Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Jason Taumalolo deal hurting Cowboys, NRL needs a Perth team now, Storm’s loyalty discount
Back in 2017, a 10-year contract for Jason Taumalolo seemed like a good idea. Fast forward to today and the Cowboys now face three more seasons of big salary cap pressure because of their $1000-a-minute forward. SAINT, SINNER, SHOOSH.
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At the time, back in 2017, a 10-year contract seemed like a good idea.
Jason Taumalolo was the No.1 player in the NRL, the most destructive attacking weapon in the game and reigning Dally M player of the year.
Johnathan Thurston had just retired and the Cowboys couldn’t afford to lose two superstars.
So, Taumalolo signed the game’s first 10-year, $10m deal. It was a statement signing to fend off interest from rivals.
Fast forward seven seasons and it’s not such a great deal.
Taumalolo is now earning a staggering $1000 per minute.
It’s not quite up there with the pay rate of a UK Premier League superstar or an NBA basketballer, but certainly no other player in the history of rugby league has been paid anything like this.
The post-Covid rule changes and a faster game have changed the way middle forwards play and taken away from his effectiveness and efficiency.
Taumalolo now averages only 39 minutes game time on his $40,000-a-week deal.
He made more line breaks in the first year of his contract in 2017 than he’s made in the past three seasons combined. This year, he hasn’t made one.
The Cowboys are stuck with the big salary for another three years after this season.
The pressure it puts on the salary cap is one reason the club had to offer centre Valentine Holmes the opportunity to look elsewhere from the end of the year.
The 31-year-old lock has played 271 NRL games for the Cowboys. He will definitely stay for the next two seasons to bring up his 300.
What happens after that – with another two years to go on his deal – is the story.
Somehow, this needs to be carefully managed with respect shown to a loyal 15-year, one-club footballer. It’s not Taumalolo’s fault that all those years ago the Cowboys offered him the 10-year deal that has proven to be too long and too expensive.
UTOIKAMANU DEAL DEBUNKED
Melbourne Storm chairman Matt Tripp has revealed how he signed boom Wests Tigers forward Stefano Utoikamanu on a $2 million-plus contract without bursting his salary cap.
A number of rival clubs on Friday were questioning how Storm could fit Utoikamanu into their superstar line-up that already includes Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Harry Grant, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Nelson Asofa-Solomona, among other high-quality players.
“We have quality leaders that are prepared to take a little under their market value,” Tripp said.
“I say to them all the time – if you guys want to win comps, play Origin, represent your country and play under Craig Bellamy – that’s great, but something has to give.
“I think nearly all our senior players could have got more elsewhere.
“The fact they stayed for less allows us to sign someone like Stefano.”
It is a fact that Munster rejected a $1.5 million offer from the Dolphins to stick with Storm for $300,000 less. Others have taken similar hits.
Tripp has gone out of his way to keep his Storm leaders in the loop during negotiations with Utoikamanu to allay fears that the signing of the Wests Tigers star would force players to leave.
He played golf with his superstar halves Munster and Hughes in Melbourne on Thursday.
“This will have no effect on our roster for 2025,” Tripp said.
“We have worked closely alongside the NRL salary cap auditors to ensure that.
“No-one will have to leave. After ’25 we’ll have to see how it works out.”
Both Grant and Papenhuyzen are off contract at the end of next season when the pressure will build, especially when three new clubs join a 20-team competition and are looking for elite players.
DON’T LEAVE PERTH HANGING
The sooner the NRL announces the Perth Bears as the 18th team, the better.
On Friday night, the Roosters v Dolphins match was a sellout at HBF Stadium in Perth, despite the unpopular 6pm kick-off timeslot.
At halftime, the entire crowd chanted, ‘Perth NRL’ with torches turned switched on their phones.
West Coast Eagles were also playing the Gold Coast Suns on Friday night in Perth.
“With the game sold out, it further illustrates the strong support and huge potential for growth of rugby league in WA,” Premier Roger Cook said.
“As a passionate rugby league fan, I’ve long been an advocate for NRL in WA.”
SAINTS
Australian sport has never seen anything like it … think of all the women who have become household names in recent years – Ash Barty, Michelle Payne, Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler and golden girls Jess Fox and Ariarne Titmus, who have been so magnificent in Paris. It’s so fitting that the NRL is celebrating Women in League round this weekend.
SINNER
Legendary coach Jack Gibson used to say that winning starts in the front office. This is why the blowtorch is now on Eels chairman Sean McElduff, CEO Jim Sarantinos, general manager Mark O’Neill and the Parramatta board, despite the big one-off win in New Zealand on Friday night. The club is in crisis. There’s too many bean counters and not enough footy nous.
SHOOSH
We’re hearing rising boxing star Curtis Scott is headed for a heavyweight showdown with Parramatta enforcer Junior Paulo at the end of the footy season on a No Limit card. Paulo (above) is the fighter who gave more trouble than any footy player when they fought in 2016.
SPOTTED
Venues NSW chairman David Gallop sitting next to Harvey Norman boss Katie Page poolside in Paris to watch Ariarne Titmus win the 200m freestyle gold. Titmus is a long-time Harvey Norman ambassador.
SPOTTED
League immortal Joey Johns, superstar jockey Hugh Bowman and NRL 360 host Braith Anasta enjoying a midweek lunch at the Coogee Pavilion. No doubt Braith picked up the tab.
SPOTTED
Injured Souths players were told they were not required to be in Canberra for last Sunday’s 6pm game against the Raiders in arctic conditions. Latrell Mitchell must have said to himself, ‘Stuff that’. He drove the three hours each way to support his teammates. A fan contacted us to say he also spent an hour doing selfies with the punters.
