NRL Rich 100 2023 list: Highest paid players in the game revealed

Queenslanders only make up a fifth of the players in the NRL but are some of the game’s highest paid stars. See the salaries and get the latest contract information.

We curse them. We argue for them. We want them to win and we want them to lose.

And now we understand just how much every NRL player is worth to your team.

A month-long News Corp investigation undertaken by senior rugby league journalists Phil Rothfield, David Riccio, Brent Read, Michael Carayannis and Peter Badel has delivered the 2023 NRL Rich 100.

Ranked in order by personal net worth from one to 100, the much-anticipated list features rugby league’s highest-earners.

Unlike in the NBA and NFL in the US, where athlete salaries are made public on the basis of transparency, NRL players have fought the game’s administrators for decades from disclosing their salary earnings.

SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE FULL NRL RICH 100 AND HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE BEST AND WORST DEALS IN THE LEAGUE

The NRL Rich 100 has been compiled after painstaking research that has included interviewing the game’s money-ball men and the gatekeepers to all 16 club salary caps.

Former NRL executives, player agents, club recruitment officers, general managers, coaches, chief executives and chairs have all contributed to ranking the 100 highest-paid players in 2023.

The figures are accurate and don’t account for any extra earnings outside the $9.8 million salary cap that each club is bound to work under.

Third-party deals and individual sponsorship have been ignored, with the figures listed simply that of which the player will earn inside the salary cap this season.

So who’s the highest-paid player in the NRL? Exactly which player is the most overpaid? And who is worth more and which club has made the best and worst recruitment decisions over the seasons?

The list — from one to 100 — and its ramifications will be revealed across the News Corp platforms this weekend.

Let the jostling begin.

The NRL’s full-time salary cap increased 22 per cent to $11.45m this year, which has contributed to the sharp rise of salaries.

Originally published as NRL Rich 100 2023 list: Highest paid players in the game revealed