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<big>Rugby league great Brad Fittler says NRL halfbacks will soon command $750,000 a season</big>
By James Phelps The Sunday Telegraph November 27, 20118:25AMBrad Fittler has predicted that every halfback in the NRL will soon be earning $750,000 a season, comparing them to an NFL quarterback.
Slamming South Sydney for refusing to match Parramatta’s offer of $500,000 a year to keep Chris Sandow, Fittler said the halfback was the most important player in rugby league and deserved to be the best paid.
Fittler said rugby league was “kidding itself” if it didn’t think the No. 7s would soon be nudging the $1 million mark.
“In rugby league, the halfback is now the counterpart of the NFL quarterback and he should be paid accordingly,” Fittler said.
“And they will be getting that sort of money very soon.”
Speaking out in his new book The Fittler Files, My Season on the Sidelines, the former Test captain questioned Souths’ allowing Sandow to leave, claiming he had single-handedly won the club several games this year.
Former Penrith halfback Greg Alexander agreed the No. 7 was the most important player but said only the elite would command top money.
“I think you would find someone like Johnathan (Thurston) would be close to that figure already,” Alexander said.
"For the rest of them, it depends what the cap is.
"If the cap goes up, I think their wages will go up, but it will be in line with the rise in the salary cap.
“I don’t think they will be earning any more. A bloke on $300,000 will not suddenly be earning $750,000 if the cap goes up by $2 million when the new TV rights deal is announced and delivered. The $500,000 halfbacks will, but the rest of them won’t.”
Alexander said the modern hooker had taken away some of a halfback’s dominance.
“There is no doubt they are important,” Alexander said.
"If you have a good No. 7 then you are on the right track to having the mix right.
"But I think over the last 20 years he has lost a bit of the star quality because of the hookers.
"The No. 9s are no longer just a dummy-half, but they run and contribute to the playmaking.
“They are almost as important as the No 7.”
The former Panthers and Warriors playmaker said the average or emerging halfback would always earn less than the star players.
“They won’t command more than they are now,” Alexander said.
“Not in proportion to the salary cap. You will always have your elite and then players under that.”
Alexander also said the fullback had emerged as a position to rival the leading playmakers in the modern game.
“The fullback has become a very important position,” Alexander said.
“While the five-eighth has become redundant to an extent, the fullback has stepped up and filled in.”
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As has been proven many times in the past you can have the best 7 in the game but unless you have a forward pack that can provide go forward and backs that can finish off the opportunities that the forwards create you aren’t going to be a contender
I think our 1,6,7 and 9’s will be paid more in the future but whether clubs can afford to pay this is another matter again
All comes back to the same argument really
Can our game sustain 16 viable clubs with players on ever increasing salaries . I say NO
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I hear what you saying Happy, but I feel the game will have no choice but to increase salaries to ensure it attracts/keeps the good athletes.
Some clubs are stuck in a financial model, and they need to look quick smart at new traffic generators to ensure they make this transition or they could be left behind for ever… Its only then that we will see clubs fold and new franchises pop up. There might be alot of passion surrounding such things, but its a natural progression in any business model, yet RL is possessed with hanging onto the ‘old fish & chip shop’ compared to ‘Dining at Doyles’.
I know where the corporate dollars are eating!
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I actually think fullback is becoming the most important position on the field. Big kick returns get your sets started in good position and take a lot of pressure of the forwards, plus they are essentially a 3rd half when they chime in the backline. The way teams structure their attack now days, a lot of halfbacks only take one side of the field, not both like they used to.
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if a halfback was paid this amount.
you would expect him to win you the match each game. -
if a halfback was paid this amount.
you would expect him to win you the match each game.it depends, what is the actual cap. If the cap goes up, players in general will be earning more. If the cap jumps to 6-7 million it won’t be much different to players earning 400-500k now.
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Half backs commanding large pay checks is fair enough if they are such a world beater, a lot would be expected of them in terms of involvement in the game and command over the teams plays not to mention measuring up in defence as well. I don’t think coaches would be that keen on ‘putting all of their eggs in the one half back basket’ teams need to be able to rely on a number of players/options.
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I think Fittler is wrong comparing a RL halfback to an NFL quarterback - the games, and their respective roles in it, are worlds apart. Important as a good halfback is, Rugby League is more of a team game with everyone on the field at the same time. As Happy said, you need the forwards to dominate and get the team rolling on so the halfback has room to work his magic. Because the offence and defence are played in separate phases in the NFL, the quarterback is generally the one moving the team forward. Of course, the offensive players have to be in good field position to receive his passes and the defence has to nullify the opposing team’s progress when they are on, but as a rule, everything in the game revolves around the quarterback, much moreso than the halfback in league.
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they have first and down and focus on the (forward) passing game - so quarterbacks there are more critical - league has more variety and more skills needed (gridiron - passing quickly and accurately, decision making vs league - defense, running, passing, short kicking, long kicking, support play, decision making), and in league very few players are masters of all these skills (Joey is as close as it gets).
Also halfback doesn’t touch the ball every play in attack.
Better thing would be to say the spine aggregate pay will hit $2 million (hookcer, half, 5/8, fullback) for most clubs by 2015
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“While the five-eighth has become redundant to an extent, the fullback has stepped up and filled in.”
Err, does the name Benji Marshall ring a bell, Brandy??
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Forget fatherly advice to your sons to be doctors lawyers or Cloud computing evangelists… Get them to play @ 7.
The career of the future according to spaceman Freddy…
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@Paris Cobbs:
“While the five-eighth has become redundant to an extent, the fullback has stepped up and filled in.”
Err, does the name Benji Marshall ring a bell, Brandy??
I beg to differ as well PC, along with Marshall you have Locky, Soward, Carney, Campese, et al.
It’s hardly a redundant role… It’s evolved a little but it’s not redundant.
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Thats the ame thing I though.
Not a redundant role at all.
If anything its now more important than ever to have a good 5/8 -
Thats the ame thing I though.
Not a redundant role at all.
If anything its now more important than ever to have a good 5/8Exactly, five eighths are way more prominent in the game now than they’ve ever been! I think Alexander must’ve had a bit too much Brandy when he made that statement
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don’t we already have a halfback well and truly over the 500k mark right now?
Isn’t Thurston on 2 million over three years? Something like that? That would make it approx 666K per year……
