‘Mateship doesn’t pay your mortgage’… but it could solve Penrith’s $2m crisis

Debate continues to rage over Penrith’s capability to retain star duo Dylan Edwards and Jarome Luai for 2025 and past.

The backbone superstars each come off contract on the finish of 2024, and will every command in extra of $1 million a yr on the open market.

But the Panthers, who have already got star half Nathan Cleary pocketing properly over the seven-figure mark for the long run, face a wage cap squeeze that might see them lose at the very least one of many premiership-winning pair.

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How they method negotiations with Luai and Edwards, who can start talks with rival golf equipment as early as this November over a 2025 transfer, has been a scorching matter within the NRL media this week.

Now the Panthers have been warned that providing each gamers underneath the million-dollar mark in an try to hold the band collectively may ‘backfire’ in a giant method.

And one rival membership has been lauded because the potential ‘right home’ that ‘makes sense’ for Luai sooner or later.

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Speaking on the Footy Talk podcast, Sydney Morning Herald journalist Michael Chammas mentioned: “Penrith in this situation can handle it in two ways. Do they offer them unders to try and keep both of them? It’s backfired at other clubs.

“Parramatta last year decided they’re going to try keep all their good players. So they offered what they felt was required to keep them (rather than what they were worth).

“Reed Mahoney and Isaiah Papali’I, what Parramatta’s first offer was, they felt disrespected and both players left. Isaiah Papali’I regretted that because he wanted to try and stay.

“The offer he got at the Tigers, Parramatta were going to get to in the end anyway.”

But the Panthers are back-to-back premiers with a close-knit group, one thing fellow reporter Danny Weidler believes may show essential in retaining the in-demand duo.

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“The main difference there,” Weidler replied, “is Penrith has had so much success. They appear to me to be a dynasty sort of club – the premierships they’ve won, the bond they have.

“I know mateship doesn’t pay your mortgage. But I do think there is some element of that – that they’re a well bonded team, and they are a team that probably want to stay together as much as possible. Some losses are going to be inevitable, the (Viliame) Kikau’s – you can’t keep everybody.”

But, he continued: “I don’t see either Luai or Edwards as being particularly money-driven individuals. I know Edwards has been well and truly underpaid for a while, he could almost double or double-and-a-half his salary (from the current $500k-per-year) if he went somewhere else.”

Penrith’s decision-making course of can even be impacted by their outstanding capability to supply younger skills.

Weidler mentioned: “What’s coming up from beneath – do they have an excellent fullback coming up? Do they have an excellent number six coming up? To me, that’s got to be part of the decision.”

Chammas jokingly replied: “Penrith have got excellent everything coming up.”

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Both gamers would haven’t any scarcity of rival golf equipment taken with their companies, however Chammas named one membership that ‘makes sense’ as a touchdown place for Luai.

Chammas mentioned: “I think the Bulldogs could be the right home. If they can get their salary cap in order, they need a seven. I know they’ve signed (18-year-old) Karl Oloapu.”

Chammas additionally believes Luai has proven the type of organisational abilities and management that might see him shift to halfback to companion Matt Burton.

Chammas added: “I think there are people that think he can play seven. He showed at the World Cup, while he wore six on his back, he led that team Samoa to the World Cup (grand final).”

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However, Canterbury-Bankstown themselves have loads of massive names locked in and will battle to search out wage cap house for an additional star half.

Weidler mentioned: “We come to affordability. We’re saying Penrith can’t afford these guys – how can the Bulldogs then afford (Matt) Burton, (Stephen) Crichton, Vili (Viliame Kikau), (Reed) Mahoney, (Bronson) Xerri? There’s a lot of blokes (on big deals).

Chammas replied: “Luke Thompson and Kyle Flanagan are probably on about 1.4 million between them. Tevita [Pangai Junior] is off contract at the end of 2024. There’s a lot of guys there that could move.

“I’m not saying anything’s happening – there’s nothing happening with the Bulldogs,” he clarified – [but] it is sensible.”