Canterbury’s pursuit of Parramatta hooker
Reed Mahoney threatens to put immense pressure on its salary cap as the club prepares to offer some of its biggest names the chance to leave in an attempt to loosen the financial shackles.
The Daily Telegraph has conducted a deep dive into the Bulldogs’ cap for the 2023 season, when they will welcome
Viliame Kikau into the fold after the Penrith forward agreed to a lucrative four-year deal last week.
That deal is believed to be worth more than $800,000 a season given Kikau had rival offers on the table for that amount. His signing, which is yet to be announced by Canterbury, means the Bulldogs have 22 players contracted for 2023, leaving them with eight roster spots to fill and barely $1 million of cap space likely to be available.
In stark contrast, powerhouses Penrith and Parramatta have only 12 players contracted for 2023.
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The signing of Viliame Kikau means the Bulldogs have 22 players contracted for 2023.
The Daily Telegraph consulted recruitment managers and player agents before arriving at salary estimates for the 22 Canterbury players who are locked in for 2023, when the cap is expected to return to pre-Covid numbers.
There is a chance the Bulldogs will be given more space should the players’ union negotiate a cap rise, although it appears more likely the starting point will be $10 million – the figure it was meant to be in 2022 before the players agreed to a pay cut.
Mahoney is expected to command at least $600,000 a season to turn his back on the Eels and his signing would leave the Bulldogs with $500,000 to spend on their remaining seven spots, a logistical impossibility given the minimum wage starts at $80,000 and rises to $120,000.
Even if they miss out on Mahoney, the Bulldogs’ quest to find a quality rake will likely leave them with no choice but to take a machete to their roster as they try to make room for quality acquisitions to their spine.
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Canterbury’s pursuit of Parramatta hooker Reed Mahoney threatens to put immense pressure on its salary cap. Picture: Getty Images
Amid the talk of cap carnage at the Bulldogs, chair John Khoury insisted the club was committed to developing their own and pointed to the local juniors who are signed to the top 30 in 2023 – boom centre Paul Alamoti, half Jake Averillo, winger Jayden Okunbor and backrower Chris Patolo.
He also endorsed Phil Gould as the man to pull the right reins when it comes to reshaping the squad – few people in rugby league are as connected as the club’s general manager of football.
Gould also has a reputation for shifting players in his pursuit of a roster capable of winning a competition.
“It is not all about just signing or selling players,” Khoury said.
“It’s about balancing the squad. We brought in Gus Gould, whose runs are on the board with what he has done at other clubs, most recently the Panthers and the Warriors. It’s also about developing players. In that spirit we brought back reserve grade a year early – that shows we are committed to being a development club again.
“The proof is in the pudding with some of these young guys who have come through our juniors and our pathways.”
BULLDOGS CONTRACT LIST FOR 2023
Viliame Kikau - $850,000
Luke Thompson - $800,000
Tevita Pangai Junior - $720,000
Josh Jackson - $670,000
Nick Cotric - $650,000
Kyle Flanagan - $600,000
Josh Addo-Carr - $550,000
Matt Burton - $500,000
Corey Allan - $500,000
Jack Hetherington - $450,000
Corey Waddell - $350,000
Jake Averillo - $300,000
Jeremy Marshall-King - $300,000
Braidon Burns - $250,000
Brent Naden - $250,000
Paul Alamoti - $250,000
Jayden Okunbor - $220,000
Aaron Schoupp - $150,000
Bailey Biondi-Odo - $150,000
Ava Seumanufagai - $120,000
Josh Cook - $120,000
Chris Patolo - $100,000
TOTAL - $8.85 million for 22 players
* NRL squads must have 30 players
* Estimated NRL salary cap in 2023 is $10 million
That leaves $1.15 million for eight players (minimum NRL wage is $120,000 for top 26 players, $80,000 for bottom four players)
ON THE OUTER:
Luke Thompson, Corey Allan, Nick Cotric, Kyle Flanagan
* Estimated salaries
A handful of high-profile players have already been mooted as potential casualties of the cap cull at the Bulldogs. Parramatta were asked about Nick Cotric last week while he has also been offered to his former club Canberra.
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Queensland back Corey Allan, half Kyle Flanagan and forward Luke Thompson have also been mentioned as players who could leave as the Bulldogs rebuild their side.
Unless players depart, it is hard to see how the Bulldogs can extend their deals with prop Paul Vaughan and fullback Matt Dufty. Vaughan and Dufty were signed on cut-price, one-year contracts and would likely command healthy upgrades should they play well in 2022.
