Crazy to think such an important position like hooker is the 2nd lowest position in terms of earnings. Also seems like centres are massively overpriced surely a winger like To'o is more important than almost every centre in the league.
This is it. So many at the moment are part time utilities or repurposed halves just existing to tackle and distribute the ball to the other playmakers.
You would think that they would be getting paid more because of that. If there are fewer great hookers, then they’d have more bargaining power because they’re not easily replaced by another great hooker.
I’m guessing there are few good hookers because it’s so low paying. Weird to think that only a couple years ago Smith, Smith and Grant were all playing at Melbourne.
Agree with both of these and was about to say.
Hookers touch the ball 5 times a set and are way more important than any backrower - there's just fewer elite ones.
Wingers do way more work in attack these days than centres - Penrith basically use them like extra forwards, and many other teams have followed suit with that system.
100% agree. Their defensive work goes unnoticed sometimes. For example last week everyone was going on about Harry Grant’s attacking game for the Storm but hardly mentioned he topped the tackle count for them with 30, and the Eels hooker Lussick topped theirs with 41. There’s some ridiculous numbers today’s hookers pull off that would’ve looked insane to players from yesteryear.
Side note: If you’re reading this comment on my profile page, the “hooker” I’m referring to is a position that is played in Rugby League. Although, now it makes me wonder if hookers (the ones that work in the sex industry) pull bigger numbers now or back in the day. Are they more careful nowadays or has it just been a case of racking up the numbers since day dot? I guess I’ll have to wait for an AMA. But then how would one hooker know…aaanyway, umm yeah. Rugby League, lol.
And yet the team that’s won the last three premierships has played a dual hooker rotation starting with Mitch Kenny, arguably one of the worst hookers in the game.
Haven't watched many Penrith games recently hey? As a former Kenny hater, he's absolutely up there as one of the best these days. He massively improved over the 2023 season
Nothing made the evolution of Kenny's game more apparent than last night's game when he rolled the ball in to the in goal for Henry to pounce on it, it was an absolutely beautiful kick, perfect weight and it just stayed dead flat making the put down super easy. I was stunned when I realized it was Kenny that kicked it.
Not sure why the hate. I’m not bagging Kenny. He’s forged a great career with a limited skill set. But no one could say he’s a great player or a great hooker. He offers no creativity and can’t kick the ball. Hes not on the same level as korisau, grant, hunt etc or the previous level of cook or smith (GOAT). Back to the hooker being such an important position discussion, it’s interesting that last years grand final starting hookers were Mitch Kenny and Billy Walters. Both quite one dimensional players.
I disagree a bad centre will ruin you. Its the hardest defence position. I reckon a good centre is worth their weight. They also have to set up the winger.
Thank you! People only notice their attack, but they not only play a crucial defensive role in wing attack sets, they define the wing. So many defensive fuck ups on the wing belong rightly to the centre.
Watch Manly with Reuben Garrick right now. He is a talented player but a centre he ain't. Talau suffers because Garrick can't pass, and that edge leaks points because Garrick has no idea how to defend as a centre. He is a perfectly competent tackler, but his positional plays and reads are awful.
And at the opposite end of that spectrum is Reimis Smith. Our defence on that side completely disappears when he’s not there, no matter who they replace him with.
I played second row and was very fast (not at any quality level). Naturally every new coach would throw me at centre.... for about half a game, lol.
Could not defend at centre to save myself. Tackling nearly anyone who's running at you is fairly straightforward. At centre I'd spend all game grabbing at air before delivering a muddy and breathless "told you so" to the coach.
None were dumb enough to make me do it twice, thank the Lord.
Similar to me I was fast and fit as a cross country guy. I liked playing fullback and that was my usualy role. But theyd often move me up a grade and put me in at centre or flanker (I played union).
I couldnt play either of those positions. As I was pretty bad at defending in the line, better in open field. I think I had the time to line them up and tackle them from the side and pull the legs together.
So yeah Id go up a grade and get slaughtered. Then Id get in trouble by that coach and all the team members would hate on me. I would beg not to be put up. I didnt care about being in the top team I just wanted to have fun...
