Provided they can get past the Penrith Panthers and secure a grand final berth, a number of South Sydney Rabbitohs stars could be playing with the added incentive of a big payday should they lift the NRL trophy next weekend.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker are just two of a number of Rabbitohs players with bonus clauses built into their contracts that will see them share in a six-figure bonus if the club wins the premiership.
Sources with knowledge of the situation say there are three other players with clauses similar to Mitchell and Walker, resulting in an estimated payout of around $150,000.
It follows the news this week that Parramatta Eels halfback Mitch Moses has a similar condition in his contract that will see him become a million-dollar man if he can lead the Eels to glory next Sunday - a reward he's one step closer to securing after a thrilling preliminary final victory.
A regular feature of coaching contracts, premiership clauses in player contracts have been considered rare until recently, though it was also revealed that the clauses were in place last year before the Rabbitohs suffered grand final heartbreak.
The news follows reports that South Sydney are close to securing coach Jason Demetriou on a possible two-year contract extension.
Though the club is under immense pressure to also extend the contracts of Mitchell, Walker and Damien Cook prior to November 1, it’s clear that a premiership win and a cash bonus would aid their efforts.
The club has been dealt a blow in its preparation for the must-win clash against the defending premiers with the news that try scoring phenomenon Alex Johnston will not take the field.
He has been replaced by Richie Kennar, who has made one NRL appearance this season - but scored a hat-trick in a victory over Newcastle.
Mr Piepers: I would be intrigued to know how clubs manage to budget their player payments to provide incentives: appearance money, win bonus, and now “win the competition” bonus, and still keep within the cap.
It must be highly problematic, and if the club has an unexpected good run, and a lot of players on bonuses, I would be surprised if the cap is not exceeded.
Maybe, between now and the start of the next pre-season, you or Scott or Dan could write a few articles to explain it – you wouldn’t fit it all into a standard 300-500 word piece, I’m sure.