Thaiday takes cut for team
Bronco follows greats’ lead Classy pair at centre of rivalry
SAM Thaiday has sacrificed more than $500,000 to help the Broncos’ star-studded team strive for multiple premierships together, revealing he signed for unders to follow the lead of past club greats.
His sacrifice is a great example of the unique culture building at Red Hill, a culture that has steered the side to Friday’s preliminary final.
From Corey Parker and Justin Hodges to Darren Lockyer and Shane Webcke, the Broncos have a history of senior stars taking less to keep young guns at the club.
It is a credit to the culture the Broncos have created under Paul White and Wayne Bennett that Thaiday, at a younger stage of his career than others, did the same.
Thaiday knows he left money on the table but was content to take less to stay.
Thanks to the selfless actions of players like Thaiday, Parker and the retiring Hodges, this Broncos team will stay together until the end of 2017.
“It was a sacrifice,” Thaiday said. “If that’s what I have to do to stay at this great club that I love then I’m happy to do it.
“Hopefully, it will come back tenfold to me when I retire because being a one-club player in a one-team town is only going to help me after football.
“I have a family to think about but sometimes you have to take a pay cut, although I wasn’t going to budge any further than this.
“I had a figure that would allow me to pay off the house when I’m done with football and that’s all I wanted at the end of day – security.”
Thaiday this month signed a three-year deal worth about $350,000 a year.
The $1.05 million deal was $500,000 less than he could have earned at rival clubs. More was on offer if he left to play in England’s Super League.
Manly were understood to have been keen on Thaiday but they ultimately signed fellow Maroons star Nate Myles on more than $500,000 a season.
“The most frustrating thing about it, not necessarily for me, was friends and family asking every week when am I going to get signed,” Thaiday said.
“They would read the papers and see the club was signing a young kid and people would ask if there would be enough money for me.”
Thaiday arrived at the Broncos as a teenager in 2002 and is a chance of winning his second premiership with the club this season after tasting success in 2006, which was his first full season of NRL action.
He was singled out for criticism by Wayne Bennett early this year after a poor opening game against South Sydney but Thaiday owned the harsh words and never shied away from the fact he needed to perform better, which he did.
“That was just Wayne being Wayne. I copped it on the chin. I just took it and that’s all you can do,” he said.
“You can sook and carry on but the best way to move is to get your head down and your bum up and prove everyone wrong.” ROOSTERS flyer Michael Jennings is relishing the chance to get one over Justin Hodges one last time – but a win over Brisbane won’t mean State of Origin revenge.
Jennings has had a running battle with Hodges since 2007 and will lock horns with the Broncos captain one final time in Friday’s preliminary final.
Ever since Jennings’ second NRL match when Hodges scored four tries on him, the pair have shared a rivalry.
For the past seven years they have marked each other in 13 Origin matches.
In that time, Jennings has likely been on the end of more one-liners from Hodges, one of the game’s premier sledgers, than any other player.
Jennings describes himself as not sensitive to Hodges’ brand of mental disintegration and has savoured the battles.
“I think it’s always good to play quality centres,” he said.
“I’ve had a few battles with him so it’s just going to be a good challenge for myself.”
Friday’s clash, which will decide who is first in Sunday week’s grand final, will have an Origin subtext.
With North Queensland and Melbourne on the other side of the draw, the Roosters are flying the flag for NSW.
As well as the JenningsHodges battle, there are other Origin match-ups.
Maroons Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker and Matt Gillett will renew the battle with NSW’s Boyd Cordner.
The Broncos also boast Queensland’s Darius Boyd while the Roosters have exNSW flyer Daniel Tupou.
Jennings said nothing will make amends for NSW’s 52-6 flogging at the hands of Queensland in this year’s series decider, but Friday’s clash will have the air of a Queensland v NSW battle.