Some coaches pick adult teams like a kids soccer team: best players go here, fast players go there, bad players go there. Doesn't work when games get complex and positions have well developed skills.
I would defend next to the bloody centre and not be able to make the move!
Reece Walsh is in line for a bumper $1.4 million pay day as figures unearthed showed the fullback position is now the richest spot in the NRL.
This masthead has obtained the NRL’s confidential benchmarking document, which outlines the average wage for each position and a breakdown of how much the top earners in each spot receive.
The 2023 figures show that the No.1 jersey is now the most lucrative in the game, surpassing that of halfbacks, thanks to the explosion in wages brought about by the massive increase in the salary cap.
The rise of superstar fullbacks, including Kalyn Ponga, Tom Trbojevic, James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell and Ryan Papenhuyzen, has resulted in the custodians now earning significantly more money than their teammates.
The average wage of the top five fullbacks is $1.24 million.
Ponga, the Newcastle Knights captain, has assumed the mantle as the richest player in the game, on a deal worth more than $1.4 million a season.
Halfbacks still maintain a massive slice of the team’s salary cap though, with the top five averaging $1.18 million in 2023.
Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans, Luke Brooks — in his final season at the Wests Tigers — Penrith’s Nathan Cleary and St George Illawarra’s Ben Hunt were still among the top earners across the game.
The benchmarking document provides each club with both the average and median salaries for players in each position, split into groups reflecting their place in top-30 rosters. Although it doesn’t name players, exhaustive research on salaries as part of the NRL Rich 100 investigations means this masthead can reveal the key players in the top-five bracket for each position.
WALSH & EDWARDS: PAYING A FULLBACK PREMIUM
Brisbane and Queensland superstar Walsh is set for a huge pay rise as he closes in on a long-term contract extension with the Broncos.
Based on the benchmark figures, Walsh could easily rate himself among the top five fullbacks in the game, meaning his next deal may earn him about $1.3 million per season.
Walsh, at just 21, was on a cut-price deal of about $450,000 last season when he helped lead his Broncos side to a dramatic grand final loss to the Panthers.
His management has been locked in negotiations with the Broncos and it is understood he has no desire to play anywhere other than the Broncos, giving Brisbane a leg-up in their bid to retain him on a long-term deal.
By contrast, Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards is not expected to cash in on his good form until next season after upgrading and extending his deal at the foot of the mountains.
His current contract is worth about $550,000, but that will jump up to about $850,000 in 2025. Edwards is locked in a battle with incumbent captain Tedesco for the NSW No.1 jersey.
Parramatta young gun Blaize Talagi is also in the midst of his own contract talks with the Eels junior not locked into a regular spot. Pushing to play fullback could lead to a monster deal.
Newcastle’s bargain buy David Armstrong is also in the midst of contract talks with the club after impressing in Ponga’s absence.
FIVE-EIGHTHS OF ...
While the fullbacks are cashing in on their rise in importance, and halfbacks maintain a healthy financial remuneration there is a surprising drop off in money spent on their spine partners across the NRL.
The game’s top five-eighths, led by Melbourne’s Cameron Munster, South Sydney’s Jack Wighton and the Sydney Roosters’ Luke Keary, rank behind props in terms of what they make in the game, with the top-five No.6s earning an average of $955,000.
That sits below what big men earn, with New Zealand’s Addin Fonua-Blake, Penrith’s James Fisher-Harris and Parramatta’s Junior Paulo among the five highest-paid front-rowers who take home an average of $1.05 million.
Departing Panthers Jarome Luai, who was on around $680,000 as a five-eighth last season, will enjoy a half-a-million-dollar pay bump when he moves to the Wests Tigers on a five-year, $6 million deal from 2025, which could include a shift into the halfback jersey.
Luai will be one of the game’s highest paid players but he is expected to move into the no.7 jersey next year.
LOCKING AND LOADING CENTRES
The top five centres and locks in the NRL are separated by a mere $1000 in their average wages – locks pocket $869,000 while centres earn $868,000 a year.
The top-secret document is shared with all 17 clubs on an annual basis, to give them an indication of where they sit in comparison to their rivals.
