The Cumberland Throw

Hola Amigos – Roosters’ Salary Sombrero Saves NRL

Cooper Cronk will be a Rooster in 2018!

On behalf of the silent majority of the rugby league public, I’d like to express my gratitude to Sydney Roosters patriarch – Nick Politis. You sir, are our unacknowledged saviour! NRL’s Zorro if you will. That magic “N” is now carved into the 2018 NRL season, and millions of us will be the beneficiaries.

It’s time for the small minded in the footy fraternity to stop their ovine bleating about inequality. When petty jealousies are put aside, and blinkers taken off, the big picture comes into focus. Consider the “rat with a gold tooth cunning” behind securing Cronk’s signature.

By adding just one player to the Roosters’ roster, Politis has:

* Placed the NRL in Media Headlines

Forget off-season player shenanigans- it’s nothing but good news week thanks to Uncle Nick. Even the Rugby League World Cup has to play second fiddle to the joyous announcement of Cooper joining the tri-colours. Has there ever been a better time to be a rugby league supporter?

* Provided employment for a young man deemed unworthy of a testimonial match by the NRL

Isn’t it good to know Cooper will have a home in 2018!

Cam Smith and JT are getting close to retirement and many of us were deeply concerned about how they would support themselves and their families on a pe

nsion. Those headaches were removed via the NRL’s testimonial match, which thankfully will not impact the salary caps of their respective teams.

 

However, the NRL had failed to consider the plight of a young man who had given up his team and his home for love. Thank goodness that the Roosters supremo would not leave Mr Cronk destitute. This heartfelt gesture to his fellow man should not go unnoticed by the community.

* Raised the standard of the NSW Cup

With the Wyong Roos now boasting an Origin half in their spine, it’s up to the other feeder clubs to lift their roster. The crowds will be flocking to Maurie Breen Reserve and Sydney suburban grounds as Wenty, Norths, Newtown and Mounties attempt to overcome the Mitchell Pearce inspired Central Coast juggernaut.

The Wyong Roos will be tough to hold out in 2018 with this bloke calling the shots.

* Ensured greater support for the Sydney game from our southern neighbours

As the most popular club in Sydney, the Roosters have never shied away from their responsibilities to the code, and importantly to the rugby league public in the Sydney basin. By signing fan favourite Cronk from Melbourne, Politis has extended the reach of the code even deeper into AFL heartland.

An image of what an Eels salary sombrero might look like.

With Cronk no longer in the Deep South, Victorians will need to tune into television coverage to watch their man go round. The Roosters opponents and the NRL as a whole will gain extra exposure from the millions of men, women and children following the exploits of their favourite muchacho. Advertising revenue will go gang busters for all media stakeholders and the game will be the ultimate winner. If only other Club bosses could put the game above themselves with their decisions.

* Provided Sydney fans with a club to follow in 2018 Final Series

As certain as a Cameron Smith conversation with a ref – the Storm were already at unbackable odds to go back-to-back in 2018. Not so now, and isn’t it inspiring for rugby league fans throughout Sydney to know that they have a team to follow to the Grand Final next year.

Didn’t we all love Sonny Bill in the Tri-Colours!

Nick Politis has sacrificed a massive chunk of the Roosters money for all of us. Just as he selflessly recruited Sonny Bill Williams to ensure that the NRL title stayed in NSW in 2013, the Roosters Charman has again dug deep for the upcoming season. Sleep easy friends, there’ll be a Sydney club challenging for the title. Personally, I’m glad Nick says yes more often.

Next year, when the Roosters become everyone’s second favourite team, don’t forget that it was the inspired recruitment by their chairman that breathed new life into the 2018 season.

 

Thank you Mr Politis. Yes, yes yes.

Sixties

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31 thoughts on “Hola Amigos – Roosters’ Salary Sombrero Saves NRL

  1. Fathead

    The game as we knew it is gone. It’s dying.

    I’ll always have a soft spot for the Eels but when do you draw the line and say enough is enough??

