The Sydney Roosters’ signing of Joseph Suaalii is, for many, problematic.
Once again the old ‘salary sombrero’ has allegedly been placed on Trent Robinson’s now-expectant head.
Depending on who you listen to, Suaalii could be earning $10 million dollars per month, with every last dollar paid in a brown paper bag.
Further, the signing also solidifies the fact that the Chooks are destroying the very fabric of rugby league by both stealing promising juniors and buying their way to a premiership.
Apparently.
What this tired narrative forgets is that the majority of their recently triumphant players have either been developed and nurtured by the club since they were kids or fine-tuned from good NRL players into superstars.
The obvious exceptions are Cooper Cronk, James Tedesco and, to a lesser extent, Angus Crichton. Let’s not forget, even Luke Keary was playing on the bench at Souths when Nick Politis nabbed him.
To further this notion, let’s take a closer look at some recent premiership-winning players.
Boyd Cordner, Jake Friend, Latrell Mitchell, Joseph Manu and Daniel Tupou all arrived as teenagers and are now superstars.
Sio Siua Taukeiaho arrived from the Warriors as a winger that nobody knew and is now a superstar, while Jared Waerea-Hargreaves arrived as a decent but largely inexperienced front-rower from Manly and is now one of the best props of the last 20 years.
Siosiua Taukeiaho is tackled by Jesse Bromwich and Felise Kaufusi (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)
Before them, there was Roger Tuivasa-Sheck – widely considered one of the best players in the world – who was developed so well that the Warriors saw it fit to offer him $1 million a year. How dare they!
What fans (of other clubs) need to appreciate, is that players want to play for the Bondi club. They see what’s happened to the players listed above and they want to follow in their footsteps.
Further, and somewhat bewilderingly, they want to win premierships. Three trophies in the last seven years makes the club an attractive destination.
Those within the game will tell you that the Tricolours (and Melbourne) set themselves apart by implementing standards, systems and processes that demand excellence and diminish mediocrity.
Robinson is an incredibly gifted coach – you don’t win three premierships in your first six years if you’re anything less than stellar.
The counter argument is that he’s been given everything he wants by a club who are rolling in it financially. Yes, Uncle Nick is wealthy – extremely wealthy – and yes, the club is well resourced, but so are the Broncos and, well, they haven’t won’t a comp in nearly 15 years.
What is also grossly under appreciated is how good the Chooks are at managing the salary cap. Watch closely every year and you’ll see them quietly let go two or three players on whom have received maximum return of investment – think Dylan Napa, Blake Ferguson and Zane Tetevano.
The club is also superb at keeping the cap in shape. Think back to when Cooper Cronk and Mitchell – well over $1.5 million dollars worth of talent – left at the end of 2019 and were replaced by Kyle Flanagan and Josh Morris, two players who certainly wouldn’t have broken the bank.
Flanagan has now moved on, likely to allow young gun Sam Walker to assume his place in first grade, and you can bet your bottom dollar that (for the next year or two at least) Walker won’t be breaking the bank either.
All of this allows the club to put more money where it’s needed – namely upgrading the likes of Keary, Taukeiaho and eventually Tedesco.
What helps even further is that players choose to stay for unders. Nearly every notable Roosters player who has come off contract in the last few years received bigger offers to go elsewhere. And yet, with the exception of RTS, they’ve all stayed. Yes, Latrell also moved on (apparently for less than what Easts offered), but that was down largely to a desire to play fullback, which was never going to happen while Tedesco was at the club.
So as we look forward to 2021, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Sydney Roosters will be there or thereabouts again. They might even get an exemption from the NRL to play Joseph Suaalii in Round 1 – and he’ll probably score a freakish, headline-grabbing try.
And the rest of us battlers will sit back and dwell on the fact that life can be so unfair, while Uncle Nick and the boys sip champagne and eat caviar in the corporate suites behind us.
