The NRL is expected to review every aspect of the salary cap as early as next month – and one of the main items on the agenda will be how best to reward one-club players like Daly Cherry-Evans.
Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to talk publicly told this masthead the NRL was planning to form a committee to identify key areas of the salary cap system that may have become outdated.
At least one club has lobbied head office hoping to spark a debate over some sections of the cap before the next collective bargaining agreement is due in 2027.
One option that will be discussed is the idea of salary cap exemptions for long-serving players – and possibly excluding their wages from the cap altogether.
Under the current system, it is difficult for clubs to keep long-term, one-club players like 36-year-old fan-favourite Cherry-Evans, who is now in his 15th season at Manly.
The veteran halfback stunned the league world when he declared on Channel 9’s 100% Footy show on Monday that if he did play on, it would not be at the Sea Eagles. The only thing more stunning was Manly’s subsequent attempt to save face by offering a two-year extension via Fox Sports during a live segment of NRL 360.
Daly Cherry-Evans at Manly training on Thursday.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Many in the game believe the situation could have been avoided had Cherry-Evans and Manly been able to strike a deal that sat outside the $11.8 million cap.
As it stands, there is an allowance in the cap that clubs receive for players who have been at the club for eight NRL seasons or longer. That figure is capped at $300,000 regardless of how many players at a club fall into that category.
The cap allowance rewards clubs who have stuck with certain players. However, it does not necessarily reward the loyalty of the veteran stars themselves, as the money does not have to be spent specifically on those players’ wages and can be split across the playing group as a club sees fit.
The details would need to be ironed out, but it is not hard to see the upside of a system that excludes long-standing players from the cap or at least offers a heavily discounted cap exemption.
In Cherry-Evans’ case, he could have started the pre-season knowing there was no rush to make a call on his future beyond 2025. Manly could have relaxed, knowing that if their halfback and captain did decide to play on, it would not affect their salary cap for the following year.
The number of players who would qualify for cap exemptions would depend on where the bar was set. Setting it at 10 years at one club would this season include 20 players, according to Champion Data. Setting the bar at 12 seasons or longer would limit it to a very exclusive group of seven.
Jason Taumalolo is in his 16th season with the Cowboys, but has already signed until 2027.
Josh Papalii is in his 15th season with the Raiders and off contract. Player and club would strike a deal tomorrow if the front-rower wanted to play on and there was no pressure on the cap.
Penrith’s Isaah Yeo, Melbourne’s Cam Munster, Cherry-Evans’ teammate Jake Trbojevic and South Sydney’s Alex Johnston are all in their 12th season at the one club.
Johnston is off contract and has already indicated he wants to play on at Souths, but there is no guarantee he will stay put because of the pressure on the club’s cap.
Yeo is off contract at the end of 2027, but so is another club superstar in Nathan Cleary. If a 12-year cap rule was in place, Penrith could keep Yeo while having the flexibility to retain Cleary.
One negative the clubs will want to consider would be the cost. NRL clubs are not swimming in cash, with the notable exceptions of Brisbane and the Roosters. Manly, for example, posted a loss in their football operations last season of $250,000.
But players who have been at clubs for 12 years or more are at the back end of their careers and not likely to command a hefty price tag. Cherry-Evans would be the only player likely to command seven figures. Either way, there are many who believe the option should have been there for him.
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