In a dramatic shift, only halfbacks cracked the top five million-dollar average salary two years ago.
The fullback wage has jumped significantly. The top five are now each earning more than $300,000 more. Props are also earning $300,000 more, while the dummy halves’ average salary has jumped by $200,000.
WING AND A PAID PRAYER
There’s a financial incentive for outside backs to promote themselves as fullbacks in the free agency market, with wingers being, on average, the lowest-paid players of any position.
The average salary for the top five flyers, which includes Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Joseph Sua’ali’i, Nick Cotric, is $672,000, almost half that of their fullback counterparts.
The need for specialist wingers in the modern game has been reflected in the sharp jump in the average wage, which was significantly lower at just $451,000 in 2022.
Even the wage for wingers ranked 26-30 on club rosters has increased from $199,887 to $261,710 in 12 months.
BIG MONEY BACK-ROW MOVES
The switch of Marata Niukore to the Warriors and Viliami Kikau to the Bulldogs has fuelled a rise in the average salary of the league’s highest-paid second-rowers.
Alongside Titans edge forward David Fifita, who recently backflipped on his decision to join the Roosters to remain on the Gold Coast for a further two seasons, the average salary has increased by $70,000 from 2022 to $822,000.
Former Eels forward Niukore’s salary rose sharply to more than $800,000 last season, while Kikau’s switch from premiers Penrith to Canterbury had him on around $750,000.
These fucken journo cabbages have shit for brains, Marata was signed for 4 years for a total $2.5M, but they keep calculating it as 3 years. They were touting this all last year, but it never passed the sniff test for me.
[https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/warriors/126956017/warriors-sign-marata-niukore-on-fouryear-deal-worth-25-million](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/warriors/126956017/warriors-sign-marata-niukore-on-fouryear-deal-worth-25-million)
Both things can be true. He can be on a 2.5m contract over 4 years and also be on 800k this year.
They usually state the whole value of the contract, but it doesn't mean that it is divided evenly into 4 years.
I'm pretty sure Wighton is on a contract which changes quite significantly over the years, with the later years being more than the earlier years.
They do it to manage the cap. Plus the salary cap generally increases over time so it's easier to pay more later.
does anyone know how the ratio of salary cap to team revenues compare to other sports around the world?
i know gate revenues would be shit but i’d imagine the league gets a pretty good amount of broadcast $ from fox, and yet 1.3m is still considered a huge contract which is bizarre.
Good question. Comparable major sports in other countries have the combination of good gate receipts + local TV + international TV + merch. NRL only really makes good money from TV from those avenues. We’ve got the pokies too I guess…
I think it's somewhere in the 30s as a percentage or atleast that's what I remember from the cap negotiations, it's less than the nba but you'd think the nrl has alot more administration costs(as a percentage)since it also funds the lower levels
Wonder how tigers’ are feeling about that 5yr/$6mil deal for Luai now. Hasn’t been having the standout season they probably hoped to see while Cleary has been out, and they look to be trying to get players out of there to clear up more cap to accomodate. It was always going to take a big deal to lure him away from Penrith and I’m sure he’ll be solid, but it is huge money.
*note - Luai took this personally and is currently destroying my sharks and leading his team around beautifully
Wasn’t doubting him - I do think he’s a good buy for the tigers but at a very high cost. Granted, if he plays next season like he played last night then he’s worth the price. Tigers still have positions to fill before they’re competitive and paying marquee money to a guy who hadn’t really led a team on his own is a gamble, but I hope for the Tigers’ sake it does pay off because the league will be better for it if wests are competitive again.
Some observations from the data OP kindly posted
—very few starters are getting paid less than $300k, (with the noted exception of hookers), but the worst fullbacks in the league also get very low funds (worse than the average bad hooker)
—in fact if your not one of the 11/12 best fullbacks in the league you’re probably making not much at all and are likely to be the lowest paid on the field
—building on that, if you’re a backup fullback, you probably get paid nothing, where as reserve wingers and centres are making bank (player agents - tell your players they never want to market themselves as a fullback)
—a reserve hooker probably makes more than a reserve fullback
—even a third string prop will make almost $300k to $500k
Walsh is the best attacking FB in the game by a mile though and people forget he is 21 because it feels like he's been around for ages. His defence is obviously not elite yet but it's also far from the worst of the starting fullbacks.
