Super League.
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