I posted here a few weeks back that my roomie knows him pretty well and got her to ask him whether he was was staying with us or not and that he had said he was staying for another 2 years then would see what he wanted to do. He was very close to going to the Dogs and they had offered him a deal but changed his mind and stayed with the Tigers in the end. He didn't sign anything so we don't owe the Dogs diddly squat. People saying he did are talking rubbish.
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That's good - all sorted - after reading some of the posts after I posted we were getting a bad name for backflips made me reconsider. I think it comes back to players trying to make the best decision for their progression in what is usually a very short career. I've always looked at a normal career path being a progression over 30 - 40 years. This obviously isn't the case in NRL where players have at max 10 yrs to set themselves up. The NRL need to come up with a contract system that takes this in to consideration.
The average wage in Australia is like $50,000 to $60,000\. The minimum NRL contract is something like $80,000 which most get in their early 20's otherwise they normally move on by 25\. Hardly anything to complain about. Not to mention to NRL forces young players to undertake apprenticeships or study if they want to play these days so these kids have something to fall back on should they need to.
But if they're promising players I think they're rewarded extremely fairly when you compare them to the average joe. If they turn out to be the next Inglis, Farah, Hayne then 10 years (still earning decent cash) then they have enough money to set themselves up if they're smart. Few investment properties and they're sorted for the rest of their lives.
If I got paid $100,000 a year to kick a footy round I wouldn't be complaining! Some of these guys should be forced to work as a brickies labourer for a few weeks if they wanna cry poor and hard done by.
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I was never suggesting these guys aren't on a good thing - I was paid next to nothing to play a game I loved. I guess what I was saying it is such a fickle sport - one minute your the next big thing and the next day your a nobody - and yes the NRL does ensure they have some form of education to fall back on but really there are not too many rocket scientists among NRL players. So all I am saying is I can now appreciate the backflips and bargaining that goes on to ensure they get what is best for them - whether that is taking an over inflated contract or staying with a club for less because there is a better chance of a first grade spot that may lead to something bigger.