Those dirty rotten cheats!
criag
Roar Rookie
You've only got to look at the players that have been let go over the years to dispel any notion of cheating the cap. Those that have cheated have been caught, end of story. Anything else is just whining.
criag
Roar Rookie
Those are all just myths, mate.
criag
Roar Rookie
We used to watch it for something different some weekends. It was like something from a foreign land back then. Endless fun trying to work out who was who on a black and white tv when Essendon played Richmond or when Collingwood played North Melbourne!
criag
Roar Rookie
Most teams recruited in some form or other. The Roosters didn't sign too many in the early 70s and made the GF in 1972 under Don Furner (in which they were robbed!) BTW, Ron Coote really should've been playing for the Roosters from the word go. He was the son of Roosters triple premiership winner Jack Coote - himself a Roosters junior. He grew up expecting to play for Easts, then Souths used their influence with the NSWRL to have the borders changed. Under the rules in those days, he had to play for Souths.
criag
Roar Rookie
It's also easy to blame someone else if your own team under-performs.
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
:stoked: you got taught that at the Storm mate,
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
yes mate and he has just signed on the dotted line until 2024 :happy: :happy: :happy:
Al
Guest
I'd have another look at that statement, both clubs take the unwanted (Morris Brothers, Ferguson, Maloney and many others in the last ten years, they also, like the storm develop a hell of a lot of talent as the article alludes (Mitchell, Cordner, manu, Tupou, Friend, Mitchell, Aubisson, Napa, Collins, Pearce, Radley etc). They buy the occassional Marquee Player Tedesco, Cronk. The other thing is the Roosters thanks to the NRL now have the least Junior clubs of any 1st Grade Side (Taken from them as new clubs emerged or nasty neighbours used their position on the the Old NSWRL to strip them and move them to their club. That is why they pump money into many rural and country footy clubs and provide support as that is where they get players from aswell
Al
Guest
ALL Clubs are formally audit every year.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I don’t need to re-read anything Your just recycling my point. The Roosters are no different to any other club. They have a number of players that they’ve bought into the cluband a number of players that they’ve brought through the junior ranks The criticism that the Roosters “buy premierships” is redundant because as you’ve just said, all clubs do it. The Roosters just do it better Of course the club that buys Cronk, Tedesco and Crichton is going to be more successful than the club that buys Lichaa, Napa and Foran. But they were competing in the same market under the same rules. Anyone who criticises the Roosters for that is completely missing the point If anything the Roosters compare favourably to other clubs with the number of player they have that are “Roosters only” products. As I’ve pointed out, clubs with huge junior nurseries have far more imported players You’ve pointed out three imports (of course there’s more) and labelled them the reasons the Roosters are winning comps (Josh Morris hasn’t won a comp at the Roosters) What about Cordner, Friend, Tupou, SST, Mitchell, Aubusson, Manu, Liu, Radley, etc? These guys aren’t playing a role in Roosters premierships? What about players they’ve let go like Pearce, RTS, SKD, Watson, Matterson, etc The Roosters identified and developed all these guys as juniors and brought them through the club, most of whom have had long successful careers, including premierships Cordner has been at the Roosters since he was 16 and has since gone on to captain NSW and Australia
MarkD
Guest
Out of the 14 only Walker and Suaalii aren't current or former rep players and even they are junior rep players. Australian reps, Cordner,Tedesco,Keary and Crichton Origin reps , Tupou ,Friend and Collins NZ and Tongan reps, Hargraves,Manu,Taukeiaho,Liu and Tupouniua Former Australian/origin reps, Morris brothers
MackaMacka
Guest
There is no logic in the way that people perceive the Roosters. That is a good article written in a cheeky manner about the best run team in the league !
