Taumololo's Big Payday

[Bobby DIGital]

Not sure why your getting all bent out of shape over this.

I'll be happy if they get 6 good years out of him. $1M by the next TV deal will be chicken feed.

Comparing him to Campo is pretty f**king insulting though..................

Insulting to who exactly? You?

It really isn't at all. It's an apt comparison.

 

[nick87]

What was the percentage of the cap on the Campo deal?

About 10%, so similar to what Lolo is reportably getting

Its actually not "that simple". who's to say that we offer him a competitive money, 4 year deal that he even takes it? You're talking like 10 years was the Cowboys best option and we offered it straight out of the gate. But what If you were him and your current club puts a 4 year deal on the table along with 4 other clubs AND another code worth a lot more money?? A 4 year deal would've been just one of many similar deals. Our number 1 priority was to sign him long term, the exact length of the contract I'm sure would've come secondary.

That's a fair point, maybe the added years is what the Cowboys had to do to keep him in the building but give him 6 years, give him 7 years, hell give him 8, with some injury protections built in... 10 just seems excessive to me, and it appears many others.

Maybe it will work out, i bloody hope so because as i've said, i love watching Lolo play and the cowboys are a very likable team who i want to see continue being successful. But the history of 5 year deals is brutal for clubs and this is literally double that. I dont believe for one second they couldnt have signed him to a 5 year deal, and then reassessed and re-upped him in 2021 if they liked how that was going.

 

[nick87]

Not sure why your getting all bent out of shape over this.

I'll be happy if they get 6 good years out of him. $1M by the next TV deal will be chicken feed.

The only one bent out of shape appears to be Cowboys fans because neutral fans aren't lauding the Cowboys for this move. Haha,

You'd be happy to get 6 good years out of him? And eat 4 years of salary cap @ 1mil per year?
Haha. I guarantee the cowboys didnt sign this deal thinking "ahh what ever, if we get 6 good years out of this deal, that's fine by us!".
Christ. What a statement.

 

[Knight76]

Well in their defense asssuming it is just 1 mil per year as you say nick - by the time we get to 6 years down the track that 1 mil per year is probably not going to be paying too much for a previously top notch forward who has slowed down a bit.

The real risk to this is what if he gets s serious knee injury, or back problems. Doesn't want to retire but is nowhere near how he is now and the cows are stuck paying good coin to a then average player.

Plus how does Tal motivate himself throughout this contract. Fast forward to when other forwards start getting signed to long term contract, or short term contract for more than him. Can he continue to motivate himself knowing he is worth more than he is getting?

It will be interesting to see how the deal pans out.

For now, good for the cows and Tal. But I'm sure many will remember this thread and bring it back up whenever he gets a serious injury, or form slumps etc.

 

[Captain Apollo]

Following is the article which was published on the Courier Mail's website last night (and also on the Daily Telegraph's site too) -

Jason Taumalolo to sign $10 million deal with the Cowboys — the richest deal in NRL history
Peter Badel, The Courier-Mail
March 21, 2017 10:44pm

JASON Taumalolo will turn his back on the NFL by signing a $10 million contract with the Cowboys — the richest deal in NRL history.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the Cowboys will on Wednesday announce a staggering 10-year contract that will keep Taumalolo in Townsville until the end of 2027.

It is understood the deal is worth $1 million a season, with Taumalolo’s monster deal worth double the $5m contract Johnathan Thurston signed with the Cowboys four years ago.

Thurston has been notified of Taumalolo’s retention.

On Tuesday night Cowboys powerbrokers were putting the finishing touches on the deal with the club board formally advised of plans to broker the longest contract in NRL history.

Taumalolo’s management flew to Townsville over the weekend to finalise the head-spinning deal. On Wednesday, the Dally M powerhouse will be unveiled as a Cowboy for life ... and the richest man in rugby league.

The 10-year deal is a stunning move by the Cowboys and underlines the lengths to which the club was prepared to go to prevent his defection to American Football.

The Cowboys wrecking ball travelled to Los Angeles in November for a workout with NFL scouts and was seriously considering a permanent move to America.

Three outfits, including Kansas City, then offered Taumalolo the opportunity to inspect their set-ups next month in the strongest sign yet he had a future in the NFL.

But Taumalolo’s NFL dream is dead, with the 23-year-old committing himself to the Cowboys for an entire decade.

Two years ago, Manly signed former Maroons halfback Daly Cherry-Evans to an eight-year deal, but Taumalolo is entering a league of his own by inking a 10-year contract.

The 119kg Kiwi Test star will be 34 when his new Cowboys deal expires.

Speaking exclusively to The Courier-Mail last night, Cowboys chairman Laurence Lancini was confident of staving off rival bids for the most dynamic ball-running forward in the code.

“We are very hopeful of keeping Jason,” Lancini said.

“I don’t really know if the NFL was a serious option, but we are doing everything to keep Jason at the Cowboys.

“He’s very important to this club. He’s not even 24 years old and he’s playing outstanding football. His best years are ahead of him ... he’s a powerhouse.”

Asked if the Cowboys board had ratified a 10-year deal, Lancini said: “No comment.”

Some will view a 10-year deal as a risky and foolish move, but Taumalolo is one of the most bankable commodities in rugby league.

In time, the move could be seen a bargain purchase because Taumalolo, if he maintains his form, could have commanded more than $1.5m a season with the steady rise of the salary cap.

