State of Origin players are expected to remain on slashed wages this year despite the NRL seeing a return to normality in their financial outcomes.
In 2020, Origin players not only sacrificed their living arrangements to be part of a biosecurity bubble for the November series but also took on a pay cut that saw their $30,000 payments slashed to $10,000.
The move saved the NRL close to $1.5 million and aided the league's struggles through the first year of the COVID pandemic.
Players were believed to be on close to $15,000 last year, still sitting 50% short of their Origin wages prior to the pandemic.
While we begin to see the season return to its true form, Origin players are reportedly set to remain on slashed match payments, potentially sparking a pay dispute in the near future.
The NRL are understood to have pulled in $575.1 million in revenue last year, a $155.4 increase on the year prior, with The Daily Telegraph reporting state representatives will remain on a similar pay this year.
The league also took a hit with limited crowd numbers and Origin being forced to move to the Gold Coast and Townsville, with bumper crowds on the cards this year as Origin returns to Sydney and heads west to Optus Stadium in Perth.
The anticipated rise in income is sure to see players demand an increase of their own, with RLPA chief executive anticipated to hold talks with the league in regards to player payments.
Rugby league fans are expected to flock into Accor Stadium next Wednesday night as the Origin action returns to New South Wales, with a majority of the 83,500-seat stadium sure to be filled.
Game 2 will see Origin venture to Western Australia, before the series closes at Suncorp Stadium.
Who pays the SOO players wages? The clubs, yes? (I don’t know: I’m asking).
Was the idea of the cuts to SOO players wages to help out the clubs, given nearly all of them run at a loss? Maybe the continued cuts are to help the clubs recover from the lack of gate money over the last few years.