Johns Shows Why Top Players Should Be On Central Contracts

[League Freak™]

How much was Andrew Johns worth to Rugby League over the last week and a half?

Thats what the games administrators should be asking themselves as they read the pages and pages worth of post Origin wrap over the next few weeks.

Just 12 months ago, Johns was almost lost to the game. One of the best players of all time would have been lost to union in a massive blow. This time however, League was lucky because Rugby Union didnt pull the trigger and a deal that would have seen Johns playing the hero for a different team wearing sky blue.

The free publicity, the general hype, the boosted TV ratings......Johns return to Origin football and his brilliant performance wasnt something just football fans marvled at, it was something casual sports fans took notice of and admired.


Its time for the games administration to realise that players like Andrew Johns and Darren Lockyer are worth MORE to the game then they currently can recieve from a club.


Now, Im not saying that every player the game could lose should be on a central contract. But the headline grabbers, the very top players in the game should be

The likes of Fittler, Tallis, Johns, Lockyer....these type of players are icons and they should be paid accordingly.

I think its time for the NRL/ARL to take a stance. Its time for them to look at whats best for the entire game.

Rugby League needs superstars like Johns and Lockyer to be retained. We dodged a bullett this time...but lets not tempt fate again.


The last week and a half of Johns hysteria has probably been worth millions to the code. You cant buy the type of magic, the type of story or the type of interest we have seen the game recieve because of Johns comeback, and his performance.

If you are against central contracts, just imagine if Johns had been doing all of that work for another code.....and then think about how lucky we were to retain such a great player.

nospam49

 

[Raider_69]

no one man is bigger than the code
If johns, lockyer etc want to go to union, as far as im concerned, let em go, and dont let the door hit them on the way out, there are countless blokes waiting in the shadows to break out as superstars...

 

[League Freak™]

There are countless blokes waiting to be superstars?

That may be the case....but there are only one of two bloke who are superstars, who attract the interest, who perform well above anything any other players in the game can even hope to achieve and who can promote/sell/win/dominate a game or series all on their own.


The likes of Johns, Lockyer, Tallis, Fittler......those type of icons are not just about what happens during 80 minutes of magic on the field.

 

[Phillips]

i agree with Raider, if they want to go to Union then let them, its there life.

 

[edabomb]

I agree with nospam49.

A game without superstars won't attract the mainstream audiences. Maybe there should be something like two players from each club eligible for a top up from the NRL, maybe something like 25,000-50,000. I dunno if these figures are realistic or not, but we need to keep the games elite in this code!!! The top ups should definately be equitable over all the franchises IMO, but still ensure the top players remain.

 

[Ozzwald]

nospam49....you're absolutely right my friend. No amount of advertising by the NRL/ARL over any time frame can ever do more for the game of Rugby League in attracting fans & boosting the love of the game of existing fans, than performances & stories like we have seen from Andrew Johns this week. It is the pinnacle players that go a long, long way to making or breaking the success of any code, of any sport. And as such, they should be paid accordingly.

 

[Kurt Angle]

How is he right ?

A monkey can type a sentence if given enough time.

He continuously berates how much salary cap he takes from Newcastle, which is still Rugby League funds keeping Andrew Johns in the game, with comments like he damages Newcastle and he's now a wash up.

Now all of a sudden Johns plays a good game, and quite simply it's about as convincing as Ken Sutcliffe tellling the world about State of origin.

 

[League Freak™]

Excuse me?

I said Johns needs to realise that with the massive salary cap figure he posts as a Newcastle Knight that he now must accept that fact that his salary cap figure is a HUGE problem for the Knights and it will stop them putting togeather a decent team.

He will now have to play out his career in a side chasing its tail because of the massive salary Johns earns.


At no time have I said Johns is anything but the best player I have ever seen. I have said Johns at 50% is the best halfback in the game by a long, long way....and I said as much this week on my web site BEFORE the Origin game.


So please, take your fading memory about what I have said elsewhere.

 

[League Freak™]

I agree with nospam49.

A game without superstars won't attract the mainstream audiences. Maybe there should be something like two players from each club eligible for a top up from the NRL, maybe something like 25,000-50,000. I dunno if these figures are realistic or not, but we need to keep the games elite in this code!!! The top ups should definately be equitable over all the franchises IMO, but still ensure the top players remain.

See, I'd leave the clubs out of it.


I think the ARL, the NSWRL and QLD all do VERY WELL off the back of Icons like Johns, Lockyer...even a guy like Shane Webcke who has played SO many Test and Origin and who always performs well at that rep level.

 

[Stagger eel]

no one man is bigger than the code
If johns, lockyer etc want to go to union, as far as im concerned, let em go, and dont let the door hit them on the way out, there are countless blokes waiting in the shadows to break out as superstars...

and if they were playing for Canberra???

seriously nospam49 is right, there are many hidden values that reaches well beyond anyone cares ti imagine those guys are extremely vital to our game.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Come on mate its not as if a plethora of talent is swarming to the opposition code....

