The Australian National Rugby League (NRL) has many teams with many young players who either suffer from injury or break into other leagues.
Sometimes these players need to maximise their abilities. The league always suffers from this high turnover rate, and this is the reason why the league has never had big money.
However, 2023 has marked an excellent turnaround for these athletes who earn significant earnings. Many of these players have previously reached a minimum of a seven-figure salary for this game’s best of the best.
I also concur that the National Rugby League should add privacy to its monetary policy.
Once many players get an increase in their salaries, it does not need to be spelled out that the Rugby league will grow its popularity. It will be able to maintain its rank at the top.
As we all know, the best athletes in this sport who play for the NRL earn huge salaries. These big earnings are primarily because of their popularity all over the world. Despite the NRL’s low attendance during match days, they earn so much.
Many of us desire would get compensation for our exceptional abilities! In this article, we will look into these NRL players who have been at the top of their game and the compensation they receive for their participation in the National Rugby League.
10. Cameron Munster of the Storm
Cameron Munster earns an average salary of nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars in 2023.
In all times he has played rugby, Munster has always been in good shape. He is amongst the favourite players to watch in the comp. Cameron is one of the most electrifying playmakers and has never been less than spectacular in science. He is famous as a defender.
He has played the fullback and the five-eighth positions, demonstrating his flexibility. Since 2017, he has always represented Queensland.
At the tail end of 2021, the arrival of baby Jaxon marked the beginning of a new era for the Munster family as a strong power.
For the 28-year-old, the 2022 season was unprecedented: he won both the Cameron Smith Player of the Year and the Dally M Five-eighth of the Year awards while playing for the Melbourne Storm.
It is no wonder that Cameron has been leading in the field with seventeen line-breaks, fifteen line-break assists, and a hundred and seventeen tackle breaks. He has come in second in the try-assists category with sixteen assists. So far, he holds the number one rank in the Storm.
The Melbourne Storm Player of the Year got a lot of praise from the rugby league community just midseason after a call to wear the Marron jersey for another time.
This season marks the fifteenth time that Munst has worn the Maroon jersey. His excellent skill saw him securing a huge try and the man-of-the-match title at the opening of the rugby series in Sydney.
Cameron has stuck with his club, Storm, out of his willingness. He has chosen to remain in his club and wear the club’s purple jersey up until when the 2027 season is over.
Carol Munst has several brands and companies that sponsor him: Jen Campbell, Down Under Tuff, Stow Australia, and P.R.E Solutions.
9. Mitchell Moses Playing for the Eels
He has a salary of nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars in 2023.
Mitch Moses is a halfback who grew up playing for the Holy Cross Rhinos before he joined the Eels club as a junior. In 2017 midway through the NRL season, Mitch left the West Tigers Club for the Blue & Gold Club. It is in the West Tigers Club that Moses made his debut back in 2014.
At twenty-four years old, he has already clocked a hundred and fifty matches in the National Rugby League in his playing tenure.
In 2017, Mitch Moses starred in a campaign in the Rugby League World Cup in Lebanon. Under the New South Wales Blues head coach at the time, Brad Fitler, Moses was also named in the new squad of the Emerging Blues in 2018.
Throughout the 2019 season, he played in every game. This season, he scored ninety-two goals, four tries, and had twenty-five assists. He also received recognition in the Emerging NSW squad.
Mitch continues to showcase his experience and great skill in the game. He is a big fan of the Blue and Gold.
8. David Fifita of the Titans Club
He has a salary of a million dollars in 2023.
Currently a second-row player for the Gold Coast Titans in the second row, Fifita is an all-rounded player who can play as a forward and a Lock and Centre.
He played for Brisbane Broncos previously before joining Gold Coast. Fifita has played about seventy-five games for the National Rugby League at just twenty-two years old.
David played 5 State of Origin Matches with the Queensland Maroons and represented the Australian 9s, Prime Minister’s XIII, and Indigenous All-Stars.
