However, the value of the deal is causing consternation.
According to sources close to the negotiations, the Dragons are aggrieved at being accused of undervaluing their side’s heartbeat, with suggestions they only tabled a bid of $700,000 a year. Sources say the actual figure is significantly higher.
Dragons captain Ben Hunt remains in limbo as he pursues a contract extension with the Dragons.Credit:Getty
Hunt’s preference is to stay, and he’s happy with the length of what is a final deal, but the parties are said to be about $200,000 apart on the overall package.
Either way, the proposed terms will kick Hunt out of the million dollar club he is currently a member of, alongside a select few including Nathan Cleary and Daly Cherry-Evans.
However, it still represents a significant investment by the club for a player who will be in his mid-30s, even though he is on track to play all but one game for his club this year despite a grueling Origin campaign. .
NRL clubs still don’t know what the salary cap is for next year and beyond until the end of the next broadcast rights calendar, meaning a slew of deals are likely to include ratchet clauses allowing their salary to increase in proportion to the value of the players’ total payout pool.
While collective bargaining negotiations are still in their infancy, stakeholders privately expect the salary cap to reach around $11 million next year.
Hunt isn’t the only player who wants a quick resolution to his contract status at Red V.
Veteran hooker and 300 player Andrew McCullough said last Sunday ahead of the Dragons’ wild victory over the Titans that he intended to see out the final year of his contract in 2023. A potential replacement, Tigers rake Jacob Liddle, is on the joint venture radar and has met Griffin before.
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Jayden Sullivan, named as an integral part of St George Illawarra’s future, will start at No.9 in the Dragons’ penultimate game of the season against the struggling Tigers with McCullough sidelined with a knee injury.
Sullivan is under contract with the Dragons until the end of 2025, but how much longer will he want to wait for a permanent place in the NRL? Phil Gould and the Bulldogs have been monitoring Sullivan’s situation, but the Dragons still see the 20-year-old as a big part of their future.
The Dragons recently extended forward Billy Burns’ contract for the 2023 season.
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