Who's been the biggest signing f'n Berrick Barnes recently? Talented kid but even the bronco's wont loose to much sleep.

Where lucky to loose 3-5 per year and normally they are pretty average first graders...

As good as Wendel was he was only a winger, Lotes only staying cause its better money and Rogers is always injured they are the marque signings....

If they go to union then I am really not fussed but fair dinkum nospam49 your acting like its a massive emergency it isnt, and it shouldnt be the NRL's responsability it should be the clubs..... As much as it hurt the team that I love so much.

And Mate if Joey hadnt been the one they were talking up it would have been lockyer, if not lockyer then anasta, if not anasta then thurston.

Hell what about Slaters projection into fame last year?

I agree with the raiders dude stars are made every day and I'd rather have people who want to be here and not people staying because they have no choice.

Also please explain to me how you define an icon? What makes one do they have to win a premiership? Score a certain amount of points?

Really nospam49 your posts are normally great but you've really reached with this one and came up with nothing.....

 

[axie]

Excuse me?

I said Johns needs to realise that with the massive salary cap figure he posts as a Newcastle Knight that he now must accept that fact that his salary cap figure is a HUGE problem for the Knights and it will stop them putting togeather a decent team.

He will now have to play out his career in a side chasing its tail because of the massive salary Johns earns.

Johns earns in the same ballpark as other "elite" players; how much do you think Barrett and Orford get per season? Hell even Sherwin, Gower, Williams, Jones and several others are getting up into the same bracket. Are the Bulldogs, Dragons and Melbourne struggling to put together a decent squad?

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Johns earns in the same ballpark as other "elite" players; how much do you think Barrett and Orford get per season? Hell even Sherwin, Gower, Williams, Jones and several others are getting up into the same bracket. Are the Bulldogs, Dragons and Melbourne struggling to put together a decent squad?

Your exactly right Axis, 500,000 of Joey's money comes under our salary cap, which the players you earn are on give or take a 100k.

Nearly every team has a marque player that commands a fair few dollars.

Problem with the knights is first and foremost a lack of $$$ which has been well covered....

But also contracting players that arent performing and normally to larger contracts most of the time, the knights need to get rid of the outsiders arent well policy and be willing to bring talent in when they dont have it available and to start paying players what they are worth.

Knights need to cut a lot of the chaff 2 that spring to mind automatically are Perry & Hugh's that will free a minimum of 400k which can get two solid first graders....

Instead they are trying to resign Perry who's arguably the biggest nothing in the NRL..... And no doubt Hugh's will get a offer as well.....

And how many games have these two had in the past two seasons between them? Sweet f all.

 

[League Freak™]

Some people are totally missing the point.

We need central contract for the icons of the game. The guys who are not only the very best footballers in the world, but who's profile is so big that they bring interest, exposure and therefore, fans and sponsorship to the game.

Im not talking about Craig Gower, Matt Orford, Braith Anasta.....Im talking about right now, Lockyer, Johns, Sonny Bill Williams....and thats about it.

Sailor, Tuqiri, Rogers, your right, let them go. The game moved on.

But a tallent like Darren Lockyer doesnt come around every day. Kids put pictures of him on their wall, teenagers try to mimic his moves, parents fans take their kids to see him play while seniors marvel at this young man that has all the skill, speed and leadership of the like of Churchill, Fulton and Langlands.

Central Contracts wouldnt be able keeping all league players from heading to union. They would be about recognising the value of what we have and not letting the most valuable of the lot be lost to the game because of some petty squabble at club level and talk about an un even playing field.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

I think the fact they are on 500k per year + sponsorship is pretty fair indication wouldnt you say?

We arent missing the point at all these blokes are already on dynamite dollars, and if they are getting paid a fortune what chance would other clubs have of snaring these players.

If players leave thats life, and dont kid yourself LF Joey was never going to leave gee's mate he was a 30 year old fella with a failing body, do you think that he was going to risk his reputation and all he'd achieved by going to a new code....

No chance he'd be mad, its plainly obviously that he was just trying to get as much as possible out of League which he succeeded in admirably.

If players threaten to go they should be given our blessing and I doubt that even one in twenty would go.

The game is bigger then one or even twenty andrew joey johns....

 

[League Freak™]

Johns was ready to go...the ARU were just to stupid to close the deal.

 

[axie]

Pssst, ARU.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

We'll have to agree to disagree there ole boy.....

 

[League Freak™]

We'll have to agree to disagree there ole boy.....

Normally when people dont agree with me they decide to resort to abuse.

Its good to see someone on a message board that doesnt take a disagreement like its an insult. Good stuff! :thumb

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Thanks mate.

I've learnt a lot of tolerance over the abuse I've copped for liking Carmont....

Good website btw normally stop by there a few times a week keep up the good work.