It’s the time for the big rebuild at many Super League clubs ahead of the 2023 season – even though 2022 is just over halfway through.
Clubs are scrambling to find the best players for the best deals with a number of NRL stars continuing to be linked with moves to Super League.
One such player who has been linked to the Super League in the past few months is Cronulla Sharks’ Wade Graham.
Graham has been linked with a move to Catalans Dragons, with The Mole at the Wide World of Sports reporting as such in July after contract problems with Cronulla.
However, the Sydney Morning Herald has revealed just how much Graham is currently being paid – and the figures are eyewatering.
Graham’s contract currently sits at $730,000 – a figure which equates to just over £400,000!
Whether or not any Super League side could afford their wages on a salary cap of just over £2.1 million remains to be seen, but it just goes to show the gulf between the Australian competition and that of the UK.
For one England international in the NRL – Tom Burgess – his current wage sits at $700,000, according to zerotackle.
That means that a Super League side would have to fork out just under £373,000 on Burgess’ contract alone – would this ever be possible?
The 29-year-old, who registered four tries in 45 appearances for the Bradford Bulls between 2011 and 2012, has made a name for himself as one of the toughest enforcers in the game, starring for South Sydney Rabbitohs for almost a decade.
Burgess has made 118 appearances for the Rabbitohs since debuting for the club back in 2013 and though he would arguably never leave, it would be interesting to see if any Super League would be willing to try and coax him back to the UK.
However, there have been recent attempts by NRL sides to try and persuade Burgess to leave Souths for their clubs.
