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The notion of rugby league being a business has led to the suffering of player loyalty and effectively killed off the one-club player.
It often works both ways. When a player leaves a club, it could be because he was offered a better deal elsewhere, or the club can’t afford to keep the player on their books. Whatever catalyst for the transfer, it always seems to be motivated by the dollar.
As a supporter, it’s sad to see players you cheer for week in, week out up leave your club without so much as a ‘catch ya later’, and turn out for arch enemies against your side. Social media platforms also allow us to follow our teams and players on a more personal level.
I know my fiancé often checks in on the personal lives of her beloved Parramatta Eels via Instagram. This gives us a sense of connection to these players, who at the end of the day are just doing their job. But it turns out that in doing their job, they become rather important and special to the fans of clubs they play for. Unfortunately for all, when the hard nosed, business approach to player recruitment and retention comes into play, the two worlds collide.
Notwithstanding that each scenario is unique when it comes to players signing contracts, the general rule of thumb is that the players current club can enter contract renewal negotiations at any point. If this process is void by either the club or the player, the player comes off contract and enters the open market.
At which point, rival clubs can approach and offer a contract if they so wish. Often, player recruitment and retention comes down to numbers. Obviously in the environment of managing a club under a salary capped regime, it’s difficult for numbers not to play an integral role. The nature of working with numbers in regard to salaries, is that it leaves no room for sentiment or soft spots.
If the asking price of even your most loyal player doesn’t fit within salary cap limitations, it’s in the best interest of both the club and the player, that they seek an opportunity elsewhere.
Josh Mansour (Photo: nrlphotos.com)
There are however, occasions where clubs and players do whatever it takes to remain loyal and make things work. One recent example of this is Josh Mansour at the Penrith Panthers. Mansour is regarded by many as one of the competitions best wingers, and has been a highly sought after player when coming off contract on a number of occasions over his six year career to date.
Playing under-20s with the Rabbitohs, Mansour burst on to the first grade scene with Penrith in round 9, 2012. After making a name for himself in the top grade, Mansour reportedly toured facilities and agreed to terms with the Canberra Raiders for the 2015 season and beyond, but a late offered tabled by Penrith saw the cult hero remain a Panther for a further two seasons.
In the most recent Mansour contract saga, it was revealed that the NSW and Australian winger had turned down better money at other clubs to stay on Penrith’s book in 2016.
With his contract ending in 2018, the inside word is that to repay the faith Mansour showed in re-signing with Penrith in 2016, and to support his new family, General Manager at Penrith Phil Gould gave his blessings for the player to seek the best contract available on the open market. Interest in Mansour spiked and clubs like Parramatta and the Roosters were reportedly very keen on landing his signature.
Yet again, Mansour would decline some lucrative offers in favour of staying with the club that gave him his first grade debut. Much to the delight of Penrith supporters, Mansour has recently re-signed with the club for a further three seasons, taking him through to the end of the 2021 season.
By this time, Mansour will be 31 years of age and possibly have one more contract left in his career. Assuming this is the case and he plays out his final years at the club, Mansour would be in very rare company when it comes to modern day NRL players being a one club man.
There aren’t many modern day players that are able to achieve this status in their careers, and for good reason, as we’ve briefly explored, the business of player contracts contain a lot of variables and it’s almost as though the planets must align.
Josh Mansour (AAP Image/Craig Golding)
The argument could be made that in Mansour’s case, he has continually re-signed for a club on the up. Perhaps the prospect of club success outweighs contracted salary for this player in particular, and that a perfect scenario has played out for both parties to continue their journey together.
As a Panthers supporter, I rather believe that it’s Sauce’s love for the club and jersey that’s kept him at the foot of the mountains for a decade.
A possible look into the future of player contracts and club loyalty could lie with the example of Jason Taumalolo at the North Queensland Cowboys. Last season the barnstorming forward signed ten-year contract that could see Taumalolo play out his career Townsville.
Granted this type of contract length harbours certain risks for both the club and player, but in certain scenarios, and with special talent, this could be the way forward.
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