Monday Buzz: How Panthers, Eels built teams worth millions more than salary cap

The NRL salary cap is $9.6 million - but if all players were on the market, Penrith and Parramatta would break that mark by millions. Find out what the grand final teams are really worth.

Nathan Cleary of the Panthers celebrates with Dylan Edwards.

Parramatta and Penrith have made it to Sunday’s grand final because their rosters are worth millions of dollars more than the actual salary cap.

It comes down to strategic roster management but results in pain at the end of the day because a combined nine players are being forced to pack their bags at full-time at Accor Stadium.

A roster analysis of rugby league’s Western Sydney heavyweights reveals how the individual values of key players at the Panthers and Eels have skyrocketed this year.

The value of the Penrith 30-man squad would be as high as $12.25 million if all were on the open market. The Eels’ 30-man squad is worth as much as $11.7 million.

And this is a competition with an actual salary cap of $9.6 million this year.

It’s the reason why the Eels will lose hooker Reed Mahoney (Bulldogs), second-rowers Isaiah Papalii (Tigers) and Marata Niukore (Warriors), Oregon Kaufusi (Sharks), Tom Opacic (Hull KR) and Ray Stone (Dolphins) after the grand final.

The Panthers will lose champion second-rower Viliame Kikau (Bulldogs), hooker Api Koroisau (Tigers) and bench utility Jaeman Salmon, who is tipped to join the Bulldogs.

It’s the painful price of success.

You start with the Penrith team.

Fullback Dylan Edwards’ value has risen $250,000 this year from $450,000 to $700,000.

Winger Taylan May has gone from $200,000 to $350,000, up $150,000.

Young centre Izack Tago has doubled his value from $200,000 to $400,000.

Liam Martin, Isaah Yeo and Moses Leota have gone up substantially too.

At Parramatta it’s the same case with almost half of their squad.

We rated Ryan Matterson a $350,000 player at the beginning of the season but he’s now closer to $600,000 following the poaching attempt from the Dolphins.

Valued at just $220,000, some will ask why Jake Arthur is on the bench for the Eels in the decider.

Especially when he didn’t even make it onto the field against the Cowboys on Friday night and the likes of Nathan Brown can’t get into the side.

Still, he has to be there as insurance for Mitchell Moses.

The other three top-four sides all had cover for their halfback.

If Chad Townsend had been hurt, Tom Dearden moves to halfback, Scott Drinkwater to five-eighth, Val Holmes to fullback and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow from the bench to the centres.

The Rabbitohs carried Kodi Nikorima.

The Panthers have Salmon who would come on at five-eighth with Jarome Luai moving to halfback if anything happened to Nathan Cleary.

So you can forget about nepotism.

The price tag pain won’t end for the grand finalists after the final whistle on Sunday night.

The Eels have to lock down their outstanding halves Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown. Plus Waqa Blake, Will Penisini and Maika Sivo, who are all free to talk to rival clubs from November.

Penrith will have Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton, the highly regarded Eddie Blacker, Spencer Leniu and Liam Martin up for grabs as well.

So it’s great to be playing in the grand final – but it can also be a costly achievement.

Enjoy it while it lasts.