The beauty of the salary cap is that it is supposed to level the playing field for all NRL teams.
There is enough space for stars, but not multiple, meaning rosters need to be carefully crafted so teams can field competitive seventeen players, and this is where the well-run clubs stand out.
They can secure talent for less than they are worth.
Whether it is due to talent coming through their nursery, veterans on cut-price deals or just getting lucky with late-bloomers, the best clubs in the NRL have a host of players on deals worth less than their true value.
So, let's look at the best current value-for-money contracts in the NRL, but with the following caveats.
1. Contracts where previous clubs are contributing a portion of the player's salary, such as David Fifita, will not be included.
2. Only contracts with a definitive reported figure on Zero Tackle's website will be considered.
2. Jamal Fogarty
To sign a premier halfback in today's game, it is generally on a deal somewhere around $1 million a season, not if your name is Jamal Fogarty though.
During a career-best year for the Canberra Raiders which included 23 try assists, leading the club to the minor premiership, the club sensationally decided against re-signing him.
So, he was picked up by the Manly Sea Eagles on a deal worth a mere $675,000 a season.
To put it into comparison, no halfback had more try assists than Fogarty last season.
While there are certainly more factors that dictate contracts than just try assists, the fact Fogarty is on such a cut-price deal it's almost baffling that the Sea Eagles were the only team after his signature.
Sure, he is no spring chicken at 32-years-old, and by the time his contract ends he will be 34, but considering his output for Manly this season, Fogarty is showing no signs of slowing down.
