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ANGRY at ongoing innuendo they are cheats, the Sydney Roosters have come forward to deny any rorting and to sensationally declare they are actually $100,000 under the NRL’s salary cap.
The Daily Telegraph spoke to a high-ranking club official on Monday who detailed how the Roosters’ star-studded line-up remains beneath rugby league’s $6.1 million salary cap.
The revelations will attract scepticism from rival clubs and fans, but one senior Roosters official though insisted: “We are under the cap, well and truly. We are way under the cap, significantly.
“Perception is not reality. We have a lot of bottom-ended players who are performing incredibly well around seasoned players.”
In some stunning admissions, the Roosters claim:
* They signed Michael Jennings from Penrith at a “discounted rate”;
* Winger Daniel Tupou signed with the Roosters for just $40,000;
* The club will lose star players after a number of contracts expire for 2016;
* Forward Isaac Liu was playing last year for just $15,000;
* They managed to sign Sonny Bill Williams, James Maloney and Michael Jennings last year after being $300,000 under the cap in 2012; and
* Prop Sam Moa signed for “just over the minimum wage”.
The Roosters say they are “annoyed” at the constant speculation regarding their salary cap and claim they drifted $100,000 below the maximum level after centre Tautau Moga joined North Queensland in June.
“We got ‘Jenko’ (Jennings) at a discounted rate because Penrith footed most of his bill in the first year. We got a good deal there,” the Roosters official said on how the club could possibly remain under the cap.
“Isaac Liu was signed from an intra-club trial against Balmain, he played last year on a $15,000 playing fee. This year he is second tier.
“He is better than that. That is our good management and our coaching staff getting him to the position that he is now.
“Next year he won’t be on that sort of dollar. When he goes up, someone will go out. It’s a window that doesn’t last. Sam Moa was a reject. He went to Hull and came back for a little over a minimum wage and now he is one of the best props in the game.
“We signed Boyd Cordner when he was 16 years of age. We signed him to another long-term contract when he was 19.
“The figures (being discussed publicly) are market values today, not market values when they signed. The players have all improved dramatically and come through as a group and their values increase. Moving forward, when they come off contract, we are going to lose players.
“We signed Daniel Tupou when he was 20-years-old for $40,000. Now he is on the end of a good backline and playing Origin. He isn’t on anywhere near standard Origin money. It’s a matter of when you sign them and how much and you have to back your judgment about where they will be in two or three years. We have done that well.
“Some will stay for under market value because they want be together, some will move on, which is their prerogative.
“Look at Penrith for instance. Right now Matt Moylan is a $500,000 a season player. He would be on a third of that. He would be on $150,00, tops, because Penrith was smart enough to sign him two years ago when he couldn’t make the 20s.”
Questions were raised of the Roosters when they signed Williams, Maloney and Jennings in one off-season before going on to win last year’s premiership.
“The year before we were $300,000 under the cap,” the official said.
“We had money to spend. We left money for Maloney if he could get out of his last year at the Warriors and Penrith played a high percentage of Jenko’s wage.
“We let go of Nate Myles, other Origin players, Braith Anasta moved. In a golf analogy, we changed our swing.”
The Roosters are surging home and remain favourites to win back-to-back titles.
And their big-name roster — every member of the Roosters starting side has rep experience — will thrive in the crucial end-of-season finals.
“The Test match in the middle of the year, Melbourne had eight representatives in that game. We had six. Look at Penrith’s roster. They have internationals and State of Origin players playing reserve grade,” the official said.
“It’s exactly the same at Manly.”
Asked did the club get angry at the constant speculation, the official said: “It’s annoying but we know where we are and we have explained it over the years. It just takes some of the kudos away from our coaching and high-performance staff.”
* Roosters officials chose to speak out on the condition of anonymity.
The Daily Telegraph spoke to a high-ranking club official on Monday who detailed how the Roosters’ star-studded line-up remains beneath rugby league’s $6.1 million salary cap.
The revelations will attract scepticism from rival clubs and fans, but one senior Roosters official though insisted: “We are under the cap, well and truly. We are way under the cap, significantly.
“Perception is not reality. We have a lot of bottom-ended players who are performing incredibly well around seasoned players.”
In some stunning admissions, the Roosters claim:
* They signed Michael Jennings from Penrith at a “discounted rate”;
* Winger Daniel Tupou signed with the Roosters for just $40,000;
* The club will lose star players after a number of contracts expire for 2016;
* Forward Isaac Liu was playing last year for just $15,000;
* They managed to sign Sonny Bill Williams, James Maloney and Michael Jennings last year after being $300,000 under the cap in 2012; and
* Prop Sam Moa signed for “just over the minimum wage”.
The Roosters say they are “annoyed” at the constant speculation regarding their salary cap and claim they drifted $100,000 below the maximum level after centre Tautau Moga joined North Queensland in June.
“We got ‘Jenko’ (Jennings) at a discounted rate because Penrith footed most of his bill in the first year. We got a good deal there,” the Roosters official said on how the club could possibly remain under the cap.
“Isaac Liu was signed from an intra-club trial against Balmain, he played last year on a $15,000 playing fee. This year he is second tier.
“He is better than that. That is our good management and our coaching staff getting him to the position that he is now.
“Next year he won’t be on that sort of dollar. When he goes up, someone will go out. It’s a window that doesn’t last. Sam Moa was a reject. He went to Hull and came back for a little over a minimum wage and now he is one of the best props in the game.
“We signed Boyd Cordner when he was 16 years of age. We signed him to another long-term contract when he was 19.
“The figures (being discussed publicly) are market values today, not market values when they signed. The players have all improved dramatically and come through as a group and their values increase. Moving forward, when they come off contract, we are going to lose players.
“We signed Daniel Tupou when he was 20-years-old for $40,000. Now he is on the end of a good backline and playing Origin. He isn’t on anywhere near standard Origin money. It’s a matter of when you sign them and how much and you have to back your judgment about where they will be in two or three years. We have done that well.
“Some will stay for under market value because they want be together, some will move on, which is their prerogative.
“Look at Penrith for instance. Right now Matt Moylan is a $500,000 a season player. He would be on a third of that. He would be on $150,00, tops, because Penrith was smart enough to sign him two years ago when he couldn’t make the 20s.”
Questions were raised of the Roosters when they signed Williams, Maloney and Jennings in one off-season before going on to win last year’s premiership.
“The year before we were $300,000 under the cap,” the official said.
“We had money to spend. We left money for Maloney if he could get out of his last year at the Warriors and Penrith played a high percentage of Jenko’s wage.
“We let go of Nate Myles, other Origin players, Braith Anasta moved. In a golf analogy, we changed our swing.”
The Roosters are surging home and remain favourites to win back-to-back titles.
And their big-name roster — every member of the Roosters starting side has rep experience — will thrive in the crucial end-of-season finals.
“The Test match in the middle of the year, Melbourne had eight representatives in that game. We had six. Look at Penrith’s roster. They have internationals and State of Origin players playing reserve grade,” the official said.
“It’s exactly the same at Manly.”
Asked did the club get angry at the constant speculation, the official said: “It’s annoying but we know where we are and we have explained it over the years. It just takes some of the kudos away from our coaching and high-performance staff.”
* Roosters officials chose to speak out on the condition of anonymity.
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