    Those custodians of the game have a huge responsibility but how do you grow a game when old fans become alienated ?
    New fans are usually the kids that are dragged along by patents but if parents say – enough. That’s when it dies.

    Treat fans like idiots and they will revolt.

  2. Al

    I had to break out the tissues reading that Sixties. What a heartfelt sincere appraisal of Nick’s masterstroke.

      1. Al

        Unconfirmed reports that the 2018 Roosters Members package includes a fetching red, white and blue sombrero with a gold “$” motif. This should rival the Broncos package which includes a FREE appraisal from the Andrew Gee Financial Planning group.

  3. Big Derek

    At least the cynics won’t bother to hold their breath waiting for action from the hierarchy at the NRL, unfortunately they seem to go into their shell when some clubs are involved.

    Its in the same place as the player manager investigation, they don’t want to know , to theirs and the games detriment

    They don’t seem to understand the fans tuning out , and the lowering of overall interest as this signing and TPAs inflict distrust of the games direction

    1. sixties Post author

      The simple solution – publishing player salaries and limiting/removing TPAs. Neither would be popular with the players, but inequities need to be addressed.

  4. The rev aka Snedden

    Sixties what do you know or have you heard anything about jr paulo coming back to the eels this year.

    I know there was talk of him resigning with sticky at the green machine but that seems to have cooled in resent months. Any news ?

    1. sixties Post author

      I think plenty of us would like Junior back Rev, and until recently my money was on a 2019 return. The Eels can’t talk to Junior till next month, so I wouldn’t have expected any news on that front yet. As most people are acknowledging, very little is leaking out of Eels HQ lately, and that’s a good thing.

      1. Achilles' Eel

        It’s only a matter of hours away. Tick-tock… Tick-tock… Come midnight, there will be no further need for Chinese whispers surrounding player movement for season 2019. Expect endless and noisy chatter. I’m sure the NRL will welcome it. It might even relegate the Cooper Cronk signing to a minor event. Of course, it shouldn’t. But it probably will.

        The Roosters have been busy with their sombrero in their recruitment of juniors as well. Lately they have been buying up big from Sydney’s west to Queensland, and from across the ditch, too. It’s not a lazy fishing expedition from them either – as none are fish that John West would reject. They must be preparing for Armageddon!

        1. sixties Post author

          Theyhave always relied on filling their lower grades from elsewhere as their junior league just doesn’t exist. That’s not their fault – it’s just demographics. However, the ridiculous money given to lure outstanding young players from their clubs had to end.
          I’m expecting further movement after RLWC finishes.

          1. Achilles' Eel

            I’m not complaining about it. It’s their business model; and it works. Plenty of juniors have enormous talent, but very few will go on to become ‘career’ NRL players. Warehousing them in your system means you get to better assess them right through the age-group divisions. Our club does the same, except it relies more exclusively on a stronger junior league. Anyway, enough of that. I’m strapping myself in for the silly season!

  5. Trouser Eel

    Great read Sixties. It’s been a while since you’ve written any satire.
    I know Bernie’s comments about the cap and tpa’s has people talking, and thinking, about how to bring transparency and equity to the game. It’s going to take some strong leadership to get there and I’m afraid Greenberg isn’t capable.
    Publishing salaries is a big leap, but with baby steps we may get there. Perhaps they could consider publishing salaries of the top half of the team.

    1. sixties Post author

      Yes mate. My first reaction was “they can’t be serious”. This meant that there was only one way of dealing with this news. I understand that players may not want salaries published, but we need to find a way to provide transparency, because right now – it’s an uneven playing field.

    2. ChodgeeBud

      Salary estimates under the Sombrero – latrel 450k, Cordner 500; cronk 400; manu 350; friend 400; teddy 550; keary 500. They fit easily u get the idea?

  6. Glenn

    Great read 60s, you’re definitely missing your calling, give teaching away and become a stand up comic!

