Cameron Smith has sent a warning to Payne Haas as the Broncos star appears to be on the verge of sealing a lucrative long-term NRL contract extension.
Haas is reportedly set to sign a six-year extension, with a pay-rise expected as part of the deal. The NSW Blues big man is currently earning approximately $750,000 a season in Brisbane on a contract that is valid until the end of 2024.
Smith urged Haas, 21, to proceed with caution when it came to long-term contracts, arguing that even if the money looks attractive now, it might not look as good several years down the track.
“You’ve just got to be careful,” Smith said on SEN radio.
“Once you sign a contract, clearly you agree to the terms of the length of the contract and the financial part of it as well.
“When you sign, clearly, you’re happy with the terms of the deal at the time, so it’s really hard to turn around and say two years into that contract that, ‘I’m worth more money’, if you weren’t playing well, would you turn around and volunteer to give up money? I don’t think so.
“You’ve got to be careful there, if you’re playing well enough and your actions and football is doing the talking then any club in their right mind would come to you and say, ‘You’re doing a good job, let’s have some discussions on extending your contract and upgrading your current terms’.”
READ MORE: Out of contract Bulldogs half Lachlan Lewis to get whacked with big fine
READ MORE: Shardul Thakur hits fastest Test 50 ever in England
READ MORE: Aussie billionaire’s ‘unexpected’ cash bonus for medal-winning Olympians
After nearly two decades in the game Smith knows about the potential downsides to long-term deals for players.
“I just think he needs to be careful with the way he goes about it, which I think he is,” Smith said.
“He’s certainly backing it up on the field, and there’s certainly no dramas between he and the club but it’s just something he needs to sort out away from footy.”
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here