NRL Rich 100: Roosters landed a bargain with Luke Keary | Highest paid players
Luke Keary is arguably one of the NRL’s most influential playmakers but the Sydney Roosters star is not even close to the biggest earners in the game. Even the Roosters admit they signed him for a steal.
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Few players in the NRL deliver bang for their buck like Luke Keary.
Roosters patriarch Nick Politis has been around rugby league for more than 50 years and he rates Keary’s signing from inner-city rivals South Sydney at the end of 2016 among the most critical recruitment strategies in the club’s recent history.
As our inaugural NRL Rich 100 shows, the Roosters playmaking wizard is not the highest-paid player in the code. Not even close.
While others in the game command $1 million-plus contracts, Keary is well down the list — a steal on his $700,000 salary this season.
Of the NRL’s 10 richest players this year, six are playmakers. That demonstrates the importance of matchwinning halves and why clubs will happily fork out $1 million contracts in the pursuit of a game manager to engineer premierships.
On the score of high-level achievement, no other current playmaker can match Keary.
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At 28, he has won three premiership rings in eight seasons, celebrating his maiden title win with South Sydney in 2014 before playing a key role in the Roosters’ back-to-back crowns in 2018-19.
Keary’s first premiership at Bondi was perhaps his true coming of age as a great playmaker, the Ipswich-born schemer taking charge of the Roosters’ attack to bring down Melbourne on a night when his senior halves partner, Cooper Cronk, was basically a passenger with a broken scapula.
Keary walked away that night with the Clive Churchill Medal as best on ground. A week later, he made his Test debut for Australia.
Keary has continued his form this season with some mesmerising performances.
He has so much time and space with ball in hand. If he went on to the open market tomorrow, Keary could easily secure a $1 million deal and a major pay rise.
Politis is ecstatic with the Roosters’ investment in Keary, who is off-contract next year.
“He is one of the bargain buys in the game,” the Roosters supremo said.
“I remember when we signed him, he didn’t have a lot of options. He walked out on South Sydney. He had that blow up at Russell Crowe’s farm and he walked out at 3am, got a taxi home and left the club.
“He was on the market and his manager spoke to us about coming to the Roosters. It wasn’t hard work to get him because he needed another club. It has proven to be fantastic value. We were very fortunate to get Luke.”
Statistics support the argument Keary is the best five-eighth or halfback in the code today.
He is directly responsible for more tries than any other player this season, with four tries, 11 assists and eight secondary assists. Since 2018, Keary has amassed a staggering 60 try assists — the only player with more than 50 in that period.
Keary, who made his NRL debut in 2013, plays his 145th top-grade game against the Warriors on Sunday. Since joining the Roosters in 2017, he has compiled 81 games and Politis says the playmaker’s attitude is infectious.
“I see Luke Keary getting better with age,” Politis said.
“Because of his intelligence, he will become even more dominant with the more games he plays.
“Luke is a good guy, he is switched on and he is never down. Luke is an outstanding player but he is an outstanding person as well. He has a great attitude and is doing a great job leading the guys on the field. He is not the captain, but he leads with the way he plays.”
Keary attributes his evolution to his former scrumbase cohort Cronk, who taught him the subtle art of preparation.
“Cooper came along at a perfect time in my career and life,” Keary said.
“I was mature enough to understand what he was doing and how he was doing it. If I was going to pick one person who had the biggest influence on the way I want to become and progress, it would be him.
“You just know what you’re going to get every single day.”
Many would agree Keary has now reached that level of professionalism himself.
“Keary has everything,” Broncos legend Steve Renouf said.
“He has worked hard on his running game and he is a brilliant attacker. I love the fact he plays above his weight — he is very brave for a smaller guy.
“Cam Smith, for mine, is still the best, but Luke Keary is now right up there. He takes control of matches, he has a kicking game and his pass-selection is superb. He really is the complete playmaker.”
Check out Part 1 of the NRL RICH 100
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Originally published as NRL Rich 100: Roosters landed a bargain with Luke Keary | Highest paid players
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