    Do you see recently the so called players salaries for the Roosters published in the DT? If true, which I doubt, some are on very low salaries so obviously TPAs are heavily involved. However of more concern is what happened to ‘fair market value’ of player’s salaries to be included in cap? Does it only apply to all other clubs except Roosters and a few other favoured clubs?

    1. sixties Post author

      Good point Glenn. That’s been an issue for me since the days when Lockyer was on a ridiculously low (reported) salary at the Broncos. I can accept players signing for a bit less, but marquee players on an around a third or less of what they’d get elsewhere highlights how much money is involved with TPAs and how certain clubs rarely lose quality players from their squads and yet are always in the player market each year.

  7. Rowdy

    It is not a surprise, considering ALL of the above comments supporting your wonderful satire Sixties, that we are bombarded by ex players on radio and television footy programs the fact that “the bottom line is the $ when discussing whether player A will go to club C or not”. Why then do we have professional sports journalists supporting the lie from the NRL and club CEO’s that there is no problem with Broncos or Roosters fitting Cronk or Lockyer under their sombrero? But of course this is “old news”!

    My point is why do we not have a push for real independence to be running our game, when it is clear that the ARL Commission was meant to do that and has failed dismally from the beginning? I’ll tell you why, and it isn’t just my opinion either. Self interest, that’s why!

    Great read sixties, but truth shrouded in satire is still profoundly disappointing, just a little more entertaining, for which I give you my sincere thanks.

  8. Anonymous

    It sort of ties in with this cap situation, but with the Seward case now concluded, and apparently nothing happening with player managers, the main impact of the Salary Cap investigation fell on Parra – the staff, players and fans. Don’t get me wrong, the club are in a better place for it. But that’s come from the likes of BA, Max Donnelly and now Bernie Gurr.

  9. Pingback: The NRL’s unrivalled equality means back-to-back premierships are very rare | Em News

  10. Max Power

    Roosters have a very flexible salary cap. Indeed they even have room to sign current rep players Crichton and Hall plus Brett Morris. This flexibility extends to select players being invited to golf games in the east, with wagers of 10K per hole: Miraculously the chairman loses every hole.
    If you prefer BBQing to playing golf, you can let them know and, upon signing, a BBQ will be delivered to your house with a brown paper bag under the hood, not with steak but neatly placed cash.
    Bryan Fletcher has tacitly confirmed salary cap rorts while at Easts though no investigation into the 2002 premiership is instigated. Perhaps sworn affidavits from all relevant players would be a good start?
    In contrast, the Sea Eagles are thrown under the bus and the Eels crucified for paying people out of the merchandise shop till in a desperate attempt to compete. There are countless other examples.
    The people at the NRL know it is happening but do nothing because they sit in their jobs at the discretion of the perpetrator.
    The fans know and this corruption is corroding the integrity of the game

  11. Max Power

    Roosters have a very flexible salary cap. Indeed they even have room to sign current rep players Crichton and Hall plus Brett Morris. This flexibility extends to select players being invited to golf games in the east, with wagers of 10K per hole: Miraculously the chairman loses every hole.
    If you prefer BBQing to playing golf, you can let them know and, upon signing, a BBQ will be delivered to your house with a brown paper bag under the hood, not with steak but neatly placed cash.
    Bryan Fletcher has tacitly confirmed salary cap rorts while at Easts though no investigation into the 2002 premiership is instigated. Perhaps sworn affidavits from all relevant players would be a good start?
    In contrast, the Sea Eagles are thrown under the bus and the Eels crucified for paying people out of the merchandise shop till in a desperate attempt to compete. There are countless other examples.
    The people at the NRL know it is happening but do nothing because they sit in their jobs at the discretion of the perpetrator.
    The fans know and this corruption is corroding the integrity of the game.

  12. John Eel

    It is interesting Sixties that you would relaunch this very Clever post after Cronk’s scathing attack on our club. He had gone after us for going to the market chasing a marquee signing when we already have a class FB in Gutho

    I wonder if Mitchell Pearce has been reading the critics canning our club.

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