2019 Top 30

[franklin2323]

On what we've got. Our best is without doubt RCG, Tamou, Mez and Leota.

But that's the issue. 3 of those guys are now on elite money for their rep experience and aside from RCG in 2017 and Mez in 2016 we havent gotten that sort of form out of them.

Its a bit sad that of all positions we probably have more invested in elite talent at prop then other positions and are getting the worst return for that money. Hooker is our other issue but we dont have huge money tied up in underperformers atleast.

If they play at their best we have the best front row in the comp. But that's unrealistic to expect.

Average packs work better sometimes as they are hungrier and usually better equiped to handle FG then the hyped up kids

 

[mxlegend99]

Did he play a good game After Hook went? Maybe it was the opposite he liked Hook

He has barely played agood game since 2016.

He certainly didnt seem fond of Hook in oneof our games this year when he was hooked. Not quiet as filthy as Fifita was at Flanno. But he looked anything but happy when he was benched. I can't recall what game it was though.

 

[franklin2323]

He has barely played agood game since 2016.

He certainly didnt seem fond of Hook in oneof our games this year when he was hooked. Not quiet as filthy as Fifita was at Flanno. But he looked anything but happy when he was benched. I can't recall what game it was though.

No one should like being hooked but on form most coaches would of dropped him at times.

 

[martielang]

I’ve said it a few times but pending money, I’d be trying to get BMM back. Other than Kikau, we lack any real unpredictability in our forward pack. I think he could be massive for us coming off the bench & I think could potentially influence Leotas game for the better as well.

 

[Kilkenny]

I’ve said it a few times but pending money, I’d be trying to get BMM back. Other than Kikau, we lack any real unpredictability in our forward pack. I think he could be massive for us coming off the bench & I think could potentially influence Leotas game for the better as well.

IC never gave him much of a run first time around couldn’t see that changing given Ben tips the scales over 120kg. Been good in the UK but not sure his fitness levels would cope with rigours of being back in the NRL. I liked him when he was with us but IC obviously didn’t.

If he can learn to hold onto ball Nic Lui Toso could be the Smokey for next season. Needs to work on his fitness as well but is a big mobile unit who could get us some serious go forward off the bench for 20-30 minutes.

 

[Kilkenny]

It would be interesting to know whether Ivan & Gus have sat down to discuss our roster going forward.

Everything happened so quickly you just wonder whether it was all about Nathan or whether they are on the same page about the bigger picture.

Gus has built the roster and the coach is stuck with it for at least the next two seasons given there will be minimal funds for any big recruits if any.

 

[franklin2323]

You would hope so. A coach shouldn't know what individual players are on nor do the deals but they should be part of the type of player that is recruited.

 

[Pomoz]

It's pretty simple. Release merrin. Sign a good forward like TPOW or Klemmer and put someone on minimum wage in the last roster spot. If we did minimum wage we'd easily have the cash looking at that top 29.

I love all the capitalist Barons on here advocating minimum wage for youngsters with careers that last less than three years on average. Absolutely no consideration is given to how that would make a player feel. I'm guessing not that great and since most of our juniors are all high quality, they would be ripe for signing by other clubs as soon as they got the chance. You pay players what they are worth in the market place, not some contrived number that helps you balance the books. Unless of course you want them to leave. Which makes being a development club a bit pointless.

Why stop there? Why not pay all the average players minimum wage and then we can sign Tedesco, TVP and anybody we want. Simple really, I don't know why Gus hasn't thought of it.....

Assuming we do it and free up cash, the next leap of faith is that TPOW and Klemmer would have the slightest interest in moving out west and playing for a club like ours when both are currently at more historically successful clubs and in a perceived better location than Penrith. They could get a gig at the Roosters, Broncos, Storm, Cowboys or Dragons. Why would they want to sign with us? Our roster is good but certainly no better than any of these teams. Cleary is no Bennett, Bellamy, Hasler or Green.

I never waste a minute dreaming about signing Australian players like Klemmer, because it happens so rarely its not worth contemplating. The last time we signed a big name player, I am excluding Maloney because the trade with Moylan is a different circumstance from a straight forward signing, was Petereo. We sold the farm, the tractor and the combine harvester to get him. Why? Because the only way players sign with the Panthers is if we shower them with money.

I think that may change over time, but right now we get second tier good players like Merrin and Tamou, not first tier guns like TPOW and Klemmer.