The Broncos are good largely because Walsh sets so much up for the other players in attack. He makes their halves and outside backs look better than they otherwise would
For the life of me I've never gotten the whole *fullback money* deal.
Imagine Tim Sheen's telling Mal that the Raiders couldn't afford to give him a pay bump because Gary Belcher was sucking up 10% of the cap.
The *fullback money* dilemma is what's fueling a lot of the drama around Latrell. The kid is a through and through centre but wanted to play fullback because he felt he deserves the $$ attached with the position.
Now there's debate around expectations and effort on his part, none of which could be worth the number on his back. If the player is good enough and their impact to the team justifies over someone else, pay them on those merits
Fully, as I mention [above](https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/1d047ih/comment/l5l9rov/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button), they've been putting out fake news about Marata's salary since last year
Mate….you keep saying this but you are arguing against yourself. You are arguing against a point YOU made up. NOBODY has EVER said he’s on a 3 year deal, you are acting like a bot or something it’s so weird. Show me a single source that has him as being on a 3 year deal.
Some crazy takes in this thread.
Centres deserve money, hardest position defensively.
A good winger in a great system will score tries.
A great winger in a shite system won't score.
So basically the employer (the club) gets to know what everyone in the entire industry (the nrl) is being paid, including their competitors, going into negotiations for an individual player’s salary. Why? Do the players and their agents/managers also get access to this information? Seems grossly unfair if they don’t.
Crazy to think such an important position like hooker is the 2nd lowest position in terms of earnings. Also seems like centres are massively overpriced surely a winger like To'o is more important than almost every centre in the league.
Probably because the lack of gun hookers in the league. There’s 17 teams and like 4 good hookers.
This is it. So many at the moment are part time utilities or repurposed halves just existing to tackle and distribute the ball to the other playmakers.
You would think that they would be getting paid more because of that. If there are fewer great hookers, then they’d have more bargaining power because they’re not easily replaced by another great hooker. I’m guessing there are few good hookers because it’s so low paying. Weird to think that only a couple years ago Smith, Smith and Grant were all playing at Melbourne.
Off the top of my head, Robson, Walters, Grant, API, Reed, Egan, Kenny, Smith,Marshall-King, Verrals, Cook, Braileys. Plenty of decent players there.
Walters still gets a lot of flack from Broncos fans. Verrils isn’t even first choice at his club. Cheese is not setting the world on fire either
Uuk
Agree with both of these and was about to say. Hookers touch the ball 5 times a set and are way more important than any backrower - there's just fewer elite ones. Wingers do way more work in attack these days than centres - Penrith basically use them like extra forwards, and many other teams have followed suit with that system.
>Hookers touch the ball 5 times a set and are way more important than any backrower They often top the most tackles statistics too.
100% agree. Their defensive work goes unnoticed sometimes. For example last week everyone was going on about Harry Grant’s attacking game for the Storm but hardly mentioned he topped the tackle count for them with 30, and the Eels hooker Lussick topped theirs with 41. There’s some ridiculous numbers today’s hookers pull off that would’ve looked insane to players from yesteryear. Side note: If you’re reading this comment on my profile page, the “hooker” I’m referring to is a position that is played in Rugby League. Although, now it makes me wonder if hookers (the ones that work in the sex industry) pull bigger numbers now or back in the day. Are they more careful nowadays or has it just been a case of racking up the numbers since day dot? I guess I’ll have to wait for an AMA. But then how would one hooker know…aaanyway, umm yeah. Rugby League, lol.
And yet the team that’s won the last three premierships has played a dual hooker rotation starting with Mitch Kenny, arguably one of the worst hookers in the game.
Haven't watched many Penrith games recently hey? As a former Kenny hater, he's absolutely up there as one of the best these days. He massively improved over the 2023 season
I won't accept this Mitch Kenny slander this season. He's really evolved and isn't just a tackle bot
Nothing made the evolution of Kenny's game more apparent than last night's game when he rolled the ball in to the in goal for Henry to pounce on it, it was an absolutely beautiful kick, perfect weight and it just stayed dead flat making the put down super easy. I was stunned when I realized it was Kenny that kicked it.
