The fine line between cellar dweller and contender
GET your marquee player wrong and it is almost impossible to recover. Or be a penny pincher and you cannot flex your premiership muscles.
These are the two big takeaways from News Corp’s investigation into the top 100 paid players in rugby league. The Tigers technically have just one player in the top 77 – much maligned halfback Luke Brooks.
The mid-season departure of Luciano Leilua (Cowboys) and the loan of David Nofoaluma (Storm) have the Tigers failing to have that top-line player. They do not have to look too far for inspiration. The Broncos and the Cowboys quickly
dragged themselves from being cellar dwellers to genuine premiership contenders with their big-money signings of Chad Townsend and Adam Reynolds respectively.
North Queensland have four players inside the top 50 with Townsend joined by Valentine Holmes, Jason Taumalolo and
Jordan Mclean.
Penrith have spent big on Nathan Cleary by making him the game’s highest-paid player, but their nextbest paid is Viliame Kikau in 31st spot – that means they have got their marquee player right and surrounded him with evenly spread talent.
The Dragons were largely praised for or their “money oney ball” strategy ategy last season but ut that has failed to translate e into results.
The Dragons have Ben Hunt, Moses oses Mbye, Jack de Belin, Zac Lomax, Tariq Sims, Jaydn ydn SU’A, Jack Bird, Moses Suli uli and Josh
Mcguire e in the top 100.
The nine ine players is the most of any club with the Dragons having clubbs e
Mbbye, Mccguire. deefending prremiers
hreeh t
paying their players top money when they are still at the peak of their powers or – in the case of those outside the top 100 – rising stars.
The Dragons, on the other hand, are paying significant coin for players whose better days are behind them.
The struggling Titans have shown that spending up big does not automatically translate into wins.
Remarkably, they have the same amount of players as the Panthers on the rich list – including million-dollar man David Fifita.
Manly have an obvious strategy that has backfired this season because of the injury to Tom Trbojevic. The Sea Eagles spend big on four players – the Trbojevic brothers, Daly Cherry-evans and Marty Taupau – but lack depth in other positions. Taupau sits at No. 53 on the final year of his rich deal while the other three are within the game’s top 16 paid players.
Canterbury superboot Matt Burton and (left) Penrith’s Viliame Kikau, who is Belmore-bound in 2023. Pictures: NRL Photos