Phil Rothfield: Roosters squeeze $8 million worth of talent into $6 million NRL Cap

[Red.]

Phil Rothfield: Sydney Roosters squeeze $8 million worth of talent into $6 million NRL salary cap


PHIL ROTHFIELD THE DAILY TELEGRAPH SEPTEMBER 08, 2014 12:00AM SHARE

WHY can’t rugby league fans just appreciate the Sydney Roosters for being one of the great teams of the modern era?

This club is on the verge of becoming the first side to win back-to-back titles in a united competition since Wayne Bennett’s Broncos back in 1992-93.

Yet whenever anyone talks about the Roosters these days they refer to their salary cap.

It dominates discussions on social media whenever they play.

On Friday I had a phone call from a prominent NRL coach, the morning after the Roosters beat the Rabbitohs at Allianz Stadium.

The conversation started along these lines.

Coach: Why don’t you write a story about the Roosters salary cap. Everyone in the game is talking about it.

Buzz: Yeah, great idea. We’re about to go into the finals. I’ll get barred.

But here goes anyway.

The NRL salary cap is $5.5 million plus another $600,000 for the marquee player allowance. That makes the total spend $6.1 million for 2014.

Somehow the Roosters have squeezed an estimated $8 million worth of talent into their squad. And I’ve rated them conservatively.

I’m not saying they are cheats but what we do know is there roster is far superior to any other club in the competition.

Check out their star-studded line-up against the Canberra Raiders or Parramatta, or the Titans, or the Wests Tigers. It’s like comparing caviar to fish fingers.

To come up with the $8 million salary cap estimate, I spoke to the prominent coach and a leading player manager.

They also point out the Roosters won the grand final last year but, unlike other premiership-winning outfits, didn’t lose a significant player to a rival club, outside of Martin Kennedy to the Brisbane Broncos.

Luke O’Donnell retired and Daniel Mortimer was released mid-season.

They also picked up the hottest young halfback in the game, Jackson Hastings, winning a bidding war with St George Illawarra and other clubs.

So how do they do it?

The Roosters are subjected to exactly the same scrutiny as other clubs by the NRL integrity unit.

Obviously their stars are playing each week for under their real market value.

There can be no other explanation.


ROOSTERS SALARY ESTIMATES

Anthony Minichiello $400,000

Daniel Tupou $250,000

Michael Jennings $750,000

Shaun Kenny-Dowall $350,000

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck $250,000

James Maloney $600,000

Mitchell Pearce $800,000

Sonny Bill Williams $1,000,000

Boyd Cordner $450,000

Aidan Guerra $400,000

Jared Waerea Hargreaves $450,000

Jake Friend $375,000

Sam Moa $250,000

Bench

Mitch Aubusson $275,000

Dylan Napa $200,000

Jackson Hastings $150,000

Frank Paul Nu’uasala $250,000

The rest: $800,000

Total: $8 million

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1227050745642

[Rooster_6]

Huge compliment to Robbo, the coaching staff & management.

What players sign on to and what they end up providing the value of are often two very different things. 3 months ago most would've laughed at Pearce being on 800k but he's certainly playing that way at the moment.

Players like Aiden Guerra who was a chance of not even being re-signed 2 years ago (which is still his current contract) is now apparently earning premium wages. As is Cordner who was re-signed at the beginning of last year before he'd achieved anything.

Toops who signed a contract after being unwanted by every club is now apparently providing us the value of a 250k player. This is just 1) great identification by POS & then 2) Great development by the coaching staff.

Take this article however you want but personally I think it's flattering for all those involved with the club at every level.

[Tommy Smith]

[B][SIZE=4]I’m not saying they are cheats but what we do know is there roster is far superior to any other club in the competition.

Yes you are, beetroot face.

Last year the media started a campaign against us with the outrageous drug claims. And heading into this years finals series it starts again.

Bring it on.

