NRL 2023: Salary of every back five player at every club revealed

Spending big in your backline doesn’t equate to success. We’ve crunched the numbers to reveal the highest-spending back fives are all sitting outside the eight.

Salary of every back five player at every club revealed

Spending big in your backline doesn’t always equate to success.

A Sunday Telegraph inquest into the values of every back-five combination in the NRL has revealed that the biggest spending clubs are sitting outside the top-eight.

The Roosters ($3.42 million), Knights ($2.92 million), Eels ($2.75 million) and Sea Eagles ($2.18 million) boast the highest-paid fullback, wingers and centres in the NRL.

The big-spending Roosters kept their slim finals hopes alive with victory over Manly on Thursday night.

But their huge $1.1 million investment in fullback James Tedesco, centre Joey Manu ($820,000) and winger Joey Suaalii ($700,000) has led to justifiable critique of why they have failed to fire at a consistent level this season.

James Tedesco and Joey Manu form part of the most expensive back five in the NRL.

The Knights rich back-five is headlined by $1.4 million fullback Kalyn Ponga. Undoubtedly, the elusive ball-runner has proven instrumental in Newcastle’s current winning-run. Centre’s Bradman Best ($550,000) and Dane Gagai ($500,000) also contribute heavily to the Knights hefty investment in their outside backs.

Parramatta’s investment in their back-five must be a concern for Eels fans, who fear that they are on the verge of going from 2022 grand finalists to also-rans in 2023.

Particularly when the Eels have spent the past week trying to recruit Raiders centre Harley Smith-Shields for an immediate move to Sydney.

So far, the move has failed to be negotiated.

The Eels attempt to sign Smith-Shields is an admission that their decision to pay massive money for former Penrith centre Waqa Blake ($650,000) and ex-Raiders outside back Bailey Simonsson ($450,000) has failed to deliver the impetus they had hoped.

Blake has played just seven NRL games this season for Parramatta.

What can‘t be questioned is the remuneration for fullback Clint Gutherson ($950,000) who can’t be accused of anything but a front-loaded effort every week he plays.

What rival clubs will draw from the back-five values of every club is that the in-form clubs of 2023 are also spending the least in their backline, preferring to pump money into their spine and forward pack.

Clint Gutherson and the Eels boast one of the NRL’s highest-paid back fives. Picture: Getty Images

Of the current top eight teams, the Panthers, Raiders, Rabbitohs, Storm, Broncos and Warriors are in the bottom eight for expenditure in their back-five.

Premiership-favourites Penrith have produced an extraordinary job to keep their back-five salary cap in check.

Strike centre Iszac Tago is on just $250,000 and winger Taylan May ($220,000).

The departure to Canterbury of Stephen Crichton ($650,000) will allow the Panthers to cover the rise in salary of star fullback Dylan Edwards ($450,000).

The Warriors charge towards the top two on the NRL ladder is made all the more stunning by the revelation that they boast the cheapest back five combination in the premiership.

Centres Rocco Berry and Adam Pompey, and winger Marcelo Montoya are three of the cheapest players in the NRL, valued at $250,000. However, the biggest win for the Warriors is with their leading try scorer, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak.

Half of his $800,000 salary is being supplemented by his previous club Canterbury, meaning the Warriors have paid $400,000 for the outstanding winger to score 17 tries so far this season.

Originally published as NRL 2023: Salary of every back five player at every club revealed