South Sydney will have approximately $1 million spare in their salary cap over the next 18 months after the NRL handed down its findings into Greg Inglis’ retirement.
The Rabbitohs will have an estimated $300,000 this year and $700,000 next year to play with as a result of the Queensland and Australian champion stepping away from the game.
The NRL ruled that the money Inglis earned from his playing contract between the start of the year and his retirement on April 15 will be included in this year’s cap, along with the salary he draws as part of the front office job he has taken up with the club.
But none of his playing contract or new employment contract will be included in the club’s 2020 salary cap.
Rival clubs were closely scrutinising the NRL’s decision after Inglis walked away from the game with 18 months remaining on his deal.
The NRL put the decision to the other 15 clubs at a meeting of the game’s chief executives last week and they say it was not met with any objections.
After hanging up his boots because of a mounting toll on his body, Inglis said he would forego the $1.5 million owed to him in his playing contract.
He has taken up a role – worth about $300,000 – with the Rabbitohs which includes an assistant coaching position, as well as working with the club’s commercial division and charity arm Souths Cares.
The NRL considered three other outcomes before handing down its decision, starting with including the outstanding amount from his contract in the cap.
They also weighed up including the money earned from his employment contract in the cap and excluding all of the money earned by Inglis or owed to him.
The NRL argue their decision is fair and reasonable.
“We are comfortable that Greg genuinely had had enough,” said NRL chief operating officer Nick Weeks.
“If you accept that that’s right, and we do, we think it’s a good thing for him to remain involved in the club and in the game.”
The NRL’s ruling could pave the way for the Rabbitohs to keep off-contract prop George Burgess, who the club has seemed resigned to losing.
The Rabbitohs had been linked to Brisbane star James Roberts, however coach Wayne Bennett has ruled out the incumbent NSW Origin centre returning to Redfern.
The amount of the Inglis salary added onto the Rabbitohs’ 2020 cap will depend on his work regime, including whether he can prove he is committed to pursuing his new career.
The NRL are mindful that such a retirement could be used by clubs as a loophole to entice players whose careers are on the wane to slide into retirement by parachuting them into a cushy office job.
The NRL vow to audit and police Inglis closely, while Souths argued none of his post-career salary should be included in the 2019 or 2020 salary caps.
“However, the club is supportive of the transparent and exhaustive process the NRL undertook in coming to their decision and looks forward to a consistent approach being taken in the future,” it said, via a statement.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Stewart and Matai should have been exempt from Manly's salary cap. The same applies to the Tigers' Taniela Tuiaki and Simon Dwyer and Anthony Watmough at the Eels.
john
Guest
I wonder if this has officially put Bunnies in the hunt for Holmes if his NFL stint doesn't work out.
Insider
Roar Rookie
They will need that coin to hold onto Walker the Broncs are coming
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Perhaps Souths can look at James Roberts now. His salary could be supplemented as a "Social Secretary" role. Organising Mad Monday & educating players in rehab how to "treat" their injuries.
Tom G
Guest
The whole thing is murky beyond belief.. so I guess what’s new. Watmough and Eels were allowed to use a bogus retirement through an injury supposedly sustained at training when those injuries had pre existed for seasons. All anyone asks are the rules to be the rules and not flexibly applied to suit pr
Hawtdawg
Guest
“Toddy the Tool” and “On the teet Peet”, strike again. The NRL travelling road show.
Big Daddy
Guest
It's a bit like the no fault rule. Making up policies on the run. Very unprofessional and will come back to bite them.
Insider
Roar Rookie
The Goanna that ate Redfern
BA Sports
Roar Guru
I know it won't be as easy as some suggest (myself included). I just think they are creating some unnecessary grey area. And I fully acknowledge I have some bias here. They write references for GI. Going back to them creating a criteria to be in the league back in the 1990's. Souths didn't meet the criteria.... yet here we are... with too many teams in Sydney and one team that doesn't play in its designated geographic area... Interpreting things to suit Souths.. again.. Different administrators and all that I know, like I said, an unhealthy bias I guess.
Big Daddy
Guest
I'm sure he'll get a few movie roles. Besides that the taxman will get a fair bit of that.
Emcie
Roar Guru
Look, I'm sure some clubs will try it, I just don't think it'll be as easy as some seem to think.
Insider
Roar Rookie
Oh yes, and didn’t the NRL knock that on the head ?
Nat
Roar Guru
At the moment. Isn't/wasn't Robbie's going to be in the $600's?
Superspud
Roar Rookie
Let's not pretend that the fact it is Souths and Inglis did not influence the decision.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
I guess we shall see.
Superspud
Roar Rookie
How about the Broncos release Bird from his contract this season and then re-sign him for next year.
paulie
Guest
this years salary should be included in full in the cap and then what ever sths decide to pay him as a severance should be included in the cap for the balance of the contract term to be spread as sths see fit. A Club offers a contract which wins a players signature and the losing bidders for a players signature should not be disadvantaged because sths suddenly have a war chest. Every Club needs to balance their cap over 2 or more years and a sudden retirement is not like an injury forced retirement. Other wise the great players nearing the end of careers could be signed on large contracts knowing full well they wouldn't be seeing out that contract.
Emcie
Roar Guru
This isn't a new rule, it's a ruling based on pre-existing conditions. Nothing in the rules has changed, it's just a case with unique circumstances. Take Alex Mckinnon's case for example, the club extended his contract after he was injured (he was negotiating an extention at the time iirc), he was garunteed a job for life and none of it counted against the cap. All of these types of situations are taken on a case by case basis. The idea that every retiring player and their club can now claim some sort of "Inglis Rule" is not how it works.
Emcie
Roar Guru
I'm pretty sure the NRL already has rules about garunteed work offers post retirement, and I'm sure they'd be very dubious signing off on a suspiciously low figure like that. Not to mention that you'd be hard pressed finding someone on a million dollar sallary willing to live on $50k for a couple years, the cost of a million dollar lifestyle doesn't disappear the moment the money stops coming in.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Didn't he get a speed boat and other goodies as part of the Storm rorting? He's had a pretty good run of things working in his favor over the years. Stewart does nothing and still cops it but Inglis seems to dodge his way thru any dramas.