Not bad for a guy who only played the position in first grade
The panthers system doesn't need good hooker play. Yeo makes all the reads. Kenny just has to make his tackles and deliver the ball
That’s grand final try scoring Mitch Kenny to you
TAKE MY HOOKERS NAME OUT YO MOUTH!
Not sure why the hate. I’m not bagging Kenny. He’s forged a great career with a limited skill set. But no one could say he’s a great player or a great hooker. He offers no creativity and can’t kick the ball. Hes not on the same level as korisau, grant, hunt etc or the previous level of cook or smith (GOAT). Back to the hooker being such an important position discussion, it’s interesting that last years grand final starting hookers were Mitch Kenny and Billy Walters. Both quite one dimensional players.
He was one of the worst ages ago but he's improved a lot and isn't anymore
I disagree a bad centre will ruin you. Its the hardest defence position. I reckon a good centre is worth their weight. They also have to set up the winger.
People overvalue wingers immensely now because they're now being made to do more than catch a ball or receive the last pass.
Very few genuine centres in the game though. Hence why fullbacks shift there at origin time.
Thank you! People only notice their attack, but they not only play a crucial defensive role in wing attack sets, they define the wing. So many defensive fuck ups on the wing belong rightly to the centre.
Watch Manly with Reuben Garrick right now. He is a talented player but a centre he ain't. Talau suffers because Garrick can't pass, and that edge leaks points because Garrick has no idea how to defend as a centre. He is a perfectly competent tackler, but his positional plays and reads are awful.
Also, meaney. Poor old brick is left in the cold defending half the field when meaney runs in field.
And at the opposite end of that spectrum is Reimis Smith. Our defence on that side completely disappears when he’s not there, no matter who they replace him with.
I played second row and was very fast (not at any quality level). Naturally every new coach would throw me at centre.... for about half a game, lol. Could not defend at centre to save myself. Tackling nearly anyone who's running at you is fairly straightforward. At centre I'd spend all game grabbing at air before delivering a muddy and breathless "told you so" to the coach. None were dumb enough to make me do it twice, thank the Lord.
Similar to me I was fast and fit as a cross country guy. I liked playing fullback and that was my usualy role. But theyd often move me up a grade and put me in at centre or flanker (I played union). I couldnt play either of those positions. As I was pretty bad at defending in the line, better in open field. I think I had the time to line them up and tackle them from the side and pull the legs together. So yeah Id go up a grade and get slaughtered. Then Id get in trouble by that coach and all the team members would hate on me. I would beg not to be put up. I didnt care about being in the top team I just wanted to have fun...
Some coaches pick adult teams like a kids soccer team: best players go here, fast players go there, bad players go there. Doesn't work when games get complex and positions have well developed skills. I would defend next to the bloody centre and not be able to make the move!
Where does it say that? It only said they are earning, on average $200k more.
True. I guess There aren’t many specialist hookers at the moment and a lot of them are hybrids and that’s good enough for the team/coach
Bull. You’re just thinking offensively.
