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Opinion
Adam Reynolds or South Sydney – is there a villain here or just two squeezing the lemon for all it’s worth under the rules of the day?
One views the salary cap as something to pilfer, the other engineers a strategy to satisfy most at the trough.
In a game of bluff, Reynolds claims the gauge is good for another four years but with only one hand in their pocket, the Rabbitohs aren’t so sure the halfback has the wheels for much more than a quarter of the trip.
Now three games ahead of the legendary Bob McCarthy and third on South Sydney’s list of top-grade appearances, the ten-year veteran appears destined to join the unwanted list of legends forced to finish in alternate colours.
Only in hindsight will we know the answer. But what is clear is that not everyone gets the ultimate farewell. You only have to look at the way the footy gods struck down Brett Morris to understand that.
But after Thursday night’s 50-point thumping to Melbourne, if the Rabbitohs are to gain anything it might just be Reynolds’ signature on a revised multi-year Redfern extension.
The trouble is, by missing the Storm try-fest, Reynolds probably just upped his value.
(Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
For Souths power brokers, the flogging is a wake-up call to the void that could open in the organiser’s absence. While for the Broncos and Sharks, both no strangers to a capitulation, their desire to hook the 214-game linchpin will only intensify.
Far from being a one-man band, there’s no shortage of quality on the Rabbitohs’ books, but it’s a shame the local junior’s time in the red and green could be cut short by the salary cap.
According to the NRL’s website, the $9.5 million salary cap announced in 2020 is aimed at “spreading the playing talent” and to ensure clubs do not spend more than they can afford.
With respect to home-grown talent, the $0.2 million veteran and developed player allowance is an incentive to retain players with at least eight years at a club or for those who have been a top-30 player for at least ten years.
And while the intention of rewarding local talent reads well, in terms of a bargaining chip for the likes of Reynolds, it hardly adds up.
In a season where the goal posts continually shift, $0.2 million per club sounds like a small price for loyalty, particularly in the context of Peter V’landys’ vision to revive suburban grounds and local passions.
Without the power to hang on to their most revered, the NRL’s promotion of a local derby conference system points more to team colours than the tribal leaders fans also love to follow.
But in times of rapid change, what can’t be denied is the NRL’s drive to point the game in the right direction. And while Reynolds might be Souths’ loss, it should spark a review to prevent our longest serving from being driven away from their blue-collar roots.
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