Anthony Griffin dissects what makes a $1 million player
Is Latrell Mitchell worth $1 million a season? Anthony Griffin warns there are massive risks with paying a player a seven-figure sum, but there are attributes that show players are worth splashing the cash.
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If a club decides to pay a player $1 million, it needs to be certain it is going to get a good return for its investment.
The best example of this is the Roosters’ purchase of Cooper Cronk.
He came with premiership experience and the IP that the Roosters needed to turn their minor premierships into a premiership (or premierships).
His signing was top-end stuff that raised some eyebrows but there was minimal risk in the decision.
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The same can be said about North Queensland’s Johnathan Thurston and Melbourne’s Cameron Smith.
When you know exactly what you are going to get from a proven winner, the cheque is a lot easier to sign.
I’m not suggesting that once Cronk signed the Roosters were guaranteed to win the competition, but his contribution was always going to make the 2017 minor premiers even harder to beat.
If the Cowboys had not paid the big bucks for Thurston in 2013, would they have won a premiership in 2015? Very unlikely.
Smith is still worth $1 million to the Storm because he wins them games with his leadership and experience.
He makes the rest of the team play better just with his presence. That trait is extremely hard to find and almost impossible to replace.
That’s what $1 million brings a club; class, a match-winner, a leader and someone who is consistent week in, week out — on and off the field.
A $1 million player also needs to be a recruitment tool. The fact he is on the list makes players already at a club sign for less and attracts players from other clubs.
Latrell Mitchell is now coming on to the market.
Is he worth $1 million at age 21? Yes, he is.
Clubs are paying for potential when they sign a young player and that can be risky.
Look at the pressure Ash Taylor, Nathan Cleary and their clubs are under.
However, Mitchell is special. He is already a match-winner who can find the tryline when there is nothing wrong with the opposition’s defence. Sometimes he just decides he wants to score.
Even the Maroons couldn’t handle him in his first Origin series last year.
Mitchell’s other great attribute is saving tries. This is really important because the great players have an uncanny knack to read situations and show up in defence.
Mitchell has the strength, technique and awareness in defence to save his team points.
He can play a number of positions — centre, fullback and five-eighth — and kick goals.
He can also kick field goals, as we saw in golden point against the Storm in round six when he slotted one from 40m to get the Roosters home.
Mitchell is worth the investment.
He is no Smith or Thurston but that’s what makes him special.
Thurston was only starting his NRL career at the same age.
Smith was in the early stages of developing into the playmaker and leader that he is today. Mitchell is not a playmaker who can lead a team around the park.
He is just a matchwinner whether he is running the ball or kicking it.
Or even when he doesn’t have it in his hands.
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