CODE Sports\u2019 most recent NRL Rich 100 list<\/a>, and the net income after tax is alongside. Luai and Johnston are included per their actual PNG terms. The net salaries after tax are calculated via the ATO calculator, with minimal rounding.<\/p>\nThe final total takes in the net salaries. The current NRL salary cap is $11.8 million and in 2028, when PNG enters the competition, is expected to be about $12.5 million.<\/p>\n
1. Dylan Edwards $850,000 – $500,000<\/p>\n
2. Xavier Coates $6o0,000 – $360,000<\/p>\n
3. Bradman Best $725,000 – $430,000<\/p>\n
4. Stephen Crichton $850,000 – $500,000<\/p>\n
5. Alex Johnston $325,000 (reported PNG salary)<\/p>\n
6. Jarome Luai $1.2 million (reported PNG salary)<\/p>\n
7. Nathan Cleary $1.3m – $750,000<\/p>\n
8. Lindsay Collins $725,000 – $430,000<\/p>\n
9. Mitch Kenny $500,000 – $310,000<\/p>\n
10. Moses Leota $675,000 – $405,000<\/p>\n
11. Liam Martin $770,000 – $460,000<\/p>\n
12. Hudson Young $650,000 – $390,000<\/p>\n
13. Isaah Yeo $850,000 – $500,000<\/p>\n
TOTAL: $6,560,000<\/p>\n
Cleary would fit into the Luai category of being an exceptional signing; for a revised figure, we will include his gross income of $1.3 million. We will also add an extra $100,000 per player (x10), which goes straight into their pocket.<\/p>\n
REVISED TOTAL: $8,110,000<\/p>\n
Against the current salary cap of $11.8 million, that represents 69 per cent of cap space; a normal amount to spend on a starting 13.<\/p>\n
Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary after winning a fourth consecutive premiership for Penrith. Could they be reunited in PNG?Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The additional $100,000 per player may be a modest working figure, but added earnings could be significantly boosted by tax-free third-party agreements, and Chiefs players will also be provided with luxury housing at an island resort, at the club\u2019s expense.<\/p>\n
Former Melbourne Storm and Wests Tigers centre Justin Olam reportedly made more than $300,000 per year from TPAs with PNG-based companies at the height of his career. Those companies will have access to much bigger names with the arrival of the Chiefs, and stars are set to cash in.<\/p>\n
And who would not want to play in that team. It is an Origin-standard line-up playing on a weekly basis, somewhat reminiscent of the mighty Brisbane Broncos teams of the 1990s.<\/p>\n
From that starting 13 figure, there is $3,690,000 remaining for the other 17 players in the top 30; working with the current salary cap figure of $11.8 million, given that we are working with current salaries. <\/p>\n
That splits to about $217,000 per player, against a current NRL minimum wage of $160,000. Again, that is tax-free money \u2013 and PNG may have yet another advantage, in terms of the number of players on low wages.<\/p>\n
The ultimate goal for PNG is to build a team primarily made up of local players. That won\u2019t be feasible for some time, but the process will be turbocharged by the introduction of an NRL-calibre pathway for a nation of wonderful raw talent and the club will want a healthy number of local players in the inaugural squad.<\/p>\n
Initially, most local players may be minimum-wage prospects; which is no bad thing. The median monthly income in PNG, where more than 80 per cent of the population lives rurally and outside of the formal economy, is about 600 kina \u2014 $193.<\/p>\n
Chammas hits back at PNG critics | 02:37<\/p>\n
A LEADING AGENT\u2019S VIEW<\/p>\n
Foxsports.com.au asked NRL 360 host, rugby league great and current player agent Braith Anasta about some of the strategic factors at play with the PNG roster build.<\/p>\n
He said that Luai\u2019s dollar-for-dollar contract would likely be the outlier, with the club able to target other top stars within the salary sweet spot presented by the absence of tax.<\/p>\n
\u201cJarome is their first one, but if you\u2019ve got a guy on $1 million of $1.2 million (at another club), you offer them $700,000, $800,000, $900,000; $300,000 less than what the clubs are going to pay them back here, and you\u2019re getting that much more anyway (in PNG),\u201d Anasta said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t need to pay dollar for dollar. That\u2019s more a Jarome situation, because he was the first one. He\u2019s equivalent to $2.2 million (on a regular salary cap).<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve just got to look at what the equivalent is. You can get any top-end players, if they\u2019re on $700,000-$800,000 (at PNG), it\u2019s equivalent to $1.3 million-$1.4 million (elsewhere). You\u2019re not paying dollar-for-dollar, you manage that accordingly, and at the end of the day that player would be getting more money than they would for any other club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters will lead PNG in their inaugural NRL season.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Anasta \u2013 whose client, Willie Peters, will be PNG\u2019s inaugural head coach \u2013 said that the Chiefs had the opportunity to build a strong roster for a variety of reasons.<\/p>\n
Our above hypothetical team is stacked with former Panthers teammates of Luai\u2019s, some of whom may actually be available due to the champion club\u2019s ongoing salary cap pressures and their own desire for a fresh challenge after a glorious era under Ivan Cleary. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll be competitive because players want to go there,\u201d Anasta said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Jarome\u2019s the perfect person to buy first because he\u2019s got good relationships with players that have been successful, at a club that probably can\u2019t afford to pay them the money they would deserve. That\u2019s the luxury they\u2019ve got with him. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been hearing since day one, because I signed Willie there as coach, that there\u2019s players that have been ringing them to go there, who are quality players. That was before Jarome even signed. So Jarome\u2019s just going to give it a kick now, and they\u2019ll have a good roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve only got to look at the interview of Isaah Yeo to realise that they\u2019ve accepted they (Penrith) are not going to be able to keep everyone, and each one of them now are looking for the best interests of them and their families. Because they\u2019ve done the hard work, they\u2019ve won the premierships, and they\u2019re at a point now where there\u2019s a lot of them off-contract on November 1 and they\u2019re rightly accepting (the reality). <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd not only that. There\u2019s a challenge there with Papua New Guinea that\u2019s very rare and unique, that you won\u2019t see anywhere else. They\u2019re a country, you\u2019re playing for a country that idolises rugby league. You going there and know you\u2019re going to have support, you know there\u2019s going to be third-part deals, you know there\u2019s going to be passionate people and you know you\u2019re going to create history. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty crazy scenario, in terms of the potential, but it\u2019s exciting as well. Players are attracted to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alex Johnston is a hero in PNG, as a player of of Papua New Guinean heritage. Picture: NRL ImagerySource: Supplied<\/p>\n
A key point, which has gained steam since the Luai signing: is all of this fair? <\/p>\n
Primarily, Anasta says yes, given that existing clubs were told upfront and each accepted a $4 million sweetener from the NRL. The only issue is the length of time that PNG will get tax-free status, which is currently for at least a decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not really an unfair advantage, because everyone knew about it. An unfair advantage is if you don\u2019t know about it and it just pops up,\u201d Anasta said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery club, every player, every journo knew about it. The clubs took $4 million each because they didn\u2019t think they were going to be a threat and they benefited themselves. Now all of a sudden Jarome signs there and other players are interested, it\u2019s unfair. <\/p>\n
\u201cNo \u2013 it\u2019s only unfair now because the reality is kicking in. It\u2019s only unfair because it\u2019s a threat. It wasn\u2019t unfair last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s got to be more of a time limit, I think 10 years is unfair. After five years, that would be enough. Who knows if they change that or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, a stacked roster won\u2019t necessarily fast-track an NRL premiership to PNG, nor will having an entire nation from which to draw talent. The New Zealand Warriors are still awaiting a first title three decades later. Peters is a rookie NRL coach, despite raging success in the UK Super League, and will have to navigate unprecedented logistical issues; how effectively can the club manage, for instance, the risk of imported players contracting debilitating cases of malaria? And what about homesickness?<\/p>\n
Ultimately, getting the football and business operations right, while nailing a productive long-term pathways system that eventually delivers a majority representation of local players will be the deciding factors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a given, it\u2019s not a guarantee. Everyone\u2019s gotten excited over Jarome, but that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re going to be successful,\u201d Anasta said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they will have more success than others who are new franchises but that\u2019s still not a given. There\u2019s still a lot of challenges there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The huge difference in NRL salaries pre and post-tax could offer PNG an extraordinary advantage as they build…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":650386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[4558,314531,8300,64,63,689,314547,314555,18194,4428,166940,30195,50265,314556,314558,314544,92633,314549,314526,314540,4591,314528,314552,2105,314527,314529,314537,314538,154947,314535,314563,314546,212186,314554,5094,314565,5098,4582,314566,314534,314530,27296,4466,25291,4605,761,762,189606,314551,314539,673,2613,158,677,91122,27284,81372,4598,118633,314564,668,314543,11242,216569,112095,314553,314561,314550,314548,159,7889,314541,314559,314532,314562,85,59137,4546,670,314542,314545,314536,314557,104568,314560,314533,108964,145367,4515],"class_list":["post-650385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-alex-johnston","tag-all-time-leading-tryscorer","tag-andrew-jackson","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-club","tag-australian-contract","tag-braith-anasta","tag-brisbane-broncos","tag-business-operations","tag-cameron-spencer","tag-cap-space","tag-clause-comeback","tag-club-able","tag-club-manage","tag-contract-twist","tag-cops-stinging","tag-dollar-for-dollar-amount","tag-dollar-for-dollar-contract","tag-dylan-edwards","tag-escaped-notice","tag-extraordinary-advantage","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-government-coffers","tag-gross-contract-figure","tag-hypothetical-starting-line-up","tag-idolises-rugby","tag-inaugural-head-coach","tag-inaugural-marquee-signing","tag-inaugural-player","tag-inaugural-roster","tag-inaugural-squad","tag-inaugural-team-players","tag-isaah-yeo","tag-island-resort","tag-ivan-cleary","tag-jarome-luai","tag-line-up-playing","tag-long-term-pathways-system","tag-marquee-salary","tag-melanesia","tag-melbourne-storm","tag-michael-chammas","tag-mitch-kenny","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-net-income","tag-net-income-terms","tag-net-salaries","tag-new-south-wales","tag-new-zealand-warriors","tag-nrl","tag-oceania","tag-off-contract-players","tag-papua-new-guinea","tag-pay-rise","tag-penrith-panthers","tag-player-agent","tag-population-lives","tag-press-conference","tag-pretty-crazy-scenario","tag-quality-players","tag-raw-talent","tag-real-terms","tag-reality-hits-rivals","tag-regular-club","tag-regular-salary-cap","tag-roster-build","tag-rugby-league","tag-salary-cap","tag-salary-cap-figure","tag-salary-figures","tag-signing-power","tag-single-position","tag-sports","tag-starting-team","tag-stephen-crichton","tag-sydney","tag-tax-calculator","tag-tax-free-money","tag-tax-free-salaries","tag-tax-free-status","tag-tim-elbra","tag-time-limit","tag-top-end-players","tag-uk-super-league","tag-unfair-advantage","tag-wests-tigers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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