KIKAU TO CASH IN
Panthers in a fight to keep their in-demand backrow star
THE Panthers are facing a $1m battle to retain Viliame Kikau with his management revealing salary-cap pressures could force the blockbusting back-rower out of Penrith.
On the eve of the PanthersEels sudden-death finals showdown in Mackay on Saturday night, Kikau’s agent, George Christodoulou, said the Fijian sensation could be a casualty of Penrith’s rise as a premiership contender.
Breaking his silence on the contract saga, Christodoulou said the back-row wrecking ball’s preference was to stay at Penrith – and he hoped to complete the deal – but he was not sure if the Panthers could meet his client’s $800,000 price tag.
Kikau is off-contract at the end of next season, meaning he can field formal offers from November 1.
The Cowboys have already made informal inquiries to lure him back to Townsville and Christodoulou said there was a possibility the Panthers’ strike weapon could attract David Fifita-style offers of $1m a season.
The Panthers have pushed their salary cap to the limit upgrading rising stars Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai and Stephen Crichton, and could suffer the same fate as the Broncos, who were rocked by the Titans’ $1.2m poaching raid on Fifita last year.
The Panthers are desperate to extend Kikau and are banking on the 119kg hulk’s power on the fringes to end Parramatta’s season in the western derby and keep Penrith’s premiership dream alive.
“The reality of the situation is ‘Kiks’ would like to stay, but if a deal can’t be done, it can’t be done,” said Christodoulou, the agent who brought Kikau’s fellow Fijian Semi Radradra to the NRL.
“Depending on the salary cap situation (at the Panthers), someone might have to be casualty.
“Kiks is happy at Penrith and he would like to stay. His preference is to do a deal with Penrith, but if they wave the red flag and say we’re out of the contest, then we’ll go to market.
“When you get a unique athlete like Viliame, he is a genuine game breaker, so the market will determine what he’s worth.
“For me, I’m saying it has to be upwards of $800,000, but his price could go to $1m. If the Titans paid seven figures for David Fifita, someone might fall in love with Kiks and pay that, too.
“He is 26. If someone wants to throw bucketloads, you have to take it. It’s so cutthroat in the NRL these days.
“Penrith are keen to re-sign him, but whether it’s enough to get him done or not remains to be seen.”
Kikau is on $700,000 this season and his salary will increase to $750,000 in 2022.
The NRL’S salary-cap laws make it almost impossible for grand final teams to keep their squad intact and Penrith faces an ever-present threat from rugby union, the sport Kikau played growing up in Fiji.
“It’s an option to explore rugby union,” Christodoulou said.
“That’s his pedigree, he was a Fijian schoolboy in rugby, he played rugby all his life growing up.
“Right now, he is happy in the NRL, but the reality of being a professional athlete in rugby league, you have a 10-year window at best to set yourself up for life and we can’t bury our heads in the sand.”
Penrith has suspended contract negotiations with Kikau and will resume talks after the grand final. The Panthers have 12 players offcontract next season.
“Penrith will have a month’s headstart,” Christodoulou said.
“We have put things on hold. I’ve spoken to Penrith and I want Kiks to win this competition without distractions.”