Fifita has been a team member of the Queensland Rugby League Team and captained. He also represented the Australian Schoolboys team.
Fifita was honoured by being selected for the Tongan Rugby League side competing in the October 2022 World Cup.
7. Tom Trbojevic of the Sea Eagles Club
He has a salary of one million one hundred thousand.
Tom Trybojevic, who plays for the Sea Eagles, is a fantastic fullback and has won one of the most coveted titles, the Best and Fairest Player in the Daily M Medal in the Telstra Premiership.
After Cliff Lyons (1990, 1994) and Matt Orford (2008), Tom has become the third member of Manly to earn the most incredible individual honour one can achieve in this sport.
Because of his strength, great speed, and ability to break the line, Tom has worked to the top of the NRL as a fantastic and electric full-back. His accomplishments helped propel him to the top of the league.
Tom gave the rugby fans value for their time and money in the 2021 season. He played in just eighteen games in the 2021 season but still managed to rack up twenty-eight assists, twenty-eight tries, thirty-three line breaks, and one hundred and twenty-four tackle breaks. He had the best single-season performance ever recorded for an individual athlete in any sport.
He finished the season with 28 tries, including five hat tricks, which allowed him to set a new record for the Most Tries in a Single Season for Manly.
However, Tom’s 2022 season ended when he suffered a shoulder injury while playing in game 11 against Parramatta. This injury forced him to miss the rest of the season.
Be on the lookout for the “Turbo” guy in 2023; there are high expectations he might make a significant comeback.
6. James Tedesco, Who Plays for the Roosters
James Tedesco earns a salary of one million one hundred thousand dollars.
Tedesco, a champion fullback, has played for the Roosters for six consecutive seasons. In that period, he won the Jack Gibson Medal for five straight years, an accomplishment no one throughout the club’s history has ever achieved.
James Tedesco is arguably among the greatest players in the world today. He has prospects to lead his club to win the Premiership as their Captain and in the third season as a Rooster player. In his third year at the captaincy of the Roosters, the explosive fullback has his eyes focused and looks forward to winning the Premiership in the next season.
Previously, he has clinched two Premiership titles. His extraordinary playing has been widely emulated and celebrated in International arenas and his State of Origin. He has also served as the captain of both New South Wales and Australia.
5. Ben Hunt of the Dragons Team
Ben Hunt earns a salary of one million one hundred thousand dollars.
Belle Property is the proud sponsor of Ben Hunt.
Initially, Ben Hunt played for Bronco before switching clubs to Dragons at the start of the season in 2018, contesting for the Telstra Premiership. He switched to the Dragons after signing a five-year deal with the Red V club in January 2017.
St George Illawarra Dragons named Hunt its captain at the start of the 2021 season. He got the captaincy twelve months after making the 250th appearance with the National Rugby League.
By the time the 2017 season ended, Hunt had already proven himself to be complimentary at hooker, despite being one of the game’s best halves. His prowess and skill at the game earned him a spot on the most coveted team by rugby players, and he got to represent his club at Australia’s Rugby League in the World Cup.
Since Hunt made his professional debut in the wild and competitive 2014 Four Nations and served as a member of the Kangaroos team, he has constantly been a consistent representative for his country.
He also made his long-awaited debut for the State of Origin in Queensland in 2017. Hunt has also been serving as a representative for the team, and this position is one that he currently maintains.
4. Luke Brooks, Who Plays for the Tigers
Luke Brooks earns a salary of one million one hundred thousand dollars.
Brooks is a local junior of West Tigers and made his first-grade appearance in 2013 against St George Illawarra Dragons as an 18-year-old. During his first appearance, the team made a stunning win at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
He started becoming a regular halfback starter in the season that followed. He went on to win the Dally M Rookie of the Year Award.
Luke Brooks was the first West Tiger player to win the award. This gave him an upper hand, and he got selected to play at the All-Stars game in 2015 in the National Rugby League.