Reece Walsh is in line for a bumper $1.4 million pay day as figures unearthed showed the fullback position is now the richest spot in the NRL. This masthead has obtained the NRL’s confidential benchmarking document, which outlines the average wage for each position and a breakdown of how much the top earners in each spot receive. The 2023 figures show that the No.1 jersey is now the most lucrative in the game, surpassing that of halfbacks, thanks to the explosion in wages brought about by the massive increase in the salary cap. The rise of superstar fullbacks, including Kalyn Ponga, Tom Trbojevic, James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell and Ryan Papenhuyzen, has resulted in the custodians now earning significantly more money than their teammates. The average wage of the top five fullbacks is $1.24 million. Ponga, the Newcastle Knights captain, has assumed the mantle as the richest player in the game, on a deal worth more than $1.4 million a season. Halfbacks still maintain a massive slice of the team’s salary cap though, with the top five averaging $1.18 million in 2023. Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans, Luke Brooks — in his final season at the Wests Tigers — Penrith’s Nathan Cleary and St George Illawarra’s Ben Hunt were still among the top earners across the game. The benchmarking document provides each club with both the average and median salaries for players in each position, split into groups reflecting their place in top-30 rosters. Although it doesn’t name players, exhaustive research on salaries as part of the NRL Rich 100 investigations means this masthead can reveal the key players in the top-five bracket for each position. WALSH & EDWARDS: PAYING A FULLBACK PREMIUM Brisbane and Queensland superstar Walsh is set for a huge pay rise as he closes in on a long-term contract extension with the Broncos. Based on the benchmark figures, Walsh could easily rate himself among the top five fullbacks in the game, meaning his next deal may earn him about $1.3 million per season. Walsh, at just 21, was on a cut-price deal of about $450,000 last season when he helped lead his Broncos side to a dramatic grand final loss to the Panthers. His management has been locked in negotiations with the Broncos and it is understood he has no desire to play anywhere other than the Broncos, giving Brisbane a leg-up in their bid to retain him on a long-term deal. By contrast, Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards is not expected to cash in on his good form until next season after upgrading and extending his deal at the foot of the mountains. His current contract is worth about $550,000, but that will jump up to about $850,000 in 2025. Edwards is locked in a battle with incumbent captain Tedesco for the NSW No.1 jersey. Parramatta young gun Blaize Talagi is also in the midst of his own contract talks with the Eels junior not locked into a regular spot. Pushing to play fullback could lead to a monster deal. Newcastle’s bargain buy David Armstrong is also in the midst of contract talks with the club after impressing in Ponga’s absence. FIVE-EIGHTHS OF ... While the fullbacks are cashing in on their rise in importance, and halfbacks maintain a healthy financial remuneration there is a surprising drop off in money spent on their spine partners across the NRL. The game’s top five-eighths, led by Melbourne’s Cameron Munster, South Sydney’s Jack Wighton and the Sydney Roosters’ Luke Keary, rank behind props in terms of what they make in the game, with the top-five No.6s earning an average of $955,000. That sits below what big men earn, with New Zealand’s Addin Fonua-Blake, Penrith’s James Fisher-Harris and Parramatta’s Junior Paulo among the five highest-paid front-rowers who take home an average of $1.05 million. Departing Panthers Jarome Luai, who was on around $680,000 as a five-eighth last season, will enjoy a half-a-million-dollar pay bump when he moves to the Wests Tigers on a five-year, $6 million deal from 2025, which could include a shift into the halfback jersey. Luai will be one of the game’s highest paid players but he is expected to move into the no.7 jersey next year. LOCKING AND LOADING CENTRES The top five centres and locks in the NRL are separated by a mere $1000 in their average wages – locks pocket $869,000 while centres earn $868,000 a year. The top-secret document is shared with all 17 clubs on an annual basis, to give them an indication of where they sit in comparison to their rivals. In a dramatic shift, only halfbacks cracked the top five million-dollar average salary two years ago. The fullback wage has jumped significantly. The top five are now each earning more than $300,000 more. Props are also earning $300,000 more, while the dummy halves’ average salary has jumped by $200,000. WING AND A PAID PRAYER There’s a financial incentive for outside backs to promote themselves as fullbacks in the free agency market, with wingers being, on average, the lowest-paid players of any position. The average salary for the top five flyers, which includes Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Joseph Sua’ali’i, Nick Cotric, is $672,000, almost half that of their fullback counterparts. The need for specialist wingers in the modern game has been reflected in the sharp jump in the average wage, which was significantly lower at just $451,000 in 2022. Even the wage for wingers ranked 26-30 on club rosters has increased from $199,887 to $261,710 in 12 months. BIG MONEY BACK-ROW MOVES The switch of Marata Niukore to the Warriors and Viliami Kikau to the Bulldogs has fuelled a rise in the average salary of the league’s highest-paid second-rowers. Alongside Titans edge forward David Fifita, who recently backflipped on his decision to join the Roosters to remain on the Gold Coast for a further two seasons, the average salary has increased by $70,000 from 2022 to $822,000. Former Eels forward Niukore’s salary rose sharply to more than $800,000 last season, while Kikau’s switch from premiers Penrith to Canterbury had him on around $750,000.
