NRL 2022: Cameron Munster will sacrifice $2.2 million if he rejects Dolphins and stays at Storm
The financial reality of Cameron Munster’s pending decision on whether to stay loyal to Storm or take up a mega-rich deal at the Dolphins has been laid bare.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Queensland Origin star Cameron Munster will sacrifice an extraordinary $2.2 million if he rejects Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins and stays loyal to the Storm.
That’s the financial reality for the Maroons maestro as Melbourne chairman Matt Tripp made the candid admission he is resigned to Munster quitting the Storm if he does not sign an extension before November 1.
As revealed by News Corp, Munster plans to test his value on the open market from November, prompting the Storm to up the ante with a revised deal for the champion playmaker.
Tripp held urgent talks with Munster’s manager Braith Anasta on Monday and during the meeting, the Storm supremo increased Melbourne’s offer from $800,000 to $1 million a season.
It is understood the final year of Munster’s current contract is worth $1.2 million in 2023 — however the Storm’s latest offer still represents a pay cut if the Maroons ace opts to stay in Melbourne for 2024 and beyond.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Tripp is hoping for a definitive call from Munster within 14 days to avoid any contract distractions during the upcoming finals, but fears Melbourne will lose a bidding war to the Dolphins if he heads to free agency.
“We are resigned to the fact if Cameron goes to November 1, we’re not in the game,” Tripp said. “Cam might say from November 1, ‘I’ve tested the market and I’m staying’, but the reality is any club who is interested is out of the woodwork now.
“We know the clubs that are keen and the fact the Dolphins are going hard for him.
“We can’t compete with the Dolphins ... that’s the reality.
“I am hopeful he will stay, but if you put a gun to my head for a decision, I honestly couldn’t answer it. The trigger might go off.”
Based on Melbourne’s original offer, Munster was no hope of staying, but their $1 million carrot has given the Storm a fighting chance.
While Munster is happy at a club where he has amassed 171 games and won two premierships in nine seasons, the problem for Melbourne is the head-spinning money the pivot stands to pocket at the Dolphins.
Bennett is prepared to pay $1.3 million a season for Munster. The Dolphins are armed with a four-year deal, which is 12 months longer than the Storm are offering.
In total, the Dolphins’ package is at least $5.2 million.
The Storm’s upgraded deal is $3 million, meaning Munster will turn his back on an extra $2.2m by shunning the Dolphins and finishing his career in Melbourne.
The new NRL franchise has already poached Storm trio Jesse and Kenny Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi, but Tripp warned Munster of the perils of putting money ahead of premierships at a start-up club.
“There’s a lot of unknowns with the Dolphins,” he said.
“If Cameron chooses to stay with us, he will be taking less money, that’s the bottom line.
“He just has to work out whether that financial haircut is offset by being in Melbourne with the devil he knows.
“He will continue to play Origin anyway, but it will get harder if his career goes on if he doesn’t have instant success at the Dolphins.
“It sounds self-serving, of course, but I genuinely think the best place for him and his family is in Melbourne. I said to Cameron in our meeting he has to take a 10-year view and not a four-year view and where he sees himself in a decade.
“Ideally I would love to not have to go through until November 1. I don’t want to be having these conversations about contracts during the finals.
“The Dolphins have shown their hand. If Cameron and his manager want to continue to November 1, that’s their prerogative. But if he does go to the open market, it makes it very hard for us to keep him at the Storm.”
Tigers try to buy their way out of mediocrity
-Brent Read
The Wests Tigers are coming from a low base. A very low base. So the only thing they can do is aim high.
That said, it seems the Tigers are aiming very high in their quest to fast-track their rebuild and end a finals drought that stretches back a decade.
Good on them. No use trying to escape mediocrity by recruiting average players. The Tigers have made that mistake for far too long. Tigers officials insist reports of a $7 million offer to Melbourne star Cameron Munster earlier this week were wide of the mark.
Contact was made though and others will tell you the Tigers were quietly confident they were in with a chance at one point, only for Melbourne to respond with a multimillion dollar deal of their own that gave Munster fresh food for thought.
