As now the leading candidate to fill the Dolphins 'marquee player' spot, Cameron Munster's looming contract decision is now one of the more interesting storylines of the 2022 season.
Munster, who's off contract with the Storm at the end of 2023, is apparently the number one target for the expansion side, with the Redcliffe based team expected to match the superstar's million-dollar price tag he's currently wearing.
Suitors, mainly the Dolphins, began gaining real traction for the Queensland Maroons representative's signature following the extension of fellow Melbourne stars Harry Grant, Jahrome Hughes and Xavier Coates.
Gobbling up Melbourne's salary cap from 2023 and beyond, this triple extension significantly decreased Munster's potential future earnings if he elected to extend beyond next year.
Expected to receive $1.2 million in 2023, reports are that Munster has been offered an extension that would earn him roughly $400,000 less than this.
NRL Immortal Andrew Johns has opened up on the pressure Munster is currently facing and the nature of the decision he's needing to make.
โHeโs got to decide what he wants to do - whether he wants to have more money and be at a club starting off, which without a doubt will struggle, or does he want to compete in semi-finals and a chance of winning premierships?โ Johns said on Immortal Behaviour.
โThereโs so many players who have chosen the money... the big one for me was when I watched Kevin Proctor, when he went from the Storm to Gold Coast, never played semi-finals and there were times when he looked so frustrated.
โAlso, in Melbourne heโs anonymous. In Queensland he is not.โ
Johns, who's regarded by many as the greatest rugby league player of all time, was faced with a similar situation every time his contract was up with the Newcastle Knights.
The NRL legend was offered a significant pay rise by the Brisbane Broncos in 2000 but elected to stay put, finishing his career as a one-club man in the Australian league.
โI got offered a lot more to go to other clubs. I wasnโt driven by money, and I mean how much do you need?โ Johns said.
โIf youโre earning $800,00 a year, itโs huge money.
โBut over three of four years... it adds up. You lose some happiness, youโll lose some (money) in tax.
โItโs a big decision for him. He will be happy at the Dolphins, but not a chance of winning a premiership.
โThere were times when we struggled at Newcastle - one year we lost 13 in a row - and it was a chore going to training, because you knew you werenโt going to win.
โTurning up to training knowing youโre a chance of winning a premiership, or knowing youโre going to win, pushing yourself... it has an effect.โ