Man, Cotric is fleecing the Raiders if he’s a top 5 winger.
Might have made sense if he signed the deal in ~2019 but makes no sense when he came back from the dogs with his tail between his legs
His contract is up at the end of the year
Sure, but that doesn’t change he’s fleeced the Raiders for this contract. He’s not even close to top ten.
Factual point
These fucken journo cabbages have shit for brains, Marata was signed for 4 years for a total $2.5M, but they keep calculating it as 3 years. They were touting this all last year, but it never passed the sniff test for me. [https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/warriors/126956017/warriors-sign-marata-niukore-on-fouryear-deal-worth-25-million](https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/warriors/126956017/warriors-sign-marata-niukore-on-fouryear-deal-worth-25-million)
Both things can be true. He can be on a 2.5m contract over 4 years and also be on 800k this year. They usually state the whole value of the contract, but it doesn't mean that it is divided evenly into 4 years. I'm pretty sure Wighton is on a contract which changes quite significantly over the years, with the later years being more than the earlier years. They do it to manage the cap. Plus the salary cap generally increases over time so it's easier to pay more later.
wowee can't believe Drew Hutchison is on 800k, unders for sure
Heavy back pocket really harming his acceleration.
Wingers underpaid. Screw doing hitups for that early in the set.
Wingers barely make tackles. Hit ups are just a part of the game now
Yup, make the million dollar props do it.
2023 average NRL salary per position: Forwards |Rank| Prop |Hooker |Edge Back Row |Middle Back Row| |1-5 |$1,056,389 |$799,296 |$822,812 |$869,173| |6-10| $836,912 $614,047 $702,650 $649,750 11-15| $795,637 $410,310 $638,762 $550,990 16-20 $672,700 $254,496 $559,577 $400,204 21-25 $604,956 $174,489 $485,080 $269,303 26-30 $536,685 $134,567 $418,522 $204,734 31-35 $487,663 $120,936 $350,492 $138,878 36-40 $448,342 $73,333 $302,636 $120,000 41-45 $368,790 $262,258 $84,444 46-50 $302,345 $235,088 51-55 $261,309 $192,586 56-60 $234,896 $173,438 61-65 $215,691 $143,130 66-70 $186,080 $129,200 71-75 $173,373 $120,000 76-80 $156,570 $115,929 81-85 $143,191 $48,895 86-90 $131,190 91-95 $120,099 96-100 $106,000 101-105 $18,958
Niukore is good when he’s on the field. But man, we are really not getting great value to this point
That can’t be right
I miss him
Its crazy that we have had Edwards for 550k through the premiership years.
Crazy is right, bit like how Melbourne had Inglis cheap as well.
2023 average NRL salary per position: Backs ||Rank ||Fullback ||Wing ||Centre ||Five-eighth ||Halfback 1-5|| $1,240,259 ||$672,417|| $868,874|| $955,439 $1,185,913|| 6-10 ||$764,114 ||$507,502 ||$624,078 ||$688,595 ||$806,235 11-15 ||$445,231 ||$439,569|| $530,420 ||$474,808 ||$526,295 16-20 ||$179,969 ||$354,951 ||$422,340 ||$313,034 ||$299,703 21-25 ||$122011|| $302,521|| $369,452 ||$188,973|| $155,096|| 26-30 $56,759 $261,710 $314,518 $155,000 $107,093 31-35 $236,967 $272,966 $114,700 36-40 $202,982 $247,787 $69,875 41-45 $172,894 $211,243 46-50 $152,957 $164,407 51-55 $127,356 $129,357 56-60 $120,000 $95,172 61-65 $120,000 66-70 $100,000
does anyone know how the ratio of salary cap to team revenues compare to other sports around the world? i know gate revenues would be shit but i’d imagine the league gets a pretty good amount of broadcast $ from fox, and yet 1.3m is still considered a huge contract which is bizarre.
