Proud Eagle Joel Thompson wants pay cut to remain in Manly nest
Popular NRL and Manly star Joel Thompson is desperate to remain in Manly even if it means taking a pay cut, despite signalling his intentions to move to the UK Super League.
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Joel Thompson has told Manly officials he is willing to take a pay cut to remain at the high-flying Sea Eagles.
Thompson, who is off-contract this season, previously indicated a desire to play in England next season.
He had started preliminary talks with a number of Super League clubs but Manly’s strong run — five wins from their past six games — has prompted Thompson to have a change of heart.
The former Dragons and Raiders forward is still producing strong form, and at only 30, still feels like can contribute at the NRL level.
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In his 18 games for the Sea Eagles this season he has scored five tries and averaged 107.4 running metres per game.
Thompson’s priority is to remain at Manly but he understands the club is facing salary cap pressure to retain star brothers, Jake and Tom Trbojevic.
The Sea Eagles are set to offer the standout siblings a monster $10 million package deal to stay long-term. This offer will keep the Trbojevic brothers at Manly for the next five years on approximately $1 million a season each.
The Sea Eagles desperately want to build the franchise around the pair but the club is also wary of cap restrictions.
Skipper Daly Cherry-Evans takes home over $1 million a season, which combined with an upgrade for the Trbojevic brothers, leaves significantly less money for the rest of the roster.
It’s why Thompson is prepared to take a cut on his contract to stay at a resurgent Manly and achieve more success under coach Des Hasler.
If the Sea Eagles can’t fit him under the cap, he is prepared to continue his NRL career at another club.
Thompson is also keen to stay in Australia to continue his impressive community work.
The Sea Eagles back-rower devotes endless hours to helping others through his The Mindset Project program, which focuses on giving people tools and strategies to deal with mental health.
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Thompson has experienced his own demons in the past, and he wants to support others battling with similar struggles.
“It (the community work) has been awesome and I love doing it and I’ll definitely continue it when I finish playing,” Thompson said earlier this year.
“There was a period there where it was just always footy, footy for me.
“I just needed a bit of a balance.
“I started volunteering and I fell in love with giving back because I could see the impact it had.
“I still get messages now from people. It has been a big part of my life and improving me as a person and player.”
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