Not even just a little Poupou?
On average, no.
Sure some will get upgrades (like Paulo, Ryan and Sio last year) and others will find themselves shuffled out of a club's top 25 by better (but still ordinary) players. Some will retire, but most will find themselves earning about the same amount. Some might not be offered new contracts by their current clubs but manage to jag a top 25 spot (and therefore a minimum contract of $55k) at another club. Others might be offered a reduced contract of $30k (and a move to the second tier) at their current clubs.
Obviously they will stay on $65k for the duration of their current contracts, but contracts at the bottom end of the salary spectrum are rarely for longer than one or two years.
A player on $65k is already so close to the minimum that he was likely on $55k for his last contract and wanted a token upgrade for re-signing. With clubs now having to spend an extra $10k on each of their minimum salary players, there is less wiggle room for token upgrades until player values readjust to the new salary cap. This readjustment would last about as long as the duration of the typical contract (approximately three years) except even when next year's salary cap is finalised, the cap for 2014 and beyond is still up in the air.
I can see a few clubs getting into salary cap trouble (either spending too much or too little) over the duration of the current tv deal unless the cap for future years is locked in soon. But with the NRL and the RLPA in dispute that is unlikely to happen.
Or possibly clubs will budget too little in the coming years, and then as the cap for each year is finalised they will negotiate upgrades with those players in most demand, in order to fill out the cap. Players that are easily replaced - dozens of players as good as Sio and Ryan (who should both be on $100k+) come off contract every year - have less bargaining power so are less likely to have their contracts topped up with extra cash. Obviously they were in higher demand when they were on minimum salary (like the Bulldogs chasing Sio this year) because they would have had lower salary expectations. Now they're on first grade salaries they will be expecting more next time around. Whether they get it depends on how many clubs are interested.
But the higher earners in the game (which includes second or third tier 'stars' like Mannah and Creagh) are always in demand. That's why they get a lot more money than everyone else. Because they are not easily replaced.
As always this is just my opinion. But I am very very smart.