 

[mxlegend99]

Minimum wage for an NRL player is a hell of a lot higher then most of these guys will ever earn outside of the NRL. To play a game they love and have the opportunity to become an NRL player

Its not like theyre getting $12 an hour or whatever minimum wage is now. They would be earning 2 grand per week which is very good money.

We've come a long way from what minimum wageplayers used to earn... and the $105k a season is a huge upgrade on the contracts they had prior.

Crying poor for players earning 25% above the average wage as if they should feel hard done by. Thats not insulting money at all. Especially for a young player.

 

[Kilkenny]

I read a piece on this issue of us paying above the required minimum. From memory it may have been written by Stew Moses. After reading it the strategy made perfect sense and benefits the club in the short and long term.

 

[mxlegend99]

I read a piece on this issue of us paying above the required minimum. From memory it may have been written by Stew Moses. After reading it the strategy made perfect sense and benefits the club in the short and long term.

How is it a longterm benefit?

Our depth has no experience and we keep having to shed high profile players on good money to maintain a roster that gets weaker each season.

 

[OldPanther]

I love all the capitalist Barons on here advocating minimum wage for youngsters with careers that last less than three years on average. Absolutely no consideration is given to how that would make a player feel. I'm guessing not that great and since most of our juniors are all high quality, they would be ripe for signing by other clubs as soon as they got the chance. You pay players what they are worth in the market place, not some contrived number that helps you balance the books. Unless of course you want them to leave. Which makes being a development club a bit pointless.

Why stop there? Why not pay all the average players minimum wage and then we can sign Tedesco, TVP and anybody we want. Simple really, I don't know why Gus hasn't thought of it.....

Assuming we do it and free up cash, the next leap of faith is that TPOW and Klemmer would have the slightest interest in moving out west and playing for a club like ours when both are currently at more historically successful clubs and in a perceived better location than Penrith. They could get a gig at the Roosters, Broncos, Storm, Cowboys or Dragons. Why would they want to sign with us? Our roster is good but certainly no better than any of these teams. Cleary is no Bennett, Bellamy, Hasler or Green.

I never waste a minute dreaming about signing Australian players like Klemmer, because it happens so rarely its not worth contemplating. The last time we signed a big name player, I am excluding Maloney because the trade with Moylan is a different circumstance from a straight forward signing, was Petereo. We sold the farm, the tractor and the combine harvester to get him. Why? Because the only way players sign with the Panthers is if we shower them with money.

I think that may change over time, but right now we get second tier good players like Merrin and Tamou, not first tier guns like TPOW and Klemmer.

Players coming into grade are usually between 18 - 21. $100k+ a year is enough of a paycheck. That's more than the average wage in Australia and double what I earn and probably half our fanbase. I have no sympathy for their earnings beyond making sure they have a career outside of footy to fall back on so they can provide for themselves if it doesn't work out.

 

[mxlegend99]

Players coming into grade are usually between 18 - 21. $100k+ a year is enough of a paycheck. That's more than the average wage in Australia and double what I earn and probably half our fanbase. I have no sympathy for their earnings beyond making sure they have a career outside of footy to fall back on so they can provide for themselves if it doesn't work out.

Theyre either good enough to make it in the NRL and will earn considerably more than that. Or they arent and will appreciate thegood money for however long they earn it.

Every club would have several minimum wage players. For us we have a junior base with thousands of players and the majority of them would be absolutely thrilled to be part of our (or any) top squad. For a player who has never been there before that's a big deal and they arent going to be upset at being on minimum wage. They might not be happy to remain on it. But chances are if a player is on $105k or $155k... the second he plays a few games and comes off contract again he will expect an upgrade.

Some players will be worth keeping above minimum wage if we need to. Egan for example was in high demand and clearly someone we had to fight to keep.

But what reason would we have to put players like Crichton, Phillips, Ellis, Hetherington etc. On contracts above minimum wage?

Doing that also creates a much bigger pay discrepancy between the player who lucked out in cracking our top 30 and the unlucky guys who missed out. Who would be upset if we lost anyof them? At this stage of their careers especially. Actually we did lose Crichton. No one was bothered by it.

 

[franklin2323]

How is minimum wage here any different to the difference a 1st year apprentice gets?

It is all part of a stepping stone while they learn. Every business has constraints this is no different.

