https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...d/news-story/3cbef27a7670781cea408d48f5881e43
Who would you pay a million bucks to if you were an NRL club?
Foxsports.com.au can reveal the 10 richest contracts currently running in the game, who’s on them and for how much.
Some may be considered bargain buys, while one looks more like bad roster management.
Here’s the NRL’s top-10 rich list for season 2019.
1. Daly Cherry-Evans ($1.3 million)
Gun player but this deal has got funnel web spiders all over it.
Not only is DCE earning $1.3 million this season, every time the salary cap goes up, the Manly skipper’s deal goes up with it!
Crunch the numbers and the DCE deal works out as 16.5 per cent of the Sea Eagles salary cap every season until 2023.
Talk to any club powerbroker and they all say the same thing. Madness.
2. Cameron Smith ($1.1 million)
Worth every cent. You name it, Smith has won it.
Good judges reason the Storm skipper is going as good now as ever.
In terms of his playing contract, the Smith deal is structured far smarter than DCE’s.
There’s around $800,000 in the Storm salary cap. Then there’s an extra $300,000 as a marquee player.
3. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck ($1.1 million)
Amid interest from the All Blacks, RTS struck a smart four-year deal to be the face of the Warriors until the end of 2022.
One of the best fullbacks in the game, the Kiwi speedster is a gun but there’s an argument given where the Warriors are currently sitting on the ladder, their salary cap management leaves a little to be desired.
4. Cooper Cronk ($1.05 million)
Ask the Roosters and recruiting Cronk was one of the most important signatures in the history of the club.
A two-year deal and a premiership in the first season. Impossible to argue.
Just look at the way Luke Keary has developed into one of the NRL’s best playmakers and there’s all the evidence needed about Cronk’s influence.
5. Sam Burgess ($1 million)
The best forward in the game. A model of consistency, Burgess is more likely to miss games through suspension than injury.
The forward leader who most club powerbrokers nominate as the player they would sign given an open cheque book and told to build a club.
6. Kieran Foran ($1 million)
Poor management by the Bulldogs’ previous administration.
Foran has been a very good player for a long time but his body was broken when Canterbury raced out and rolled out the red carpet.
Aside from the Warriors, there were no other NRL clubs in the bidding war.
Has missed large parts of the past two seasons through injuries and the real doozy is his deal goes up to $1.2 million next year. Value for money? No.
7. James Tedesco ($1 million)
Another smart play by the Sydney Roosters. Nick Politis has a reputation for being the sharpest negotiator in the business.
Landing the signature of Teddy is further proof.
The NSW and Australian fullback has continued to evolve his game since arriving at the Sydney Roosters and has thrived under the coaching of Trent Robinson.
8. Mitchell Pearce ($1 million)
The form halfback of the competition who has turned Newcastle into a genuine premiership contender.
Great signing given after the Knights got Pearce, they backed it up with the best front row forward in the game by signing David Klemmer.
The way his game has matured, Pearce can take the Knights to a premiership.
9. Ash Taylor ($1 million)
When Taylor stamped himself as the best young gun playmaker in 2017, this deal seemed like smart business.
Instead it’s an example of how paying big money for young players can go pear-shaped. Signed until the end of 2021, Taylor is very much a work in progress.
To date, he’s failed to deliver for the Titans.
10. Jason Taumololo ($950,000)
Only two years into a 10-season deal, Taumololo’s value to the Cowboys is unchallenged.
Can tear rival sides apart virtually single-handedly with late footwork, power and an ability to offload through the middle of the field.
Does the deal become a risk towards the back end of his career?
Right now, Taumololo is 26. How will the Tongan international be going by the year 2027? There’s a lot or risk involved given the position Taumololo plays.
Ben Hunt, Anthony Milford, Michael Morgan, David Klemmer, Andrew Fifita, James Maloney and Jack Bird are all among the NRL’s next-best paid players under the $1 million mark for the 2019 season.
