Premiership winner reveals little-known salary hit in NRL player contracts
A former NRL premiership winner has lifted the lid on player contracts by revealing how stars of the game are actually paid.
Former NRL premiership winner Chad Townsend has broken down his NRL contract, revealing some little-known facts about how players are paid and how their representative eligibility is outlined.
The recently-retired halfback went through each of the 56 pages of his 2025 Roosters contract on his YouTube channel, with one of the biggest surprises being how players’ superannuation works.
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Salaries handed to NRL players are inclusive of superannuation, while many workplace contracts have it included on top of a person’s wages.
Therefore, 11.5 per cent of Townsend’s wage in 2025 was deducted and put away as superannuation.
“One of the things that you may not know is that we are employees of the clubs as players. If you’re an employee, you get paid superannuation,” Townsend said.
“As players, we pay superannuation out of our contract, so we don’t get superannuation on top, it comes out of the contract.
“So, if you sign for $100,000, you take out your management fees, you take out your tax, you take out your superannuation.
“So obviously there are a few things that come out before your money hits your account.”
When it comes to leave, players have eight days’ sick leave per year, three days of leave on the death of a family member and five parental leave days.
While his most recent contract states that he has six weeks of annual leave, Townsend also explained that condition is set to change after new leave requirements were negotiated in the CBA.
Players who have completed five or less pre-seasons are entitled to seven weeks, while those who have done more receive nine weeks of annual leave.
When it comes to week-by-week obligations, players are afford one day off per week.
As for representative eligibility, players have to declare a host of information in their contracts which outlines who they can play for an international and Origin level.
All but one of Townsend’s listed relatives, his grandmother on his mother’s side who was born in New Zealand, had Australia in the relevant section.
“When I played for the Warriors early on in my career, I played there in 2014 and 2015, I obviously lived in New Zealand for a few years, there was a conversation around whether I was interested in playing for the Kiwis,” he said.
“I wasn’t at all, so it didn’t progress much.”
It is also outlined where you played junior football, where you spent majority of your years in your youth and the junior representative competition first played in.
Originally published as Premiership winner reveals little-known salary hit in NRL player contracts
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