Does anyone know our top 25 contracted list?

[Guest]

Newman, any news regarding a contract extension for Evans?, seems the club has signed up most of the best young talent around him like Martin/Seijka/Napa, or has it reached a stage he won't sign with us unless he starts getting regular first grade football, judging by the contract offers Klemmer had before he signed with the bulldogs it is going to cost us a fortune to hold onto Evans.

Just had a senior moment. Couldn't find my original reply and posted a second. Sorry.

[Guest]

Often players outside the Top 25 are paid higher than the minimum wage, as long as they are paid less than the 25th highest paid player it is all OK. The top tier is simply the 25th highest paid players, based on payments made between Novemebr 1 and October 31 of a given year. If a player say earning $90,000 this year is earning below the 25th highest paid player then he is a second tier player. Next year that same player on $90,000 could be the 23rd highest paid player and therefore be in the top tier.

Rarely are players outside the top 25 paid the minimum wage,which has just been lifted from 55k to 70k.They had a cap of 250k up till this season
A lot of players in clubs top 25 were the ones who pushed for the minimum wage increase,as thats all they were being paid.

[Guest]

Newman thanks for all the info you provide us with. I was wondering what Paul Rokolati contract situation is?

[Guest]

Newman thanks for all the info you provide us with. I was wondering what Paul Rokolati contract situation is?

Most of those second tier players contracts expire this year. Uasia O'Sullivan has already been released - left for West Harbour rugby union last week. Rokolati, Adam Henry, Ryley Jacks, Josh Aialomai, Nafe Seluini, Henare Wells are all only contracted to the end of this year only. Second tier players, who don't get a contract uplift to the top tier (and none of these players would I'd say) rarely stay for a second contract (neither party is rarely keen). The exception might be Riley Jacks as it's no good for our players at Newtown not to have a reasonable half back to play with - hurts their development and has them less prepared for NRL duty when required. Also need a second half back for all the opposed training sessions. Cornish still has another year in NYC. If they don't re-sign Seluini they'll defintely replace him because if Friend got injured we'd be in a terrible position.

[Guest]

Thank you for your information regarding the top and second tier player lists Newman.

With the signing of Remy Casty for next season does this put in to jeopardy the future of Kane Evans and Dylan Napa not just for opportunity but also fitting them in to our top 15?

[Guest]

Thank you for your information regarding the top and second tier player lists Newman.

With the signing of Remy Casty for next season does this put in to jeopardy the future of Kane Evans and Dylan Napa not just for opportunity but also fitting them in to our top 15?

I think you meant Top 25, and no, my understanding is that their contracts for next year will fit them comfortably in the Top 25. For one, they were on back ended contracts, so their money will be bigger next year, and secondly, the 25th player next year will surely be on less than the 25th player this year, with hopefully all 25 players actually at our club, and some not playing elsewhere.

[Guest]

I don't think so. Good bye FPN Arona bosden LOD and I'm sure a few others who are on the outers.

[Guest]

I don't think so. Good bye FPN Arona bosden LOD and I'm sure a few others who are on the outers.

Arona has one more year to go on his contract.

[Danish]

The 2nd tier salary cap is such a joke.

There should simply be a combined club salary cap that you have to fit your entire squad (NRL, reserves, NYC) into. Combine the salary caps of all 3 grades and you have the total value.

It is simply retarded that we have players on our books legally abiding by their respective lower grade salary caps yet they aren't allowed to be promoted to the 1st grade squad.

[Guest]

The 2nd tier salary cap is such a joke.

There should simply be a combined club salary cap that you have to fit your entire squad (NRL, reserves, NYC) into. Combine the salary caps of all 3 grades and you have the total value.

It is simply retarded that we have players on our books legally abiding by their respective lower grade salary caps yet they aren't allowed to be promoted to the 1st grade squad.

Only four clubs (Manly, Newcastle, Canterbury and Penrith/Windsor) have a reserve grade team. The other clubs provide excess players to second teir NSW Cup and Qld Cup competitions so it would be impossible to have a fully inclusive cap when you have situations like this. A top tier cap of 33 players, given that is the average training full time with clubs, would alleviate a lot of the anomolies, as would a marquee allowance in the NYC (of say three players earning under the wage of the last person in the top tier cap but exempt from the NYC cap) and making sure the second tier and NYC caps keep pace with the main salary cap and the minimum wage, which they haven't been.

[Tommy Smith]

The 2nd tier salary cap is such a joke.

There should simply be a combined club salary cap that you have to fit your entire squad (NRL, reserves, NYC) into. Combine the salary caps of all 3 grades and you have the total value.

It is simply retarded that we have players on our books legally abiding by their respective lower grade salary caps yet they aren't allowed to be promoted to the 1st grade squad.

Agreed. It's absurd to have contracted players who aren't allowed to play. It makes zero sense.

