Semi's getting paid, but does he deserve it?

Normally at this time of year the papers in New South Wales and Queensland are dominated by one thing and one thing only, State of Origin. It would take a big story to push Origin off the back page of the paper.

That is exactly what happened earlier in the week when news broke that Semi Radradra had fled the Parramatta Eels to join French rugby, or maybe he was visiting family, or maybe he was just hoping for a new contract.

Truth is, we don’t really know what is happening with the Fijian flyer. But we do know one thing. Sooner or later, he is going to get paid a truck-load of cash.

Numerous clubs in multiple codes are currently circling the star, preparing to splash the cash in order to land Radradra.

There is one club, however, that I can almost guarantee will not be chasing him – that club is the Melbourne Storm.

For the past decade, notwithstanding their own salary cap dramas, the Storm have been the masters at balancing their rosters. Developing the team mostly from the ground up, paying to retain the stars that they developed and then complimenting the youngsters and stars with cheap veterans that had been discarded by their former team.

The Storm developed the likes of Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater, turning them into modern-day superstars. Today those players are paid like superstars and deservedly so. But they have a constant stream of cheap youngsters moving up through the ranks – Gareth Widdop, Cameron Munster and Adam Blair are prime examples.

As soon as these players develop into potential stars, the club has a decision to make. Overpay to retain them, or back the development system and allow them to leave and sign a big money contract elsewhere.

Widdop and Blair were allowed to depart and the Storm promptly replaced them with newer, younger, cheaper players who were able to fill the gap left by their departure. Viewed as Billy Slater’s long-term replacement, the Storm have signed Munster to a big contract upgrade. This contract is easily defendable, fullback is one of the four most important positions on the field, NRL clubs need a star fullback to win and when you have one, you don’t let them go easily.

But the wing position is not that important. The Storm have shown how easy it is to find a new standout winger with the emergence of Suliasi Vunivalu. Phil Gould has been saying it for years. Wingers are replaceable and if we’re being perfectly honest, they’re not that important to a team. Yes, they score tries, but anyone can score tries if their teammates do the lead-up work. Yes, they get sets off to a positive start with big kick returns. And yes, the work they do defending on the edge is vital. But that’s about it.

This is what the Dragons learnt when they had both Josh Dugan and Brett Morris signed to big money contracts. They couldn’t pay them both with Morris playing on the wing. One of them had to go and that was Morris. Morris has been adequately replaced since his departure.

Parramatta are reportedly willing to offer Radradra a million dollars a year. With the salary cap set to rise to $7 million next season, that is almost 15 per cent of the entire salary cap. Throw in the $1 million they want to throw at Jarryd Hayne and the $1.2 million that Kieran Foran is earning and we’ve got almost 50 per cent of the salary cap dedicated to just three players.

That’s before you factor in the penalty loading that the Eels will cop over the next three years for their recent indiscretions. It’s no wonder that the Eels have been a mess for the past five years and were caught cheating the cap. It is simply bad roster management.

In saying all that, a player is only worth what the market is willing to pay them. And it looks like the market is willing to pay Semi a million dollars a year. If the Eels don’t pay him, somebody else will. It’s absolute madness.

What is so hard to understand is the fact that the Storm’s method of doing business has been proven to work the world over. You develop your talent, you pay your stars, don’t overpay role players. Rinse and repeat.

That is why the Storm have been at the top of the NRL for the past decade. It is why the New England Patriots have dominated the NFL for the past 15 years. And it is why Hawthorn have dominated the AFL for years. It’s a proven method.

Yet someone will overpay Semi Radradra. And when they overpay Semi they will have to let at least two or three other players leave. Those players will likely be forwards on smaller contracts. Players seen as indispensable. Yet forwards are probably more important to a team than a winger. And two or three players are far more important than one single winger.

Without forwards gaining ground through the middle of the field, there can be no long backline shifts and there is no space for wingers to move. Radradra will have no space to move or time to attack.

This is not to say I have anything against Radradra, without breaking his contract, he should be encouraged to earn as much as he can. And if the market is willing to pay the best attacking winger in the game $1 million a year, good on him. It’s just the entire system of player evaluation and salary cap management that I have an issue with.