The Mexican
Roar Rookie
The reason most clubs hate the Roosters is because every good player that comes on the market they always seem to have the money to buy. How are Parramatta and the Bulldogs punished for salary cap breaches when they didn't have near enough the talent that the Roosters had in their roster, how were they under the cap? Look at their first 13 and put their worth next to their names & you will find out how easily they go over the cap. 1. Tedesco 1 million 2. Manu 400K 3. Tupou. 400K 4. B. Morris 300K 5. J. Morris 300K 6. Keary 700K 7. Walker 200K 8. Crichton 500K 9. Friend 400K 10. Cordner 500K 11. JWH 400K 12. Liu 300K 13. Taukeiaho 400K 14. Suaalii 1 million That's about 7.2 million dollars on just 14 players out of 30 where's the rest of the money to pay the other 16 players coming from? The likes of Radley, Tupouniua, Butcher, Collins and Ikuvalu are also due for an upgrade. if you look at their 2021 roster you will realise that the idea of a salary cap sombrero is not as far fetched as you make it out to be. I know those figures maybe off a bit but I believe that's approximately what those players will be getting paid.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
Pick, you are obviously a long term & knowledgeable supporter. Mark Harris played a lot of rep football in the era that included Rogers, Fulton & Cronin so I reckon he is unlucky not to gain a starting spot in either of those 2 teams. I am not saying it has to be this way, but being awarded a start in a GOAT club side is a great honour, thus I have always been a fan of a minimum number of club games of something like 80-100 games should be a prerequisite. Otherwise Jon Thurston or Bob McCarthy would be picked in the doggies GOAT. About 3-4 players in your side only played a couple of seasons with of your club. Very good side & good luck in 2021.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
The Roar team was as follows: Fullback : Minichello Wing: Boustead Centre: Messenger Centre: Brown Wing: Tupou Five – Eight: Fittler Halfback: Hastings Lock: McGahan Second Row: Cordner Second Row: Fitzgibbon Prop: Big Artie Hooker: Sandy Pearce Prop: Morley Reserves: Wing, Stehr, Fletcher, JWH Pickett's team: 1. Tedesco 2. Minichello 3. Dave Brown 4. Latrell 5. Boustead 6. Fittler (VC) 7. Cronk 8. Big Artie (C) 9. Friend 10. Morley 11. SBW 12. Cordner 13. Coote Reserves: Wing, JWH, Fitzgibbon, Mark Harris Hard to talk about Messenger as he is more symbolic I guess. But he played for Wallabies, a few games for AB's I believe and was the marquee signing when RL started in 1908. Similar for Dave Brown, but from stats alone, you've got to have a bloke known as 'The Bradman of RL'. He was the star in the 1930's Easts team which was the first to obtain a hat-trick of premierships. Latrell is so good that he pushes Mark Harris. He can play like Harris (the Power) but also like Brass (the finesse). And to think he's only 23 and still has another decade in him. 5/8 is pretty much down pat. The half position is interesting as Horrie Hastings is the sentimental favourite, but if rose coloured glasses were removed, Cronk is the pragmatist's half. The only forwards that I found to be automatic choices were Beetson and Coote. The rest I had to deliberate over. Friend comes as hooker for having won 3 premierships, played 1 game for Kangaroos and finally broke the duck and played SOO this year. Morley comes in for sheer intimidation and the fact he is a GB/English international as well. Cordner and SBW required the most amount of thinking but I guess being the Aust and NSW skipper and 3 x premiership winner puts Cordner in. SBW shades Fitzgibbon on pure athleticism only. No one can beat Fitzgibbon on heart, dedication, durability and consitencey. Not to mention he's about a 70-75% goalkicker. In fact I've probably swapped them as I type this right now.
criag
Roar Rookie
Just goes to show the effectiveness of the cap, though they were also affected by injuries.
criag
Roar Rookie
Was very down on Manly in the 70s, particularly as the Roosters were robbed in the 1972 GF (league fans have long memories) and Rex Mossop's bias. But they helped save the ARL (and with it, possibly some other ARL-aligned clubs) during the super league war and pretty much went broke doing it. No hate from me anymore.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Craig, Go you good thing. The other thing is Souths redrew the boundaries in the 50s when they were powerful, effectively claiming all our juniors. Their angst comes from us 'pinching' Ron Coote in the early 70's and others, but they effectively pinched most of our juniors. And you're right about his dad, Jack Coote, being an Easts player in the 30's and being an Easts fan. Let history tell the truth!
HarryPAP
Guest
For example?
criag
Roar Rookie
The fact that they have a tiny junior area is not their fault, yet they still do a lot of work in development. A player has a LOT to learn when they're a teenager, and even someone like Tedesco was not the player he is today when he was signed. Most of the junior talent they sign that's not from their own area come from country nsw or qld. As I've said before, they can't offer more money on juniors than any other club, so if a Sydney club really wanted to keep a particular player, the chances are they could. The other thing is it's not possible for every at every club to make it to first grade. Plenty of clubs recruit, but it seems when it comes to the Roosters, it's 'poaching'.