[IRoosterManI]

looks like the media wants a part 2

[Guest]

What Dear old Phil fails to mention is that the players may be worth what he suggests if they were all on the open market at the same time. Some comments:
- Players like Toops and RTS only made their 1st grade debuts in late 2012 and there would have been bonuses included in their contracts but in 2012 their annual contracts would have been small (not sure if they have had an upgrade)
- Mini claimed the long term player discount and he made it clear he did not want to play for another club thus he signed for less than his true market value
- SBW - I am sure I read he signed for $800K
- Our young forwards that have come good - JWH, Friend, Boyd, Adrian have all developed and gone onto great things in the past 18 months. When signed they would have been on less money than they are worth now
- I doubt Jennings is on $750K with us. He left Penrith on about $600K. I would say we would be paying about that much
- Pearce $800K... six weeks ago they would have said $300K. Pearce signed a long term contract 2-3 years ago. Doubt it would be worth more than 500K
- Culture under Robbo the players see happy and will stay for less (ie: like Manly's key players for the last 7 years). Mitch Aubs was offered a lot more money to go to the Dragons than we offerred but stayed. This happens to a lot of players Cam Smith stayed in Melb for less than what Brisbane offered and JT stayed in Townsille because he was happy in North QLD instead of going to Penrith.

As usual dear Phil just taking a pot shot at us.

We will lose some of our team in the next season or two for bigger money (good luck to those players) but if the players are happy most will stay

[Guest]

Phil continues to embarrass himself as a sports "journalist" with two of the most worn out tricks in the books. First cue Sky Hooks "I'm living the seventies" take yourself back to the mid 70's and start the annual second rate sports writer/hack/gossip columnist ritual of cut and pasting "Easts bought this premiership" story if we are going well.

Combine with the other great sports hack masquerading as journalist's trick "the man in the street" or "unnamed prominent source" in this case an unnamed coach who is having an embittered moment from his own lack of performance in this year's regular season carping on from Coward's Corner to cover the lack of facts.

Another great yawn fest from a has been and never was sports writer/hack. Hope you didn't pick up a pay cheque this week for this piece of regurgitated rubbish.

Don't buy this rubbish paper - it's no wonder paper sales for this mob continue to fall when this is the best they can turn out.

[Guest]

This is unbelievable, an article based on a conversation between two parties that have no insight into the club and a set of fictional estimates. The real scandal here is the true intention of this sub par journalist.

[fletch]

was wondering what the Telucrap would come up with this year to try and upset our finals campaign, classic Buzz Rothfield, how about they do a market value assessment on the Bunnies and see if they are under the cap as well.

good to see that Buzz can't understand the concept of rolling contracts, players like JWH/Guerra/Tupou/Maloney/SKD are all rolling on existing contracts that haven't seen the benefits of winning the comp last season.

how about we see what our lineup looks like starting in 2016 when we likely lose some rep stars due to cap pressure.

finally I highly doubt Pearce got $800k on his last contract, he was signed before the NRL announced their sharp year on year cap increases and teams started throwing stupid money around for halves.

[Guest]

Has this guy never heard of third party payments?

[Guest]

If there was anyone deserving of catching that flesh eating disease its Rothfield.

Chook.

[Guest]

There are only three players on our roster who have played more than half a dozen NRL games for another club - SBW, Maloney and Jennings. We will not be able to keep this roster together long term but we have, for the most part, developed it which is why this cap argument is flawed.

Oh, and the tele is toilet paper

[milanja]

Maloney on 600k?

Our own turk may as well written this article.

Tele will get what it wants though, it will get talk back and social media in a frenzy.

[Jacks Fur Coat]

The awful thing about this...although inaccurate and sensationalist...is that the average punter will now believe we are cheating.

Mission accomplished... Thanks Phil.

[Salvatori Grubber]

Exactly.

I remember that at the start of '13, we were 17-1 or something. Evaluate the squad's value based upon Jan 2013 levels, you slimy shower of turds.

[kakaruk]

Hes as cunning as a shithouse rat this bloke.He must run these sort of articles by the in house lawers before going to print with them as he skates really close to the line with all this garbage about the club.I would ban him from access to the players and any media events conducted by the club for starters.