In November, Taumalolo said he was serious about trialling for an NFL contract after his shock trip to Los Angeles in the wake of the Four Nations tournament.

“I am very serious about playing NFL,” Taumalolo said.

“I guess I took everyone by surprise by flying here. When the news broke, a lot of people were saying I shouldn’t have done it and obviously there are people bagging me about coming here.

“I will definitely see out my contract with the Cowboys. They have done a lot for me as a club and I will always appreciate that. If I was to leave for the NFL, I would honour my deal with the Cowboys first.”

So 10 a 10 year contract. Whilst Taumalolo is a great player, the length of the contract is not without risk. The only other club which has signed a player to a contract for a comparable length is Manly with Daley Cherry-Evans and look at how that has tuned out. DCE's for has gone backwards, and at times it looks like he doesn't give a toss when he's on the field. For the Cowboys you have the risk of Taumalolo becoming complacent, and if he winds up down the track becoming a problem, shifting him will be very difficult.

Add in if the Cowboys go thru a rebuilding phase, as looks likely in the next few years with Matt Scott and Jonathan Thurston being towards the end of their careers, will Taumalolo be happy playing at a club when onfield struggles occur as part of that?

Whilst it gives Taumalolo security, you do wonder if he is doing himself out of money should the cap rise.

To me, this smacks a little of panic.

 

[nick87]

As others have stated, that's not going to be a flat 1mil rate
There is no way with the way the cap is going up that LoLo and his management would sign a deal like this if it didn't include escalators throughout the deal based on the cap

 

[Captain Apollo]

According to a short article on the Sydney Morning Herald's website, the Cowboys have called a press conference for 11.30 am today (doesn't state whether that is 11.30 am local time or daylight saving time before anyone asks) for a major announcement, which the Herald reckons will be to announce Taumalolo's re-signing.

 

[Tommy Smith]

Perhaps the Cowboys had no choice to offer such a huge, long term deal in the face of equally outrageous offers elsewhere?

It wouldn't surprise me. Just look at the deal the Dragons offered Ben Hunt.

If running forwards are still allowed to qualify as Immortals, then this guy is as good a chance as anyone in the game to reach that level years down the track.

He's a transcendant once in a generation talent.

Is the contract too long by a few years? Yes.

But if the alternative was to lose him to a cashed up club who were happy to offer him a similar deal then I believe they made the right choice.

Lolo isn't DCE or Ben Hunt. He's the best forward in the league by a mile so he's definitely worth the punt. We saw how bog average the Cowboys looked without him last Saturday.

 

[betcats]

Don't really get this deal from either side, I mean obviously the cows are getting a discount for such a long deal but its still a huge risk and it cant just be 10m over 10 years, Lolo is worth a mil now or close to it, in two years he will be worth more, even if there is a clause for cap increases he is still worth more on the open market in a couple years. It has the potential to be a poor deal for both sides, so maybe that means its fair? haha I dunno id be worried if my club started handing out 10 year deals though.

 

[Nice Beaver]

According to a short article on the Sydney Morning Herald's website, the Cowboys have called a press conference for 11.30 am today (doesn't state whether that is 11.30 am local time or daylight saving time before anyone asks) for a major announcement, which the Herald reckons will be to announce Taumalolo's re-signing.

They said on the radio up here this morning 10:30am, so it would be 11:30 your time.

 

[myrrh ken]

The comparisons with halves is a bit irrelevant. Lolo is a forward who plays a power game. Can he keep up the intensity for another 7 to 8 years let alone 10?

The only forwards i can think of who had longevity at the top were Beaver and Hindmarsh but they had different styles.

 

[Tommy Smith]

The comparisons with halves is a bit irrelevant. Lolo is a forward who plays a power game. Can he keep up the intensity for another 7 to 8 years let alone 10?

The only forwards i can think of who had longevity at the top were Beaver and Hindmarsh but they had different styles.

Corey Parker. Paul Gallen.

 

[DiegoNT]

Price, Petero, wiki, Scott

 

[some11]

If that's the price to fend off the NFL then it's a win for the game.

 

[myrrh ken]

Corey Parker. Paul Gallen.

Price, Petero, wiki, Scott

Well okay - out of those maybe Gallen and Parker would be closest to Lolo.
Price, Petero and Scott were metre eater rumblers. Wiki had a positional change.

 

[MilkShark]

10 year deal = a lot of trouble, especially for a forward.

Once Thurston retires the cowboys obviously believe Taumalolo is their match winner.

I don't think that's a clever move.

 

[TheVelourFog]

Everyone so po-faced and concerned for the Cowboys all of a sudden

 

[DiegoNT]

Well okay - out of those maybe Gallen and Parker would be closest to Lolo.
Price, Petero and Scott were metre eater rumblers. Wiki had a positional change.

Wiki moved into the forwards around 2000-2001 right? And was still going strong late in the decade

 

[Big Pete]

Whatever it takes, the bottom line is that the Cowboys have the best forward in the game locked up and when it's all said and done he has the ability to be one of the greatest forwards to play the game.

In a few years time it wouldn't surprise me to see him talked about in the same fashion as an Artie Beetson type of player.

Yes, there have been cases where others have failed. But in all fairness most of them weren't the calibre of Taumalolo and unless he gets the wrong people in his ear like Sonny-Bill Williams I can't see it backfiring.

It's one of the biggest days in the Cowboys history and a major coup for the game and NZRL.

Congrats.

 

[MilkShark]

Complacency will set in.