Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Telltails]

Very hard for a player like JPapali to find the passion at a new club in his last year of footy - it rarely works in favour of the club.

 

[Odessa]

Tyson F for me x 2 years = lock covered plus back row if needed
May Jnr x 2 years = centre covered plus wing
Big Puppa x 1 year just for first 20 and last 20 (while we find another bopper for 2027
Pole impact from bench
Can be done with our cap I would think

Tyson has no contract for next year so we are a chance

 

[426Tlgerland]

Very hard for a player like JPapali to find the passion at a new club in his last year of footy - it rarely works in favour of the club.

He would come hear and be a hit with the fans IF he ran straight and hard every hit up , we need that punch , May has been great but pole isn’t bringing that punch of late and is flat footed every time he gets the ball then tries to go forward , easy pickings , Pole coming on after 20 with job , do what papa just did would be great giving May a bit less to do so he goes the 80 , Just my thoughts and it may not work , who knows

 

[Odessa]

Hearing a possible 1 year deal for Josh Papaliii.

Would love for him to finish a Raider

Big Papa should get a special credit for staying with the Raiders

 

[Tom Shines]

Would love for him to finish a Raider

Big Papa should get a special credit for staying with the Raiders

They don’t want him…. We ‘ll take him for a year

 

[king_sirro]

He would come hear and be a hit with the fans IF he ran straight and hard every hit up , we need that punch , May has been great but pole isn’t bringing that punch of late and is flat footed every time he gets the ball then tries to go forward , easy pickings , Pole coming on after 20 with job , do what papa just did would be great giving May a bit less to do so he goes the 80 , Just my thoughts and it may not work , who knows

Pole isnt using footwork since his injury. His last game he improved sp hopefully that confidence is coming back.

 

[Buttface]

Josh Papali'i or Josh Kerr would be a good signing for the next year or two

Would look incredibly strange to see Big Papa in any other jersey besides a green one

I’m not touch Kerr, but there has to be a Wayne in that family somewhere.

I remember Fatty leaving Manly and going to rorters for a pension year, that was strange., but I was also a bit like suck it bitches to all three of them.
That would’ve been before the cap too I think so Manly were just being ruthless.

 

[Needaname]

Gee Marty Tapuoa must of been on a decent wicket, add Selwyn to that list as well.

BRONCOS RE-SIGN MIDDLE ENFORCER

Kobe Hetherington has reportedly been offered a new contract to remain at the Broncos, blocking poaching bids from rival clubs for the middle forward’s serices.

That is according to Code Sports, who are reporting Brisbane powerbrokers have tabled a two-year deal to retain the regular member of Michael Maguire’s forward pack.

The Dragons and Tigers have previously been interested in recruiting Hetherington, while the Titans have also reportedly sniffed around the lock.

Now Hetherington looks set to remain at the Broncos until the end of the 2027 season, with his current deal expiring at the end of this year.

“Kobe has been excellent this year,” Maguire said.

“He’s had a real impact for us.

“He started on the weekend with the Origin guys out, but he has been coming off the bench and lifting the tempo.

“Kobe is a real team man and he’s made a great impact with some of his runs. His defence has also been brilliant.

“Ever since I have been here, I have wanted that type of personality in the team and he has been able to show that.”

 

[Needaname]

What I find interesting is we all talk about the off contract list 18 months in advance yet there a clubs that can keep players satisfied with riding it out to the final months of their current contract before being rewarded.

 

[mikey]

That Manly game proved to me how much we need Luai on the field. Without him we are a rabble. If he played against Roosters I’m confident we win far easier.

100 percent agree but nice to win without him. Shows the team they can.

 

[liltiger]

I know it wasnt the point of your post, but you cannot front load an entire years salary to the year before. There is a limit under the CBA, but is also subject to minimum wage laws etc. In addition, players and agents wont allow contracts to be heavily front loaded as it causes taxation issues for players (higher wage for that year puts them in a tax bracket they shouldnt be in).

Front loading contracts is much more complicated than it sounds and it usually is spread across the squad rather than one or two players (despite what the media report). It's usually no more than 10-15% of any individual players contract for that year that is front loaded.

I may be completely wrong though, but I'd imagine what ever the player is owed each year is paid out each year. Though some of the funds were from the previous year's cap. Ex. Luai is on 1.2 million next year. The club pay him 1.2 million next year, but of that 250k came from the previous years cap. So 250k is available in the current year. That otherwise wouldn't be.
Or do the club this year hypothetically pay Luai 1.5 million and next year only 900k.

 

[liltiger]

what's your theory , is the PNG ( franchise ) tax except , valid both there and in Oz ,bringing the $'s back home

I don't know Merlot, the N.R.L are throwing some crazy ideas around like crazy cap exemptions, living away from home allowances, security provided. I heard it thrown around the N.R.L were thinking about having a compound with a community built for the club to live in, like a resort if they place the team in P.N.G. I still don't see how they will attract players to go there. I seriously think they're up against it trying to convince players to go to the P.N.G. Unless they just field a side of the Qcup and local players.

 

[liltiger]

Pole isnt using footwork since his injury. His last game he improved sp hopefully that confidence is coming back.