Munster is the latest big name to seemingly attract interest from the Tigers. People close to the club are said to have informally reached out to James Tedesco and Mitchell Moses to gauge whether they would be interested in returning at some point in the future.
One or both would revolutionise the club. Their signatures would shift the needle. They’re big names and local juniors. Nothing wrong with buying back the farm.
It won’t be easy. Both are well paid and playing finals football. Joining a struggling club in the midst of a rebuild wouldn’t seem that alluring.
In Tedesco’s case, he has two years remaining on his deal but there is a logjam forming at the Roosters for the No. 1 jersey and as good as Tedesco is, at some point in the future age will tell and Joseph Suaalii will go past him.
The Tigers clearly sense an opportunity. The same applies to Moses, whose talks with Parramatta over a new deal have been delayed until after the season, meaning there is every chance he could head to November 1 unsigned.
If he does, expect the Tigers to weigh in with a monster deal. While they are at it, perhaps it is time to take advantage of the slow negotiations at St George Illawarra to make a play for Ben Hunt.
The Dragons captain is coming to the end of a stunning season that is likely to result in him taking home the Dally M medal. It is richly deserved.
He has one year remaining on his deal with the Dragons and negotiations have slowed after the club made an initial offer, believed to be worth $1.45 million over two years.
Hunt has instructed his representatives to put off talks until after the season is over but the Tigers have the ability to blow the Dragons out of the water.
It’s worth some thought, particularly if Luke Brooks isn’t keen on staying at the club. Hunt would provide leadership and direction. He would send a message to the rest of the NRL that the Tigers are ready to mix it with the big boys.
Significantly, the Tigers play the Dragons at Commbank Stadium on Sunday with a wooden spoon at stake. Hunt may help drive another stake into their season. With a bit of luck and a splash of cash, he may help pull them out of their hole as well.
The Tigers will already be better next season with the addition of Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’I. The Eels have stepped up their attempts to sign a back rower, suggesting they realise they are fighting a losing battle in their attempts to keep Papali’i.
The Tigers need to surround Koroisau and Papali’i with class and quality. They are taking their time with new deals for Daine Laurie, Jackson Hastings and Adam Doueihi, cognisant of the fact that the trio have been key players in a side that has struggled to make an impact this season.
The Tigers need a star. A superstar. A circuit-breaker. Hunt fits the bill. It won’t be easy to climb the ladder. The past decade has shown that.
Nothing wrong with aiming high though.
* * * * *
The queue at Souths Sydney training on Monday was at least 10 deep. The entire Rabbitohs first grade squad took a seat in the grandstand but the frothing media wanted a moment with one player.
Sure, you can debate whether Latrell Mitchell is the best player in the game right now, but it is hard to dispute he is its biggest star.
Mitchell accommodated most requests. He did it with a smile on his face. He sat there for over an hour and stayed long after his teammates had left. When Mitchell is in the mood, he is one of the most engaging players in the game. Not just a spokesman for indigenous people, but for a generation of young Australians who are confronting a world where social media has become both a help and a hindrance.
Mitchell is prolific on it, promoting both his club and himself. It has come at a cost at times but Mitchell has held his most radical and vitriolic critics to account.
He has refused to be silenced and rugby league is the better for it. So too South Sydney, who are locked in talks with Mitchell’s camp over a new deal that could send his earnings north of $1 million a season.
He is worth every cent. Mitchell is box office. He is adored by Rabbitohs fans. He is a magnet for eyeballs. His return bout with the Sydney Roosters in a week will be required viewing.
He is unfiltered and unafraid. Most of all, he is unerringly brilliant. Rugby league is much the better for having him.
Originally published as NRL 2022: Cameron Munster will sacrifice $2.2 million if he rejects Dolphins and stays at Storm
Gus’ ‘doctored’ claim ignites NRL conspiracy
The NRL Grand Final’s controversial no try scandal has taken a wild turn despite the game releasing the angle the decision was based on.
Kangaroos selection shocks: NRL legends’ Test careers appear over
Mal Meninga has dropped a major selection bombshell by overlooking both James Tedesco and Kalyn Ponga for Kangaroos selection, with the list of surprise omissions and debutants not ending there. See the full squad.