Nathan Cleary, Payne Haas, Tom Trbojevic, Isaah Yeo, Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Dylan Edwards, Harry Grant.
Although this list may be starkly similar to the Dally M leader board after Round 1, it is something totally different. These are just a handful of the game’s biggest names who won’t be earning as much as Dylan Brown in 2026 – and some of them aren’t even close.
Upon hearing the news, I pondered how Newcastle were willing to fork out $1.3 million a season just to open the drawbridge for Brown. How can the Knights look at Brown’s career to date and decide that he is worthy of holding the club hostage with a stronghold of a contract that spans a decade?
A brief snapshot of his tenure in the NRL suggests that he isn’t the prince charming that the Knights might think he is.
He spent his first few seasons finding his feet in first grade as all young talents do. In 2022 he had his breakout year – alongside half the Parramatta outfit – and had a magical run to the Grand Final, falling short of a fairy tale finish on the day.
But since then, I haven’t been impressed. Parramatta stuck by Brown in 2023 following an off-field incident which saw him suspended for seven weeks. It came at a time when the Eels were starting to build some momentum after their 0-3 start to the campaign, reaching as high as the top four but losing traction towards the back end of the year and concluding their quest outside the eight.
In 2024, an extensive period on the sidelines for halfback Mitchell Moses undoubtedly shifted expectations onto his halves partner. But with the heat on high and the lights getting bright, Brown could only do so much on the field and Parramatta had their worst finish to a season since their wooden spoon in 2018.
Is it unfair to expect Brown to put the team on his back by taking complete control over every game? Not for $13 million.
Knights fans should be concerned that the club has chewed up almost a quarter of their salary cap for the foreseeable future, but they still don’t have an established halfback.
It’s all well and good to have the big names who will burn their opposition at the stake when they find a bit of space, but what about the games that are on a knife’s edge? What about the times when it’s all locked up with 20 minutes on the clock and they need someone to steer them around the park, kick the ball deep into the corners and give the side some direction?
While Dylan Brown might be an exceptional talent, he has proven that he isn’t a 7. He is a classy five-eighth when he’s on his game, but I can’t see this working out in Newcastle without a fundamentally perfect halfback in the picture.
Issue is, it’s going to be hard to fit another million-dollar man into the line-up if they plan on keeping the likes of Bradman Best, Jacob Saifiti, Tyson Frizell, and Kai Pearce-Paul.
I fear that we may be about to see a repeat of the David Fifita situation – a young talent paid on his potential who has the sword wielded at him for the team’s lacklustre results. Not because it’s all his fault, but because the size of his contract draws all the attention of fans and critics alike.
It’s a sizeable load of pressure and expectation on a 24-year-old whose resume isn’t all too enchanting.
The only way this could possibly work in the Knights’ favour is if the NRL expand the salary cap in the coming years and Brown develops into a top five half in the league. In that instance, there may be a chance that his $1.3 million salary will be less than the other superstars who are at his level. A bit of a perfect storm, but stranger things have happened.
For whatever reason, the Knights’ board must be confident that this will be the case – because when it’s all said and done, if he doesn’t live up to his price tag, no one will blame him for accepting the $13 million happily ever after.
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