He's been playing busted from around round 4ish, something looks to be causing him grief.

 

[tiger_one]

I don't know Merlot, the N.R.L are throwing some crazy ideas around like crazy cap exemptions, living away from home allowances, security provided. I heard it thrown around the N.R.L were thinking about having a compound with a community built for the club to live in, like a resort if they place the team in P.N.G. I still don't see how they will attract players to go there. I seriously think they're up against it trying to convince players to go to the P.N.G. Unless they just field a side of the Qcup and local players.

That's how I read it too, champion @liltiger.
Tax free perks, plus allowances plus the Club Med-type security compound.

Nothing like this ever before in sport that I'm aware of.
Just so artificial. Cannot see the living arrangements survive the pub test,

 

[mtd#2]

I know it wasnt the point of your post, but you cannot front load an entire years salary to the year before. There is a limit under the CBA, but is also subject to minimum wage laws etc. In addition, players and agents wont allow contracts to be heavily front loaded as it causes taxation issues for players (higher wage for that year puts them in a tax bracket they shouldnt be in).

Front loading contracts is much more complicated than it sounds and it usually is spread across the squad rather than one or two players (despite what the media report). It's usually no more than 10-15% of any individual players contract for that year that is front loaded.

Thanks for the info. I figured as much around the amount that could be brought forward, I was just trying to simplify it as much as possible 🙂

 

[pawsandclaws1]

I don't know Merlot, the N.R.L are throwing some crazy ideas around like crazy cap exemptions, living away from home allowances, security provided. I heard it thrown around the N.R.L were thinking about having a compound with a community built for the club to live in, like a resort if they place the team in P.N.G. I still don't see how they will attract players to go there. I seriously think they're up against it trying to convince players to go to the P.N.G. Unless they just field a side of the Qcup and local players.

I did read there is some kind of benefit for players. If players and family are living in a compound, recruitment is going to have to be spot on. You can imagine family will end up living separately in Cairns with PNG recruiting heavily throughout FNQ. I believe Air NG run flights between Port Moresby and Cairns regularly.

 

[Ron Brodrick's Spirit]

I don't know Merlot, the N.R.L are throwing some crazy ideas around like crazy cap exemptions, living away from home allowances, security provided. I heard it thrown around the N.R.L were thinking about having a compound with a community built for the club to live in, like a resort if they place the team in P.N.G. I still don't see how they will attract players to go there. I seriously think they're up against it trying to convince players to go to the P.N.G. Unless they just field a side of the Qcup and local players.

For a young bloke with no kids the money would be attractive as would the sense of adventure and life experience. I expect the third party deals will be huge to attract talent.

 

[mtd#2]

mtd#2,what are the tax laws for sports people front loading , opposed to working class front loading. .No stress here for an answer , im neither lol, interesting equation that's all

From an ATO perspective all they care about is the income within the financial year... So if a player was on 500k a season and that was paid monthly over 12 months, then theyd just get taxed their marginal tax rate based on the ATO brackets. If they front loaded it and paid them $1mill in the financial year (for the two seasons), the ATO doesn't care because the tax is still being paid..

Tax rates – Australian resident | Australian Taxation Office

Tax rates for Australian residents for income years from 2026 back to 1984.

www.ato.gov.au

The issue that @Canadian Club raised is that by front loading, a player might be subject to more tax than if they were paid as per the original contract.. also that there are minimum wage requirements that must be met.. @Canadian Club I assume the minimum wage requirement is an NRL one via the bargaining agreement?

 

[GCfan]

Pole isnt using footwork since his injury. His last game he improved sp hopefully that confidence is coming back.

Agree. I thought Fonua was fantastic last game especially the first half. Plenty of impact.

 

[gregjm87]

Hey bbtf,

Just to clarify, "front ending" refers to shifting a player's salary forward—essentially paying part of their future contract earlier—to free up cap space in later seasons.

It’s rarely done way I'm outlining below, but to keep it simple, let’s say offloading the players you mentioned above gives us an extra $1.5 million to spend in 2025.

Now imagine the below three players contracts look like this for 2026:

- Turuva: $500k
- Terrell: $600k
- Latu: $400k

Combined, that’s $1.5 million.

In theory, we could pay all three their 2026 salaries upfront in 2025. That would wipe their cost off the books for 2026—leaving us with an extra $1.5 million to use that year. And if we already had $1 million of cap space set aside for 2026, we'd now be working with $2.5 million instead.

Clubs only usually front-load a portion of these contracts—say 50%—rather than the full amount.

So circling back to your comment: you wouldn’t see any benefit this season. The payoff kicks in next season, when the cap space opens up from having front-loaded the deals. We could use the $2.5 to go and get Payne Haas for a year or two!!

This is a great description of what front loading is and how it can benefit a club. There are however restrictions around how contracts can be front loaded. it's been a long while since listening to the explanation so unfortunately I cannot remember the details, sorry.
It also comes with risks. Say we moved 300k of Turuva's 26 salary forward, leaving him on 150k next year. He may then start agitating for a release knowing he can get double that elsewhere for the 26 season. Not suggesting he personally would likely do so. Just using him as an example.