Rich 100: The bargains, the duds and the ones that got away
As far as recruitment failures go, they don’t come much worst than this. James Tedesco and Mitchell Moses should have been playing in Canterbury colours if not for a Bulldogs blunder. READ WHAT HAPPENED.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Being smart in the player market can make or break a club.
James Phelps looks at big-money flops, bargain buys and the players who slipped through the net.
LOST IN TRANSIT
JAMES TEDESCO and MITCHELL MOSES (Bulldogs)
TEDESCO had a Bulldogs jersey with his name on it. Literally. Hanging above a locker in Belmore, the famous blue and white strip was waiting for him when he was given an after-hours tour.
Tedesco was on the verge of signing with the Bulldogs in 2017 as part of a package deal with Wests Tigers teammates Aaron Woods and Moses. Now the world’s best player, “Teddy” turned his back on the deal when the club decided it didn’t want Moses because of concerns around his defence.
Instead, the Bulldogs signed Woods and Kieran Foran. We all know what happened next as Tedesco has now led the Roosters to two straight premierships and Moses has developed into one of the elite halfbacks in the competition.
KALYN PONGA (Cowboys)
WHY would a prospect like Ponga sign with the Knights when they were fresh off their second straight wooden spoon? For starters, they guaranteed Ponga the fullback jersey. At the Cowboys, he was stuck behind Lachlan Coote. With the likes of Johnathan Thurston, Jason Taumalolo and Michael Morgan on their books, the Cowboys also couldn’t match the money the Knights offered. Throw in some family concerns about Paul Green’s coaching of young players and you have one of the great unanswered questions: what would Ponga have done long-term at the Cowboys?
JAMES TEDESCO (Raiders)
HE is so good that he has made the list twice. We are not sure what the Raiders could have done to avoid what happened, but the club had a handshake deal with Tedesco to head to the nation’s capital for the 2015 season. Tedesco jetted into the ACT and shook Ricky Stuart’s hand before backflipping on the deal and remaining at Wests Tigers for another few seasons.
RETURN TO SENDER
ASH TAYLOR (Titans)
$1 million a season until 2021
SIGNED on a $1-million-a-year deal and touted as the future of the Titans, Taylor leads a long list of contenders for the NRL’s worst contract. He has looked like he would rather be anywhere else but on a football since signing a $3.2 million contract in 2018. Regarded as Johnathan Thurston’s heir apparent for the Maroons at the beginning of his deal, Taylor took time away from the game last year after apparently losing interest in rugby league. He is an improved player this year but nowhere near a million-dollar man.
KIERAN FORAN (Bulldogs)
$1 million a season until 2020
IT’S difficult to call a heart-and-soul player like Foran a bad buy when we all know what he can deliver. But he has delivered next to nothing since being signed by the Bulldogs on a $3 million deal. Now in the final year of the three-year deal, Foran has played just 34 games for the Bulldogs. They took a huge risk signing Foran given there were doubts about his body before he signed the deal. The Kiwi star managed only nine appearances for the Eels in 2016 and 17 for the Warriors before being signed by the Bulldogs.
BEN HUNT (Dragons)
$1.2 million a season until 2022, with a player option for 2023
ONLY a brave player would sign a $1.2-million-a-year deal to join the Dragons, who have one of the biggest and most vocal fans bases in rugby league. St George Illawarra fans don’t hold back when it comes to giving it to a player who doesn’t prove his worth. And they have given Hunt plenty. While you can’t question his effort, desire or the number of games he has played, the former Bronco has become a victim of the size of his deal. He would be a fan favourite if he was on $300k a year.
MICHAEL MORGAN (Cowboys)
$1 million a season until 2023
ALTHOUGH he’s 27 and a regular Origin representative, Morgan hasn’t proved himself to be a million-dollar man. He has failed to live up to expectations as JT’s successor at the Cowboys after almost steering them to a premiership in 2017 when JT was injured. With so much of the club’s salary cap invested in Morgan and Jason Taumalolo, the five-eighth needs to produce high-quality performances every week. We have neither seen him manage his team like he did in 2017 or tear oppositions apart as he did when he wasn’t worried about game plans.
