NRL 2023 salaries revealed: Why fullbacks are now the highest paid players in the rugby league, hookers lag behind the rest of the pack

They may be one of the key cogs on the field, but documents reveal the top hookers at every NRL club are being out-earned by most of their teammates.

Reece Walsh is in line for a bumper $1.4 million payday as figures unearthed showed the fullback position is now the richest spot in the NRL.

This masthead has obtained the NRL’s confidential benchmarking document, which outlines the average wage for each position and a breakdown of how much the top earners in each spot receive.

The 2023 figures show that the No.1 jersey is now the most lucrative in the game, surpassing that of halfbacks, thanks to the explosion in wages brought about by the massive increase in the salary cap.

The rise of superstar fullbacks, including Kalyn Ponga, Tom Trbojevic, James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell and Ryan Papenhuyzen, has resulted in the custodians now earning significantly more money than their teammates.

The average wage of the top five fullbacks is $1.24 million.

Ponga, the Newcastle Knights captain, has assumed the mantle as the richest player in the game, on a deal worth more than $1.4 million a season.

Halfbacks still maintain a massive slice of the team’s salary cap though, with the top five averaging $1.18 million in 2023.

Manly’s Daly Cherry-Evans, Luke Brooks — in his final season at the Wests Tigers — Penrith’s Nathan Cleary and St George Illawarra’s Ben Hunt were still among the top earners across the game.

The benchmarking document provides each club with both the average and median salaries for players in each position, split into groups reflecting their place in top-30 rosters. Although it doesn’t name players, exhaustive research on salaries as part of the NRL Rich 100 investigations means this masthead can reveal the key players in the top-five bracket for each position.

WALSH & EDWARDS: PAYING A FULLBACK PREMIUM

Brisbane and Queensland superstar Walsh is set for a huge pay rise as he closes in on a long-term contract extension with the Broncos.

Based on the benchmark figures, Walsh could easily rate himself among the top five fullbacks in the game, meaning his next deal may earn him about $1.3 million per season.

Walsh, at just 21, was on a cut-price deal of about $450,000 last season when he helped lead his Broncos side to a dramatic grand final loss to the Panthers.

Broncos fullback Reece Walsh is a hot commodity. Picture: NRL Photos

His management has been locked in negotiations with the Broncos and it is understood he has no desire to play anywhere other than the Broncos, giving Brisbane a leg-up in their bid to retain him on a long-term deal.

By contrast, Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards is not expected to cash in on his good form until next season after upgrading and extending his deal at the foot of the mountains.

His current contract is worth about $550,000, but that will jump up to about $850,000 in 2025. Edwards is locked in a battle with incumbent captain Tedesco for the NSW No.1 jersey.

Parramatta young gun Blaize Talagi is also in the midst of his own contract talks with the Eels junior not locked into a regular spot. Pushing to play fullback could lead to a monster deal.

Newcastle’s bargain buy David Armstrong is also in the midst of contract talks with the club after impressing in Ponga’s absence.

FIVE-EIGHTHS OF …

While the fullbacks are cashing in on their rise in importance, and halfbacks maintain a healthy financial remuneration there is a surprising drop off in money spent on their spine partners across the NRL.

The game’s top five-eighths, led by Melbourne’s Cameron Munster, South Sydney’s Jack Wighton and the Sydney Roosters’ Luke Keary, rank behind props in terms of what they make in the game, with the top-five No.6s earning an average of $955,000.

That sits below what big men earn, with New Zealand’s Addin Fonua-Blake, Penrith’s James Fisher-Harris and Parramatta’s Junior Paulo among the five highest-paid front-rowers who take home an average of $1.05 million.

Departing Panthers Jarome Luai, who was on around $680,000 as a five-eighth last season, will enjoy a half-a-million-dollar pay bump when he moves to the Wests Tigers on a five-year, $6 million deal from 2025, which could include a shift into the halfback jersey. Luai will be one of the game’s highest paid players but he is expected to move into the no.7 jersey next year.

Panthers halfback and captain Nathan Cleary. Picture: Getty Images

LOCKING AND LOADING CENTRES

The top five centres and locks in the NRL are separated by a mere $1000 in their average wages – locks pocket $869,000 while centres earn $868,000 a year.

The top-secret document is shared with all 17 clubs on an annual basis, to give them an indication of where they sit in comparison to their rivals.

In a dramatic shift, only halfbacks cracked the top five million-dollar average salary two years ago.

The fullback wage has jumped significantly. The top five are now each earning more than $300,000 more. Props are also earning $300,000 more, while the dummy halves’ average salary has jumped by $200,000.

WING AND A PAID PRAYER

There’s a financial incentive for outside backs to promote themselves as fullbacks in the free agency market, with wingers being, on average, the lowest-paid players of any position.

The average salary for the top five flyers, which includes Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, Joseph Suaalii, Nick Cotric, is $672,000, almost half that of their fullback counterparts.

The need for specialist wingers in the modern game has been reflected in the sharp jump in the average wage, which was significantly lower at just $451,000 in 2022.

Even the wage for wingers ranked 26-30 on club rosters has increased from $199,887 to $261,710 in 12 months.

BIG MONEY BACK-ROW MOVES

The switch of Marata Niukore to the Warriors and Viliame Kikau to the Bulldogs has fuelled a rise in the average salary of the league’s highest-paid second-rowers.

Alongside Titans edge forward David Fifita, who recently backflipped on his decision to join the Roosters to remain on the Gold Coast for a further two seasons, the average salary has increased by $70,000 from 2022 to $822,000.

Former Eels forward Niukore’s salary rose sharply to more than $800,000 last season, while Kikau’s switch from premiers Penrith to Canterbury had him on around $750,000.