Robinson throws support behind loan system

Trent Robinson says the introduction of a player swap or loan arrangement could make the distribution of playing talent across the NRL fairer.

A left-field player swap proposed by Melbourne and Wests Tigers involving Harry Grant and Paul Momirovski has been called off because the proposed trade would put the Storm over the salary cap.

Grant has indicated he may exercise an exit option in his three-year Melbourne contract to pursue a starting spot elsewhere given he is behind Cameron Smith and Brandon Smith in the Storm pecking order.

The 12-month switch to the Tigers would have had him in line for regular NRL game time, with coach Michael Maguire becoming a fan of Super League's own loan system during his time as Wigan coach.

His Roosters counterpart Robinson similarly enjoyed the English game's dual-registration system, where top-tier clubs can loan a player to an outfit in a lower league, and called for the NRL to explore introducing a similar concept over the next 18 months.

"Talking about Super League, guys that are either playing in the Championship [the English game's second tier] can go from a really strong team like St Helens, they can go and play for a middle team or a lower team if they've got injuries and they can go and get some experience," Robinson said leading into Saturday's World Club Challenge clash with St Helens.

"It ends up spreading the talent pool around, it benefits the clubs that form players quite well and have players that can go and benefit the competition, and it keeps the best players throughout the competition, that's what it does.

"Rather than pooling them in one club and playing in championship. So it's got merit.

"It obviously has to be worked through and talked about but we're always trying to look to improve our competition and that's certainly a thing that should be looked at this year and into next year."

Robinson's own roster at the Roosters has been consistently among the strongest in the game since he arrived at Bondi in 2013.

One of the NRL's biggest selling points is a regular turnover in clubs at the top of the table.

However, recent years have seen the Roosters, Storm and Rabbitohs emerge as consistent premiership contenders while clubs such as the Titans and Tigers have endured lengthy finals droughts amid similar struggles when it comes to recruitment battles with the NRL's strongest sides.

It ends up spreading the talent pool around

Trent Robinson on loan systems

Significantly, the RLPA had endorsed the proposed Momirovski-Grant swap deal before it fell over.

The prospect of other clubs exploring similar arrangements could see changes to the game's current player contracting model considered during the next round of CBA discussions between the RLPA and NRL for the 2023 season.

Robinson sees a player loan system having the potential to even out the distribution of talent in the game.

Canberra and Canterbury completed a player swap in 2017 with Brad Abbey and Clay Priest while James Maloney and Matt Moylan traded places the following year when they were released from contracts by Cronulla and Penrith respectively.