Spanner thrown in mega deal for Lomax\u2019s NRL return<\/a><\/p>\nTallis Duncan is set for a major contract upgrade.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
The Bunnies are keen to lock the future representative star down long term.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, I think you\u2019re looking at $600,000 minimum with a ratchet (clause) in,\u201d Read said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a reasonable amount for Tallis \u2026 I said $600,000 with a ratchet, so that gets him to $800,000.\u201d<\/p>\n
NRL360 host Braith Anasta says Duncan is worth even more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he is worth that every day of the week, I think clubs will pay $700,000 or $800,000,\u201d Anasta said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a million-dollar forward in the next three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s future is another big watch with South Sydney in no rush to jump into fresh contract negotiations.<\/p>\n
Mitchell has been sidelined with back and calf injuries since Round 11 and could miss the rest of the season according to reports this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can understand why, everyone else, talks are on hold until the end of the season \u2026 even Latrell,\u201d Read said on NRL 360.<\/p>\n
\u201c I suppose they want to see how he goes when he gets back from injury,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he gets back and they want to reconsider things based on how their season pays out.\u201d<\/p>\n
As much as $1.4 million a season has been floated as the figure that may be needed to get a deal done, with Read believing Mitchell deserves top dollar despite the recent injury history.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d still pay him a motza because as I have said \u2026 without Latrell, they can\u2019t win a comp,\u201d Read said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he is that important to them and I would still give him big dollars. As I keep saying to you guys, this is on the 2028 cap which could be $16 million, which is less than 10 per cent of the cap.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis injuries are a concern, and it\u2019s a concern for Latrell. Forget about everything else, it\u2019s a concern for Latrell because we all know how good he is.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t know where you are going to get a guy like him without paying similar money \u2026 on his day, when he is fit, he is top three in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
With so many looming free agents, South Sydney\u2019s roster could look dramatically different in 2028.<\/p>\n
Halves are a position of need for Souths. Ashton Ward is an emerging talent while Jonah Glover is well-regarded but unproven. <\/p>\n
NRL Journos clash over Maguire scrutiny | 01:23<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Cody Walker is likely to retire next season.<\/p>\n
\u201cHalfback has been an issue for a while now, so I imagine if there is someone they are going to chase it\u2019s going to be a halfback,\u201d Read said.<\/p>\n
\u201dI think with a high quality half, they definitely can. They go from being a chance to a definite top four chance or powerhouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith due respect to Ashton Ward, I think a half is a logical place for them to spend money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rugby League great Gorden Tallis then suggested Wayne Bennett could launch a blockbuster raid on their fiercest rival.<\/p>\n
\u201cWayne would have a relationship with Sam Walker. He coached Sam\u2019s two uncles (Shane and Chris) and his father (Ben),\u201d Tallis said.<\/p>\n
Walker is one of several big names expected to hit the open market in a few months\u2019 time, although he\u2019s being tipped to remain with the Chooks on a deal that will almost certainly exceed seven figures.<\/p>\n
OFF CONTRACT IN 2028<\/p>\n
Euan Aitken<\/p>\n
Salesi Ataata<\/p>\n
Tallis Duncan<\/p>\n
David Fifita<\/p>\n
Thomas Fletcher<\/p>\n
Bronson Garlick<\/p>\n
Jonah Glover<\/p>\n
Campbell Graham<\/p>\n
Matthew Humphries<\/p>\n
Elijah Keung<\/p>\n
Edward Kosi<\/p>\n
Peter Mamouzelos<\/p>\n
Latrell Mitchell<\/p>\n
Tyrone Munro<\/p>\n
Talanoa Penitani<\/p>\n
Latrell Siegwalt<\/p>\n
Brandon Smith<\/p>\n
Jayden Sullivan<\/p>\n
Isaiah Tass<\/p>\n
Jack Wighton <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"South Sydney have reportedly put all contract talks bar one on hold despite facing a potential November 1…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-539595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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