SPOTTED
We seem to remember Weekend Big Sports Breakfast colleague Peter Peters being critical of Benji Marshall for his mid-season family vacation to Fiji. Well, guess what. The great Zorba will not be on air with Ray Thomas and Dean Ritchie in his regular slot this morning … he was spotted in business class last week heading for his own Fiji getaway.
FROM PARIS TO UNDER-6S
2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley has gone from commentating at the Olympic pool in Paris to calling Under-6s rugby league in Newcastle.
In between all the gold-medal calls, Hadley put together a package of his five-year-old grandson Noah, who scored five tries for Wests Newcastle last weekend in park footy.
“The kids sent me the videos and I sent them back with my commentary over the top,” Hadley said.
“F--- it’s good being a grandad.
“I’ve cried when the kids send me the videos.
“Noah’s a very quiet, gentle and sensitive little boy but he’s playing footy and growing in confidence.”
Hadley has called 99 State of Origin games and has been calling grand finals since the mid 1980s.
You’ve got to go online and listen to the calls.
He gets as excited as any Blues Origin try. “Noah Hadley, showing scintillating pace, gets to the outside, beats two, three, four defenders and scores in the corner.”
Noah’s try-scoring feats are, however, becoming expensive for Hadley.
“Before the first game I said ‘Noey if you score a try I’ll give you $5’,” Hadley said.
“At this rate I’ll be buying him his first car.
“And it’s going to be very costly if all the grandkids (he has five) are on the same deal.
“I love them and I’m so proud of them all.”
GAL AND CHAD HUG IT OUT
We revealed in this column recently how a sulking Chad Townsend had refused to shake hands with his 2016 premiership-winning skipper after a Cowboys match.
The good news is that they have kissed and made up.
Gallen was working for Channel 9 at Leichhardt Oval on Thursday night and was spotted embracing Townsend at full-time.
VEGAS OFF TO FLIER
We told you last week how the NRL had already sold 15,000 seats to the Las Vegas double header in the first 48 hours of tickets going on sale.
It gets even better. The NRL has leased two jumbos for direct flights to Sin City. They have just announced all seats are filled.
The response from fans is way ahead of last year and there’s every chance we’ll have a full house at Allegiant Stadium on game day.
NRL MUST PLAY WILDCARD
Roosters historian and long-time league tragic Alan Katzmann is a fan of the NRL introducing a Wildcard Weekend before the finals — in a 20-team competition.
It would give the top six sides the weekend off while teams from seventh to 10th would play off for two spots.
Katzmann says clubs would stop resting players in the final round.
“The greatest benefit of a wildcard weekend is that it will remove the incentive for the top clubs to rest players to freshen them up for the finals,” he said.
“The clubs will want to play all their fit players in that final round.
“So many more of the best players will be playing throughout the race to the finals and it will be a big boost to the integrity of the competition.”
Katzmann then listed the ‘reserve grade’ team Penrith ran out in the final round in 2022.
Panthers Rd 25, 2022
1. Charlie Staines
2. Sunia Turuva
3. Robert Jennings
4. Thomas Jenkins
5. Christian Crichton
6. Kurt Falls
7. Sean O’Sullivan
8. Lindsay Smith
9. Mitch Kenny (c)
10. Matt Eisenhuth
11. Chris Smith
12. Scott Sorensen
13. J’maine Hopgood
Bench: 14. Soni Luke, 15. Ed Blacker, 16. Liam Henry, 17. Jack Cole
TAYLOR’S ATTACK DOGS
There’s one guy who hasn’t been given enough credit for Canterbury’s premiership resurgence this year.
Jason Taylor started in the off season as Bulldogs attacking coach and has made a huge difference to a side that couldn’t get out of second gear last year.
The ex-Parramatta, South Sydney and Wests Tigers coach has worked closely alongside Cameron Ciraldo to turn an ordinary side into a premiership powerhouse; with the Dogs playing the most spectacular attacking football.
CEO’S TITANIC DISPLAY
How’s this for commitment.
Last Sunday, Gold Coast Titans CEO Steve Mitchell flew to Sydney and drove to Wollongong to catch the women’s season-opening 18-10 win against St George Illawarra – a midday kick-off. He then flew back to Brisbane just in time for the men’s comeback win over the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium.
And it didn’t end there.
Afterwards he raced across town to witness the Titans’ netball side’s semi-final victory at Nissan Arena. Mitchell will have an easier go of it this weekend. The Titans have announced a sold-out double-header for their league teams on Saturday before the netball grand final on Sunday night.
HASTY FALL
Jackson Hastings left the Wests Tigers in 2022 because old Tim Sheens thought he was a lock, not a halfback.
The Newcastle Knights now appear to agree.
Hastings has been dumped to NSW Cup this week – and he’s been chosen as a lock.
Knowing he doesn’t like playing there, it could be a ploy to convince Hastings to look elsewhere.
Not that rival NRL clubs are showing any interest.
FLINDELL’S NRL CALLING
THE voice of Sydney horse racing, Darren Flindell, will today debut as an NRL broadcaster when the Bulldogs take on the Raiders at Belmore.
The 2GB Continuous Call team reached out to the Sky Racing caller to join the commentary team with their network stars in Paris for the Olympics. Flindell has long wanted to try his hand at calling league and will also call the Knights v Wests Tigers game next weekend.
That may prove more challenging as he is a totally biased Wests Tigers tragic.
He’s likely to attract new listeners to the Continuous Call Team with his army of fans curious to hear how Sydney’s No. 1 race caller handles the switch.
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