These key figures and data, from articles dated February 2024 and April 2022, show significant changes in player salaries and positional values in rugby league. It's also highlighted that teams allocate a third of their cap toward middle forwards.
PROPS
Top 5
Average salary = $845,860
Median salary = $818,800
A decade ago Wayne Bennett declared a front-rower should never be paid more than $300,000 a year. A lot can change in 10 years.
The front row position is now considered the third most valuable of all roles in the game, well ahead of spine positions like hooker and five-eighth.
Tevita Pangai Jr is enjoying two salaries from the Bulldogs ($750,000) and Brisbane ($175,000).
The Herald has obtained the document the NRL salary cap auditors send clubs to keep agents honest and determine how much they should pay their players.
www.smh.com.au
Momentum is more critical than ever before under rules that can swing yardage battles and possession dramatically.
The common rugby league consensus is that, like halfbacks, props take longer than most to mature and grow into their game.
Data analysis by
The Rugby League Eye Test a few years ago
pegged a middle forward’s statistical peak toward the age of 27, with less drop off in output between 27 and 30 than other positions.
Roster analysis, provided to this masthead by one of the game’s premiership heavyweights, estimates that roughly one third of a club’s salary cap is spent on middle forwards – amounting to almost $3.4 million of an $11.25 million base salary cap.
For props though, the top five clocked an average wage of $841,316. Front-rowers ranked 16-20 came in at $472,606, a significantly smaller slide of 44 per cent.
NRL clubs need more front-rowers to function, and those front-rowers need more time to develop to the highest level. But right now, there’s a gap in the supply.
An era of elite props has several stars earning record salaries. But at the other end of the food chain, clubs are still scrambling to combat the impact of COVID-19 up front.
www.smh.com.au
