AAP
Newcastle coach Wayne Bennett admits the situation allowing the Knights to recruit current Dragon Beau Scott is "diabolical', but he refuses to apologise for doing what every other NRL club is doing.
The Knights on Friday announced the signing of Scott, who played under Bennett at St George Illawarra, to a four-year deal starting next season.
The timing - less than two weeks into the season - prompted calls for a review of the transfer process, with South Sydney chief executive Shane Richardson and his Canterbury counterpart Todd Greenberg both calling for the NRL to once again revisit the possibility of a player draft.
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That idea has been off the table since Terry Hill challenged the system in the High Court as a restraint of trade in 1991 after he was drafted by Eastern Suburbs.
Bennett said something had to be done to clean up the messy situation, despite his club benefiting with the signing for Australian representative Scott.
"It's diabolical for the fans and the game - nothing's changed," Bennett said.
"We're not going to be disadvantaged, we're doing what everybody else is doing."
Bennett was indignant at the Knights being portrayed as the bad guys - though St George Illawarra fans may have every reason to feel aggrieved with Scott to be the fourth Dragon to follow the seven-time premiership winning coach to Newcastle.
"Every week and every month for the rest of this season there'll be a yarn with a player leaving a club so let's not use the Beau Scott example as an issue for Newcastle or anybody else," Bennett said.
"It's been going on for the last five years ... don't pick on us about Beau Scott because we're doing what every other club's doing.
"You're either in it and, if you're not in it, you're going to miss out because there's no-one to recruit in September."
Bennett has long been a fan of a draft, believing it would help keep a lid on salaries as well as cutting down on the movement of players who may well stay at their own club rather than risk an uncertain destination.
Richardson said he would push for a subcommittee to be formed to look into a draft at next month's chief executives meeting.
"It works in a lot of other codes in the world and in this country, but maybe the opportunity's not there for the draft because of what's happened in the past," Bennett said.
"I'm sure if the players' association and the league thought it was in the best interests of the game they could do a deal on it where the players might get compensation from the league to allow them to have a draft."
The Scott announcement - just 24 hours before the Dragons played Canterbury on Saturday - riled Dragons supporters who claimed it played a role in their side's 30-4 loss to the Bulldogs.
Veteran lock Dean Young dismissed the notion players were affected by mid-season revelations that one of their teammates was headed elsewhere the following year.
"I think everyone's used to it now," Young said.
"Each year if you do well you're going to lose certain players.
"I've played long enough to know you've got to get on with the job."
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