And thanks for your comments, Newman. I reckon our top 25 next year will be:

1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
2. Daniel Tupou
3. Michael Jennings
4. Shaun Kenny-Dowall
5. Tatau Moga
6. James Maloney
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Jared Warea Hargreaves
9. Jake Friend
10. Sam Moa
11. Boyd Cordner
12. Sonny-Bill Williams
13. Remi Casty

14. Daniel Mortimer
15. Mitchell Aubusson
16. Dylan Napa
17. Martin Kennedy

18. Michael Oldfield
19. Samisoni Langi
20. Rhyse Martin
21. Kane Evans
22. Isaac Liu
23. Jack Seijka
24. Lama Tasi??
25. Back-up hooker??

We have A LOT of serious young talent coming through; particularly in the forwards. And we can't fit them all in so sadly I can see us losing someone like Langi.

[Guest]

Agreed. It's absurd to have contracted players who aren't allowed to play. It makes zero sense.

And thanks for your comments, Newman. I reckon our top 25 next year will be:

1. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
2. Daniel Tupou
3. Michael Jennings
4. Shaun Kenny-Dowall
5. Tatau Moga
6. James Maloney
7. Mitchell Pearce
8. Jared Warea Hargreaves
9. Jake Friend
10. Sam Moa
11. Boyd Cordner
12. Sonny-Bill Williams
13. Remi Casty

14. Daniel Mortimer
15. Mitchell Aubusson
16. Dylan Napa
17. Martin Kennedy

18. Michael Oldfield
19. Samisoni Langi
20. Rhyse Martin
21. Kane Evans
22. Isaac Liu
23. Jack Seijka
24. Lama Tasi??
25. Back-up hooker??

We have A LOT of serious young talent coming through; particularly in the forwards. And we can't fit them all in so sadly I can see us losing someone like Langi.

You need to find a spot for Aiden Guerra who will be with us next year and is also contracted for 2015. I can't see them re-signing Lama Tasi so I'd suggest that spot might be his. Also, I know prop and lock and pretty similar these days but I've seen a lot of Remi Casty play in the past fifteen months and he is a dead set prop. He doesn't pass the ball much before the line at all. I'd think it would be more likely be Cordner at lock, Aubusson in the second row and Casty on the bench. Casty will be sensational off the bench. He runs so hard and will add a lot of thrust when he comes onto the field. Napa can interchanage with Cordner OK - he's playing lock at Newtown and I think he can develop his ball playing. Finally, whilst Isaac Liu will definitely be in the best 25 at the club next year I don't think he'll be in the top tier of the cap. He is in the first year of a very modest two yeal deal and I'm sure it wouldn't increase by that sort of money to push him into the Top 25, even with the 25th players salary being lower next year. The club will need another outside back, one who could play fullback if RTS is injured. To get someone decent you'd certainly need to offer them top tier money so they'd probably round out the top 25 in money terms Tommy.

[Guest]

Well so far the contract situation is:

Minichiello (2013)
Tuivasa-Sheck (2016)
Kenny-Dowall (2015)
Jennings (2016)
Tupou (2015)
Maloney (2015)
Pearce (2017)
Hargreaves (2015)
Friend (2015)
Kennedy (2014)
Aubusson (2016)
Williams (2013 - option of 2014?)
Cordner (2016)

Mortimer (2015)
Guerra (2015)
Napa (2015)
Moa (2014)

Evans (2014)
Arona (2014)
Oldfield (2014)
Casty (2015)
Moga (2014)

O'Donnell, FPN, Tasi and Liu are all off-contract I believe. So is Seluini, Henry and others.

[Guest]

Only four clubs (Manly, Newcastle, Canterbury and Penrith/Windsor) have a reserve grade team. The other clubs provide excess players to second teir NSW Cup and Qld Cup competitions so it would be impossible to have a fully inclusive cap when you have situations like this. A top tier cap of 33 players, given that is the average training full time with clubs, would alleviate a lot of the anomolies, as would a marquee allowance in the NYC (of say three players earning under the wage of the last person in the top tier cap but exempt from the NYC cap) and making sure the second tier and NYC caps keep pace with the main salary cap and the minimum wage, which they haven't been.

Newman you need to get here more often. Insight, knowledge and most importantly..... Punctuation.

Thanks for posting.

[Guest]

Well so far the contract situation is:

Minichiello (2013)
Tuivasa-Sheck (2016)
Kenny-Dowall (2015)
Jennings (2016)
Tupou (2015)
Maloney (2015)
Pearce (2017)
Hargreaves (2015)
Friend (2015)
Kennedy (2014)
Aubusson (2016)
Williams (2013 - option of 2014?)
Cordner (2016)

Mortimer (2015)
Guerra (2015)
Napa (2015)
Moa (2014)

Evans (2014)
Arona (2014)
Oldfield (2014)
Casty (2015)
Moga (2014)

O'Donnell, FPN, Tasi and Liu are all off-contract I believe. So is Seluini, Henry and others.

Liu is contracted to the end of 2014.