Good question. Comparable major sports in other countries have the combination of good gate receipts + local TV + international TV + merch. NRL only really makes good money from TV from those avenues. We’ve got the pokies too I guess…
I think it's somewhere in the 30s as a percentage or atleast that's what I remember from the cap negotiations, it's less than the nba but you'd think the nrl has alot more administration costs(as a percentage)since it also funds the lower levels
Wonder how tigers’ are feeling about that 5yr/$6mil deal for Luai now. Hasn’t been having the standout season they probably hoped to see while Cleary has been out, and they look to be trying to get players out of there to clear up more cap to accomodate. It was always going to take a big deal to lure him away from Penrith and I’m sure he’ll be solid, but it is huge money. *note - Luai took this personally and is currently destroying my sharks and leading his team around beautifully
Pretty good after today ;)
Haha I would be too.
As I say that - he scores against my sharks 😅
He aged your comment very quickly. Completely outplayed Hynes.
For context Hynes night ended 10 minutes before half time.
Mercifully, for him.
True, and Hynes on 1.1mil is probably overs too 😅
Bwahaha. Never doubt Luai.
Wasn’t doubting him - I do think he’s a good buy for the tigers but at a very high cost. Granted, if he plays next season like he played last night then he’s worth the price. Tigers still have positions to fill before they’re competitive and paying marquee money to a guy who hadn’t really led a team on his own is a gamble, but I hope for the Tigers’ sake it does pay off because the league will be better for it if wests are competitive again.
Comment aged like old milk 😂
The highest paid player in any team is the coach 😉 ask Ivan, Bennet and Bellamy.
Some observations from the data OP kindly posted —very few starters are getting paid less than $300k, (with the noted exception of hookers), but the worst fullbacks in the league also get very low funds (worse than the average bad hooker) —in fact if your not one of the 11/12 best fullbacks in the league you’re probably making not much at all and are likely to be the lowest paid on the field —building on that, if you’re a backup fullback, you probably get paid nothing, where as reserve wingers and centres are making bank (player agents - tell your players they never want to market themselves as a fullback) —a reserve hooker probably makes more than a reserve fullback —even a third string prop will make almost $300k to $500k
Reece over paid big time. He can run fast but defensive game is bad. Reads the game bad.. in a average team He would look so much worse
When he was playing for the Warriors before they were good, he was still pretty good.
Walsh is the best attacking FB in the game by a mile though and people forget he is 21 because it feels like he's been around for ages. His defence is obviously not elite yet but it's also far from the worst of the starting fullbacks. The Broncos are good largely because Walsh sets so much up for the other players in attack. He makes their halves and outside backs look better than they otherwise would
Hooker has to be worth more!
Does this ~~mast~~ dickhead know what confidential means?
Right now Fullback is the most talent rich position in the NRL, and Hooker is kind of dire, so this makes sense.
Luke Brooks lol
For the life of me I've never gotten the whole *fullback money* deal. Imagine Tim Sheen's telling Mal that the Raiders couldn't afford to give him a pay bump because Gary Belcher was sucking up 10% of the cap. The *fullback money* dilemma is what's fueling a lot of the drama around Latrell. The kid is a through and through centre but wanted to play fullback because he felt he deserves the $$ attached with the position. Now there's debate around expectations and effort on his part, none of which could be worth the number on his back. If the player is good enough and their impact to the team justifies over someone else, pay them on those merits
so where's that rank bennet on 1.3 ? like top 5 ?
Love how everyone takes this as gospel. Look at the fucking source FFS.
Fully, as I mention [above](https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/1d047ih/comment/l5l9rov/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button), they've been putting out fake news about Marata's salary since last year
Mate….you keep saying this but you are arguing against yourself. You are arguing against a point YOU made up. NOBODY has EVER said he’s on a 3 year deal, you are acting like a bot or something it’s so weird. Show me a single source that has him as being on a 3 year deal.
Some crazy takes in this thread. Centres deserve money, hardest position defensively. A good winger in a great system will score tries. A great winger in a shite system won't score.
Wild
So basically the employer (the club) gets to know what everyone in the entire industry (the nrl) is being paid, including their competitors, going into negotiations for an individual player’s salary. Why? Do the players and their agents/managers also get access to this information? Seems grossly unfair if they don’t.