Maybe we keep Peachey one season longer if we pay minimum wage that would help the side more then Jed and Paea getting a bit extra

 

[OldPanther]

Theyre either good enough to make it in the NRL and will earn considerably more than that. Or they arent and will appreciate thegood money for however long they earn it.

Every club would have several minimum wage players. For us we have a junior base with thousands of players and the majority of them would be absolutely thrilled to be part of our (or any) top squad. For a player who has never been there before that's a big deal and they arent going to be upset at being on minimum wage. They might not be happy to remain on it. But chances are if a player is on $105k or $155k... the second he plays a few games and comes off contract again he will expect an upgrade.

Some players will be worth keeping above minimum wage if we need to. Egan for example was in high demand and clearly someone we had to fight to keep.

But what reason would we have to put players like Crichton, Phillips, Ellis, Hetherington etc. On contracts above minimum wage?

Doing that also creates a much bigger pay discrepancy between the player who lucked out in cracking our top 30 and the unlucky guys who missed out. Who would be upset if we lost anyof them? At this stage of their careers especially. Actually we did lose Crichton. No one was bothered by it.

How is minimum wage here any different to the difference a 1st year apprentice gets?

It is all part of a stepping stone while they learn. Every business has constraints this is no different.

Maybe we keep Peachey one season longer if we pay minimum wage that would help the side more then Jed and Paea getting a bit extra

Exactly on both counts.

 

[franklin2323]

Early on keeping kids was important so maybe that had a purpose. Now outside of hooker our team is set. Does it matter if guys lower down the list leave? Strengthening our top 20 should be aim now. Paying the bottom few guys extra stops that

 

[Matthew Ellis]

How is minimum wage here any different to the difference a 1st year apprentice gets?

It is all part of a stepping stone while they learn. Every business has constraints this is no different.

Maybe we keep Peachey one season longer if we pay minimum wage that would help the side more then Jed and Paea getting a bit extra

On this podcast Dallin said pro athletes get hit with a 40% tax in Australia.

 

[Abacus]

On this podcast Dallin said pro athletes get hit with a 40% tax in Australia.

That's just the income tax rate for high earners. Typically they also get access to concessional fringe benefits where the footy club is set up as a NFP.

There's also a clause whereby professional athletes could effectively further reduce their income tax through income averaging.

Let alone the perks associated with being a high profile athlete. Don't feel too sorry for them

 

[Pomoz]

How is minimum wage here any different to the difference a 1st year apprentice gets?

It is all part of a stepping stone while they learn. Every business has constraints this is no different.

Maybe we keep Peachey one season longer if we pay minimum wage that would help the side more then Jed and Paea getting a bit extra

But it's not is it? Players operate in a free market. We pay minimum wage, the Roosters offer more, game over.

 

[Pomoz]

Theyre either good enough to make it in the NRL and will earn considerably more than that. Or they arent and will appreciate thegood money for however long they earn it.

Every club would have several minimum wage players. For us we have a junior base with thousands of players and the majority of them would be absolutely thrilled to be part of our (or any) top squad. For a player who has never been there before that's a big deal and they arent going to be upset at being on minimum wage. They might not be happy to remain on it. But chances are if a player is on $105k or $155k... the second he plays a few games and comes off contract again he will expect an upgrade.

Some players will be worth keeping above minimum wage if we need to. Egan for example was in high demand and clearly someone we had to fight to keep.

But what reason would we have to put players like Crichton, Phillips, Ellis, Hetherington etc. On contracts above minimum wage?

Doing that also creates a much bigger pay discrepancy between the player who lucked out in cracking our top 30 and the unlucky guys who missed out. Who would be upset if we lost anyof them? At this stage of their careers especially. Actually we did lose Crichton. No one was bothered by it.

This presumes we are giving the contracts out to players and doing them a favour. You make it sound like we are a charity - "they will be thrilled". I am sure they will but the players earn their contracts because they are good and talent is in short supply. If another club offers more, they are likely to leave. That is why they get upgrades. With the quality of our juniors, if they get a contract they are probably a junior rep player and considered to be a first grader in waiting.

$100k is great if you earn it for five or ten years, it won't go far in a career that leaves you without a qualification and no future if you leave after a year or two. They sacrifice their education to develop physically and to master their sport, if it doesn't work out they are a big disadvantage over their friends who got diplomas/degrees or apprenticeships. The smart ones study part-time why they are playing but many finish with nothing to fall back on.