Sea Eagles confident they’ll be cap compliant for 2018 after signing Joel Thompson on a two-year deal

JOEL Thompson had agreed to join Manly the day before the club’s salary cap scandal broke, but he required NRL approval to sign a two-year deal.

St George's Joel Thompson during the St George Dragons v Cronulla Sharks rugby league game at Jubilee Oval, Sydney. Picture: Brett Costello

JOEL Thompson had agreed to join Manly the day before the club’s salary cap scandal broke, but he required NRL approval to sign a two-year deal.

As revealed by The Sunday Telegraph, Thompson’s mooted move from St George Illawarra to Brookvale hit a roadblock due to the Sea Eagles’ third party breaches over five seasons.

This forced Manly officials to seek clarity and approval from the NRL to get the former Dragons forward’s contract across the line.

Thompson’s Manly deal was lodged on Friday morning, opening the door for his deal to be officially announced.

Despite the salary cap breach, which the club has until January to mount an appeal, the Sea Eagles are able to sign players until the investigation is resolved.

Thompson had been linked with a move to Manly for some time.

It’s now up to Manly to manage its roster and become salary cap compliant for 2018 to avoid releasing players.

Sea Eagles CEO Lyall Gorman is confident the club will have its roster above board to start the new season.

“The emphasis is on every club to be under the cap and we’ve still got some unfinished matters to work through with the NRL and we continue to do that,” Gorman told The Saturday Telegraph.

“I’ve had conversations with the NRL about the contract and we understand what the obligations are in that regard.”

Thompson’s signing now places Manly in a delicate position to sign more players for 2018.

The club had been in talks with veteran Newcastle halfback Trent Hodkinson, but any move could depend on the Sea Eagles’ cap position.

Gorman refused to rule out Manly adding to their roster.

“The market will determine that over time,” he said.

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“The NRL has this capacity for players to become available at very different times other than just a normal contract period.

“We will see what clubs are seeking to be salary cap compliant, so we will continue to monitor the market and we will have a break and pick all that up in the New Year.”

Gorman, though, couldn’t be happier to sign Thompson for the next two seasons.

The Country representative has played 174 NRL games for Canberra and St George Illawarra and will add vital experience to the Sea Eagles’ young back-row.

Manly desperately want to ramp up their back-row stocks after relying heavily on fringe players Frank Winterstein and Curtis Sironen in 2017.

Winterstein and Sironen played 25 and 16 games respectively last season.

Thompson’s manager Dave Riolo said family was the major reason the back-rower decided to leave St George Illawarra for Manly.

Thompson had been with the Dragons since 2014.

The Dragons could only offer a one-year deal and he needed to secure his long-term future.

“Joel has got a daughter going into year 11, so it was really important he knew what he was doing over a two-year period,” Riolo said.

“It would have been really difficult to move after year 11 and that’s the main reason why he wanted that two-year block.

“The Dragons couldn’t commit to 2019 at this stage, but they’ve been really good.”

Manly coach Trent Barrett can’t wait to work with Thompson — a player he has rated highly for some time.

“I coached Joel in the Country team a couple of years ago,’’ Barrett said.

“Not only is Joel a terrific bloke and a terrific leader but he is extremely competitive and very tough.

“He is a professional.

“Joel has played plenty of first grade and his experience is something I thought our squad needed.

“Not only will the team benefit from it but also a lot of our young individuals will benefit too from having someone like Joel around.”