Salford owner Marwan Koukash welcomes new marquee rule

“It’s probably the right time for it, and everybody recognises the need for it, because we have been losing our top talent into union, etc. “You look at the example of Wigan recently, they have anticipated that the vote is going to be successful and straightway they have gone ahead and bought Sam Tomkins. We would have lost Sam Tomkins to the NRL forever had this vote not been possible. “So the first thing we have done is to bring our best talent back into the competition, the talent we recently lost. We also have the opportunity to go out and compete and bring in other players from the NRL and even rugby union, players who switched from rugby league back to rugby union, bring them back to rugby league because we could afford to pay them.” Four of the 12 Super League clubs voted against the proposal, but Koukash insists the change will not lead to the introduction of a two-tier system with the less wealthy clubs unable to compete. “A player, or two players, doesn’t win you championships,” he said. “You look at the way the league is now. In the top eight there are one or two teams who don’t even spend the full salary cap, whereas Salford, we spend the full cap, and we are not in the top eight. “So with a marquee or two players it is not going to make much difference. It’s not going to make the ones who bring in the marquee players all of a sudden they lead, they are the ones who are going to be winning the championship. “Marquee players will enhance the sport. It will put more bums on seats, it will create more interest in the sport and as a result the sport overall will grow. “Whether the marquee players are coming into Wigan, or Salford, Warrington, Leeds, St Helens, it will be a positive influence for the whole of the sport, not just for the clubs that they are going to.”
                                 
Salford owner Marwan Koukash has welcomed the introduction of a marquee player in Super League for the 2016 season. The controversial proposal, which had been rejected three times in the last two years, was finally given the go-ahead at the Super League annual meeting in Manchester on Wednesday. Under the terms of the salary cap rule amendment, clubs will be entitled to sign one marquee player who will have a notional value on their salary cap register of either £100,000 if club trained or £175,000 if non-club trained. Koukash, who originally proposed the move, told Sky Sports News HQ: "It was a great day for Super League. For the very first time, the sport can go out and compete with the NRL and rugby union for top-quality rugby players. “Now teams like us, for example, can go out and bring in big, big names and bring them back to the sport.

Moeen Ali admits disappointment at omission from England's ODI series with New Zealand

"I’ll play wherever they put me. It’s obviously different being in the top six but it’s something I’ll get used to in time." Asked if there were positive signs for England heading into the home series against Australia, Moeen added: "One hundred percent. There are so many players who have performed well. "The guys who didn’t perform too well are the guys who have performed well in the last year or so. Hopefully it’ll all come together over the Ashes and we’ll be ready for Australia."

All-rounder Moeen Ali has revealed his 'disappointment' at not being selected for England's upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. By his own admission, the 27-year-old struggled in the Test defeat at Headingley that earned the Black Caps a 1-1 series draw - and will return to Worcestershire as England prepare for the five-match limited-overs series which begins on June 9. Moeen told Sky Sports: "Obviously I’m very disappointed not to be selected for the one-day stuff. I really enjoy my role as opening batter and spinner but I think it’s important for me to get some bowling under my belt and really get my mind and game right, sorted for the Ashes. "I mean it was a great series, the first game was fantastic and the second game they just outplayed us in all departments. We were pretty level halfway through the game and then they just came out and took the game away from us. It was a fair result definitely. It was a great series for us to play in. "I was happy in the first game, bat and ball I felt like I did alright. The last game I didn’t score any runs. I struggled a little bit but the conditions were very tough and it was a tough game to be in.