KICKOFF: Cougars Illawarra League resurgence a sign of things to come

Having endured a win-less campaign in 2018, and a one-win season a year earlier, even the most parochial fans would be happy to see them atop the ladder.

It has raised the question, that many have asked of this columnist, as to whether the Cougars start is evidence of the new salary cap at work.

Truth is it's probably to early to make that assertion. For one it does a disservice to coach Sean Maloney and the job he's done.

He's been up front about the fact that he was signed for three years and that three-year plan is moving into its second season.

He's added some size up front and some definite strike out wide while the return of Tom Maloney at No. 7, after he was a round-one casualty last year, has been a major factor.

But the cap at work? Probably not just yet.

The Cougars draw presented the opportunity for a good start. They had Berkeley at home and then Dapto away against a Canaries side at the start of its own rebuild.

This weekend presents a monstrous step up against grand finalists Thirroul ahead of a trip to Helensburgh in round four. It'll see them having played the two other sides who missed the finals last year within the first four rounds.

It takes nothing away from either win. The most clear and present factor in both was the young Cougars hunger. They simply looked like they wanted it more in both games.

In that sense a sort of placebo effect may have been a factor. It's too early to see the cap having a true material impact - though it has seen the bigger clubs change their recruitment approach somewhat.

What is apparent in the vibe out Ziems Park way is a lift in mood. It's hard for any player to drag their feet into training each week, and then to grounds on the weekend knowing that the playing field is not a level one.

Similarly, committees and sponsors can feel like they're pushing excrement up Mount Ousley in trying to match the funds of their leagues-club backed rivals.

Smaller clubs still face the yearly battle to nudge the $150,000 ceiling but, if they put the work in to get there, and they're backed by their communities, they're now a chance at finals each year.

If one looks at the current first-grade coaches across the league, they all have their respective clubs colours running through their veins.

Thirroul started that trend three year ago in appointing Jarrod Costello. With a young squad, the Butchers missed the finals for the first time in two and a half decades in his first season.

They've since reached a prelim and grand final the last two seasons and are among the favourites for this year's title.

Like Maloney, Gav Lennon endured a tough first season at Helensburgh but things are looking up for the new-look Tigers in 2019.

Aaron McDonald has done a terrific job rebuilding the Berkeley club - not just in first grade - while Nathan Fien is in his fourth season at Collies.

Pete McLeod tasted premiership success in his first season with many of the Wests juniors he brought through in his years as an assistant to Jason Ryles and Brett Kimmorley.

Chris Leikvoll and Mick Murphy have joined those ranks this year and are Dapto men through and through. The system is now set up for these types of coaches to succeed.

Another question people have asked is whether it will prevent former NRL players playing in the league. In pure numbers we could see less, but what it will do is ensure the ex-NRL stars who do return will be doing so for the right reasons.

Glenn Stewart's return to his junior club Wests last year had nothing to do with money. Jeff Robson and Joel Reddy staying on this season as part of the Dapto rebuild isn't about dollars either.

The impact they've had is what you want former NRL players to have on your club. If an ex-NRL players motivation is purely about money, then the league can do without them.

As for some the younger talent that's left the league this season, it has more to do with chasing opportunities at higher levels than money.

Naturally there are skeptics who talk of brown paper bags and all the rest. Even if if were the case, this hardly amounts to a reason to not implement a salary cap at all - it's like saying we shouldn't have speed limits on roads because people are going to speed anyway.

Saturday shapes as the biggest game at Ziems Park in a number of seasons. The Cougars still face an uphill battle to reach the finals this season but - in the new era - it's just hill, not a mountain.