Brooks is a player still dedicated to the club and its achievements, and during his career, he has improved his whole game. In the subsequent years of 2018 and 2019, he was named the recipient of several honours, including the Kelly Barnes Award. In 2018, he added another trophy to his collection by being named the Dally M Halfback of the Year.
Brookes is the most capped halfback playing for West Tigers in the history of this club. He holds the title of the leading try-scorer as a halfback. Brooke has an active deal with West Tigers and will continue to represent the club until the end of this season.
3. Daly Cherry-Evans, Who Plays for the Sea Eagles
Daly Cherry-Evans earns a salary of one million two thousand dollars.
Cherry-Evans is still one of the most elegant half-backs in the National Rugby League.
He will always hold the top rank amongst the best athletes when rating their skills.
He remains the captain of Sea Eagles, where he is an inspiration to many. In his tenure as the captain, Daly Evans exhibits superior leadership skills when leading his teammates. He is an evinced winner of several matches for Australia, Queensland, and Manly.
Cherry Evans excels in big games and has excellent kicking skills. He is presently second on Manly’s all-time list for first-grade games played. He follows closely after Cliff Lyons, who has three hundred and nine. Cherry-Evans is currently second on Manly’s all-time list for games played.
Cherry Evans is highly respected and a dedicated and passionate club man. In 2023, Daly Cherry-Evans is looking forward to partnering with Josh Schuster. Josh is an experienced five-eight player, and Daly wants to develop robust halves partnerships.
In 2011, Cherry-Evans emerged as the premiership winner in his debut season at Manly. In 2013, he went ahead to win the Clive Churchill Medal too.
Daly has been a critical player for Stae of Origin Queensland in its 19 games. He is the captain of the Maroons, a position he has held since 2019, and he won the Clive Churchill Award in 2013. He led his team to win several awards in 2020 and the subsequent year.
2. Nathan Cleary Playing for the Panthers
Nathan Cleary earns a salary of one million three hundred thousand million dollars playing for the Panthers.
Nathan underwent the development system for the Panthers as a junior. He has been a member of the NYC side that won the premiership in 2015. He made his first appearance with the National Rugby League at 19.
He is the youngest player in over ten years to win the NRL title after leading the point scores with a total point of two hundred and twenty-eight points in the season that ended in 2017. Consequently, he has held the title of the youngest player ever to score 200 points in a single season.
Cleary continues his meteoric rise in 2018, making his first appearance for the Origin and guiding NSW to a run victory against Queensland. In two thousand nineteenth year, that marked more achievement for Henathan, with him hitting a 34-point haul of four tries.
He also scored nine goals against Newcastle. With this, he set a new club record for scoring the most points in a single match, a record earlier held by Michael Gordon.
Cleary won the Dally M Halfback of the Year in consecutive years of 2020 and 2021. He is the winner of the coveted Clive Churchill Medal competition as the star player in the grand final match in 2021. He continues to win the premiership in 2022, makes a test appearance for Australia, and guides Kangaroos to winning the World Cup.
1. Kalyn Ponga, a Player in the Knights Club
Kalyn Ponga will earn a whopping 1.4 million dollar salary in 2023.
Ponga is arguably one of the best players ever in the NRL. He has become one of his generation’s most skilful and experienced players in the national league. He was crowned the medal winner for the Danny Buderus in 2018 and also in 2020.
He was previously a junior in Mackay leagues and first appeared in 2016 while playing for the New Queensland Cowboys. Before joining the Newcastle club in 2018, Kalyn Ponga almost scooped the Daily M Medal in his first season while donning the red and blue apparel.
Ponga is a highlight-reel machine playing five-eighth for the upcoming season. He is also a representative for the Queensland Origin team and has signed a deal that will last at least until the conclusion of the 2027 season.
So, here are the top ten NRL stars in terms of earnings! You might enjoy gawking incoherently at these handsome NRL players and daydreaming about how you would spend the money they earn!