JOSH REYNOLDS (Tigers)
$850,000 a season until 2021
YOU have to feel a little sorry for the player they call Grub. Brought to the Tigers by Ivan Cleary on an overs deal, the give-it-all-he-has player has failed to cement a starting spot under coach Michael Maguire. A combination of injuries and not fitting into Maguire’s style of play has put him on the outer. Reynolds will be looking to make the most of his latest shot after being recalled to the NRL.
RUSSELL PACKER (Tigers)
$750,000 a season until 2021
PACKER made his comeback from a 14-month injury lay-off in round five, only to be suspended for a high shot. Has played nine NRL matches over the past two seasons. Packer allegedly stood firm amid an attempt from the club to medically retire him.
CHRIS MCQUEEN (Tigers)
$400,000 a season until 2020
ON the outer with former coach Ivan Cleary after suffering a neck injury during his final year on the Gold Coast, McQueen has hardly appeared in the NRL since 2018. He is fit and available for selection but has played just 13 minutes off the bench in his one game this season.
ANTHONY MILFORD (Broncos)
$1 million until 2020 with a player option for 2021
NO question he is a brilliant player but Milford is not the matchwinning leader the Broncos are paying him to be. He is a shadow of the flashy kid who stormed on to the rugby league scene as a fullback for the Raiders. Maybe the Broncos have tried to make him something he is not.
JOSH DUGAN (Sharks)
$850,000 a season until 2021
JOSH Dugan is a victim of his wage more than his performances. The marquee money he receives has put him in the firing line. Not the brilliant player he once was, Dugan still gives it his all. He can’t be blamed for taking the cash that was on the table, although he often is.
SHAUN JOHNSON (Sharks)
$800,000 a season until 2021
UNLIKE Dugan, you can’t blame the Sharks for cracking the safe to buy Johnson. He is the type of player who can win a match on his own. Or he was. The only magic the Sharks have seen from Johnson is making their money disappear.
BRYCE CARTWRIGHT (Titans)
$600,000 a season until 2021
AFTER a horror first year for the Titans that resulted in him being dropped following just six games, the big-money recruit played 23 games last year after vowing to put in the hard work. He has never been the player he was early in his career at Penrith and is looking to head home to Sydney.
SIGN, SEALED and OVERDELIVERED
JOSH MORRIS (Roosters)
$300,000 a season until 2020
THE Roosters doubled down by signing Josh Morris after his twin Brett Morris proved to be a bargain buy in 2019. Like his twin, Josh appears to be ageless.
JOHN BATEMAN (Raiders)
$600,000 a season until 2021
WHILE he is being returned to sender after this season, Bateman was last year earning less than $600,000 when he won the Dally M award for best second-rower — beating a number of big-name players who earn close to $1 million. He has since been granted a release from the Raiders to cash in on his breakthrough year.
SIONE KATOA (Sharks)
$175,000 a season until 2020
Not even a guaranteed NRL starter at the beginning of the year, Katoa has locked down his spot thanks to a try-scoring spree that has helped the Sharks salvage their season.
API KOROISAU (Panthers)
$500,000 a season until 2022.
THE Panthers swooped to sign Koroisau at the last minute when most thought he was a done deal at the Bulldogs. It has been a masterstroke, partly thanks to the new ruck rules but mostly because he can play. He has unlocked the middle for the Panthers and his combination with Nathan Cleary could make the Panthers a finals force.
KYLE FLANAGAN (Roosters)
$350,000 a season until 2021
SO far so good for the bloke who put his hand up to replace Cooper Cronk. Flanagan hasn’t put a foot wrong since stepping into rugby league’s biggest shoes.
HARRY GRANT (Tigers)
On loan from Melbourne until 2020
EATING up just $150,000 of salary cap cash, Grant has lived up to the hype of being the next Cameron Smith since being loaned to the Tigers on a swap deal. Melbourne might regret putting him on show because his worth has skyrocketed.
ZANE TETEVANO (Panthers)
$350,000 a season until 2022
AN unsung hero for the Roosters, Tetevano has now quietly gone about becoming an unsung hero for the Panthers.
Originally published as Rich 100: The bargains, the duds and the ones that got away