NRL set to grant Roosters $350,000 cap relief after Cordner concussion
The NRL is set to grant the Sydney Roosters $350,000 in salary cap relief following medical advice to sit Boyd Cordner out for at least the first 12 rounds of the 2021 season.
Under the NRL’s representative injury policy, if a player is injured while playing for their state or country, the club is entitled to up to $350,000 in salary cap relief.
The future of NSW and Roosters captain Boyd Cordner is uncertain.Credit:Getty
Cordner fits into that category having suffered a concussion in last year’s State of Origin series opener. NRL sources have told the Herald the exemption would be applied following the Roosters’ submission last week.
It’s expected the Roosters will receive the maximum $350,000 compensation given Cordner is on close to $800,000 a season at the club. He hasn’t been training with the group but is with the squad at a preseason camp on NSW’s south coast.
To qualify for maximum dispensation, a player must miss three months of the NRL season and be replaced with a like-for-like player.
Some will argue Cordner’s response to the concussion he suffered in Origin I in November was amplified by a series of head knocks he suffered playing for the Roosters.
The Cordner news comes almost 12 months to the day since the NRL handed Canterbury $350,000 in salary cap relief following a shoulder injury to former playmaker Kieran Foran.Credit:Getty
The NRL is aware of a growing perception among some clubs of favouritism towards the Roosters, but won’t shy away from applying the rule.
The Roosters have arguably led the way when it comes to dealing with concussions and are understood to be willing to rest their skipper for the entire season if medical advice calls for it.
The NRL is reviewing its concussion protocols and awaiting medical advice before putting recommendations to the ARL Commission, likely in the coming weeks, that could modernise the way the code implements its welfare policy.
It comes almost 12 months to the day since the NRL handed Canterbury $350,000 in salary cap relief following a shoulder injury to former playmaker Kieran Foran during an end-of-season Test match for New Zealand in 2019.
Canterbury, who at the time were paying close to $1.2 million a season for Foran’s services, called for the NRL to review the compensation policy. Club management wanted teams to receive 80 per cent of a player’s contract instead of capping relief at $350,000.
Foran needed surgery after the injury, which he picked up at Eden Park while playing against Great Britain 15 months ago. Canterbury expressed concern their marquee signing could potentially miss the entire season. Instead, Foran returned in round four and the Bulldogs were unable to replace him with a like-for-like player, restricting the value of relief.
The relief rule was introduced after Canberra hooker Josh Hodgson injured his knee playing for England against Tonga in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, missing 14 rounds for the Raiders the following season as a result.
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