So I'm picking up Fyno's statement here about what some other centres in the NRL are paid and I guess the suggestion that it warrants us throwing more coin at Tonga? So I'm interested in what people think centres are worth?
I don't think there's any question that your halves are where the majority of your cap should be centres but at the half million mark that some centres are reportedly being paid it puts them up there as probably the second highest paid position in the game.
My question is: Are centres worth that much?
Certainly, I'd suggest that Greg Inglis for example hasn't given bang for bucks to Souths. Were Queensland a noticably lesser team in Round One when they had Neilsen there instead of Inglis? Now, of course it's nice to have quality centres who can turn half chances into tries but I think so many of today's tries in Rugby League come down to structured backline movements that the value of a high quality centre has been lessened.
Centres also tend to cop a fair few injuries because the position is quite a physical one and involves a lot of standing in tackles, twisting and basically a lot of impacts coming from all sorts of directions. So you should probably factor into investment your centre being out of the team for some part of the season.
I think if you look at the Storm, they are shaping up as minor premiers without any real star centres.
So my assertion is that the value you get from a solid $150k-$200k centre to a half million centre is probably not the 2 times factor that the pay represents, especially if making that investment means you have less depth in the position that is going to be needed to cover the injuries you'll invariably get in that position.
If the suggestions that Tonga is being offered anywhere between 400 and 500k are true, I wouldn't go near it. I'd love a rep-quality centre as much as anyone BUT I wouldn't jeopardise the balance of my salary cap by overpaying because your looking short. I argued exactly the opposite in terms of signing Sandow - basically we had to get him at whatever cost - but I don't think star centres have as much impact as they used to in the modern day to justify that kind of recruitment decision.
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I mean, the justification to pay a centre that much money is very rarely warranted in any shape or form - it just takes up far too much of the cap.
500k ha ha ha just ask souths if they believe they got there moneys worth out of Inglis and he is by far the best centre out there when in form.
350k for the top 5 centres out there but for the best I would pay max 400k to 420k
Sorry but my playmakers are more important
It depends on the club and the player really, and what role they will fill. Hodges and Inglis are definitely worth 400K or more. They probably are overpaid, but it is a position where you need very good specialist players, otherwise the outside attacking and defensive line just isn't as strong and dynamic as it needs to be. As far as Willie Tonga goes, 400K is only slight overs, simply because what he would add to any team, and ours especially, is a combination of supreme footwork,speed, strength and sharp defence. 400K is the maximum I would be willing to pay Tonga, but we have to remember that a lot of our players fighting for top seventeen spots next year will be fringe first-graders that would not stand to earn much. With that being the case, the club can afford to pay overs for Tonga if we really need him - and we do - unless another centre of comparable quality comes onto the market.
Really though, again, it all comes down to the player. Players like Inglis are easily worth 400K, whilst players like Best would be worth 150-200K. There are superstars and average first-graders in every position, it is all about finding the balance. If the team doesn't have the right balance, they won't succeed.
centres are only as good as the halves and backline are at getting good ball to them.....putting them in half holes etc......
Inglis shined at Melbourne and with QLD cause of Smith, Cronk, Locky etc........Nielson looks good with them too....
Tonga is good but not worth paying 500 grand a year so he can retire........I'll take his younger brother though.....
I'm a fan of the Lokomotion........that kid will be a killer in a season or too.......
There worth what ever the club is willing to pay for them i guess.
If you get a certain quality centre you might attract other high profile players as well
There are 2 different types of styles of centre's.
IMPACT: hole running, tackle busting, try scoring, metre running, superstar style of centre's, such as:
- Inglis, Hodges, Folau, Tonga, Loko, etc.
DEFENSIVE: high tackling, support playing, skilled passing, offloading style of centre's, such as:
- Reddy, B Smith, Lyon, Gasnier, etc.
The ideal centre is usually a gifted, instinctive player, with superior ball playing and decision making abilities. A lack of a good centre can cripple creativity, and any momentum that the team was building.
The best centre's in the game are so highly famous for an obvious reason; if not contained or targeted, that player will be a nightmare and cause havoc against any team with any chance they get. Trademark abilities such as: Inglis' fending, Gasniers' offloading, and Jennings' powerful runs, are what make rugby league so exciting to watch.
Chris Johnstone worded it very nicely though; "centres are only as good as the halves". Halves enable to centre's to play at their best, eg. Soward + Gasnier.
That's how I've always rated organising centre's. That's just how I do it personally, apart from halves, I find them to be sub play-makers, and usually, the most "skilled" of all players.
I tend to somewhat disagree with you Phil, for the level of necessity we need for a centre.
You can't judge a centre's worth by using just Inglis as an example, that could be any 'out of form' player, forward or back. Look at the Dragons' backline and tell me they aren't the reason for their success, the results are reflected by their position on the ladder.
In all honesty, at this early stage we can't judge the importance Tonga would be worth to our team until we see our halves in action. Tonga could be the most overstated signing of 2012, or just the spark in attack our team needed to succeed.
Better safe than sorry?
I think we should forget about Willie Tonga and buy a good up and coming centre for alot less coin. I would go with Loko, Esi Tonga and who ever we sign as our main three. Kane Linnet or Lafai from the Dogs would be a good buy. Vai Toutai and Morgan should be our backup centres and get a run in the Wenty side to prepare themselves for the NRL. The money saved in not paying overs for a centre should then be spent on an attacking Hooker. This is one area we are lacking in. MK average and McGuire should retire.
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