This is a bit of a double post, but they are in a sense likened to each other.
Last year when the first Covid struck and all the lower grade comps were dumped, the NRL also made a case to get players and the Players union? (not sure of their brand) had discussions with the NRL that ended up with clubs having their salary caps reduced and it still is in force from what I understand. The players union agreed with our new NRL bosses to have the amount being paid to players to be reduced to help save the game - clubs - players. The agreement I understand is still in operation in that the clubs do not have the same amount of money to pay players, the reductions were across the board but as I understand it the reductions were not overtly huge and players, clubs and all still operate under the agreement. That is my understanding of it but it may have changed as I do remember the NRL had discussed it sometime this season with the aim to revert to the full amount, has it happened or next year?
The other part of the post refers to the players who are either on or seeking contracts to the amount of $1million a season. The history of that amount IIRC goes to a couple of players who were signed for that amount over 10 year periods, of the first players to sign include Dally Evans at Manly, Jason Taumalolo at the Cows, Papali'i at Canberra. I may be in error with Papali'i but am pretty sure he ended up in that category. The players getting those amounts in general were signed by their respective clubs for 10 year contracts, some may have had increased amounts also there are others who are in the category but, not made puplic. Recently one player has been offered a huge deal that includes the $1million amount over a number of years. I wonder how many of those players are actually worth that amount.
With the local club Eels. now embroiled with contract negotiations (I am not saying he is part of the negotiations though, but its through his manager) the sum of $1m has been bandied around, and he's still contracted to the club for next year. There is little doubt in my mind that many other players will be watching this saga very closely and managers closer still. So it makes me wonder, what will or has happened with the Players association and agreement with the NRL come of that when the full amounts available will appear again, and at what level will players accept/want/demand reimbursement for the loss of coin in the agreement along with what they actually want or expect.
There are a number of players in the above $700,000.00 bracket already, but go over all the clubs including our own and ask the question as to the amount each club has to spend on players, allowing for annual increases, I really wonder as to the value of many players and whether the clubs themselvers have to make more transparency in the issue, Managers need to be carefully monitered as to how much players are really worth and the future of not just the players but clubs as a whole.
Thoughts.
Replies
Managers don't care about the true value of a player. The more the player is paid, the more they get. I don't know if there is any truth in the million dollar price tag for Gutho and as much as I love what he does, he is not a million dollar player. For a salary of $ 19,230.77 a week over 52 weeks of the year you need to deliver magic every game. If you come out and say, "We will learn from last weeks game" over and over you shouldn't be paid a million dollars a year. The Eels have a good team but there is not a million dollar player in the team. When we were at the bottom of the table we were paying overs for players because we had to, but even though we are now a top 8 and close enough to a top 4 team we are still the best of the rest without a player like Turbo Tom or Tedesco which would take us that extra step. Yes they are the million dollar players because you know they WILL make a big difference. If a million dollar player performs the way they do all season, then a player that is outstanding for half the season is worth $ 500k by my calculations.
Jim, thanks for your reply as well. For me, I cannot see Gutho worth that amount of money, in fact I would suggest that as his contract is said to be $750, and I read on Zero Tackle where it listed him at $780.000, I would think the way he's played this year the later figure would an ideal for him, I doubt he would get more elsewhere though, especially in a winning side.
To answer your first question Colin, the salary cap was slated to be $9.5m for season 2021 under the previous CBA. The Covid hit and the ARLC & the NRLPA renogiated the CBA to reflect the new reality and the players agreed to a reduced cap for 2020 & 2021 of $9.02m, equating to a 5% cut to the cap.
Note this doesn't include the exemption provisions already in place that haven't changed, ie 200k for long serving players, 100k motor vehicle allowance, 300k paid by the NRl to the players retirement account & 100K to the NRLPA to pay for its administration.
The players agreed to this cutback in return for the ARLC committing to cutting its expenditure by 50%, which apparently it has achieved. The players internally agreed that the highest paid players would cop the biggest cuts proportionally since they could most afford them. So a $1m a year player might have copped an 8% salary cut whilst a minimum salaried player would not have any cut to his salary. For eg, Ash Taylor's contracted salary was slated to be $1.025m for 2021, but he is apparently now only getting 964k, roughly a 9.5% cut.
To your second question, there are 9 players on &1m or more this season.
Adam Reynolds - $1m
Kalyn Ponga - $1m
RTS - $1m
Cam Munster - $1m
David Fifita - $1m
Tommy Turbo - $1.1m
James Tedesco - $1.1m
Ben Hunt - $1.1m
DCE - $1.175m
Isn't JT at the Cowboys on 1 million per season too?
Brett, thanks for the reply and info especially, much appreciated. Not as a big a list as I thought it may have been, in general they are each pretty much worth their contracts.
It's said that you determine what a player is worth by what someone is willing to pay for that player.
I get that, but I think what makes a million dollar player is more so to do with how he earns it. If Gutho wants to be a million dollar man, then obviously he needs to perform and be a game breaker, but wait theres more. He needs to set the standard and command respect through his actions. Having the club captain, getting caught calling a team mate a dumb c**t on live television was really poor form, we were all thinking it but he shouldn't have said it. But wait there's more, you want your million dollar man to rub shoulders with your sponsors. You want him to guide the next generation and be a true leader on and off the field. In my opinion there are a lot of million dollar players, but only a few are truly earning it.
People are forgetting the cap will be less, the clubs are going broke due to covid. Those contracts were signed in good times. Guthos form has dropped big time.