The NRL have reportedly increased prizemoney for this year's finals series and minor premiership winners by 150 and 100 per cent respectively.
The decision follows the recent confirmation of an in-principle collective bargaining agreement between the Rugby League Players Association and NRL, which had been over two years in the making and was close to a year overdue, having originally had a deadline of October 1 last year.
According to News Corp, the decision has been made to ensure clubs and players are composated for their success this year following criticism from a number of clubs last year over the dollars which were paid for winning both the regular season title and the premiership.
The Penrith Panthers led that criticism, but were backed up by other clubs around the competition. Pay increases for success had been frozen and reduced owing to the COVID pandemic which at one stage threatened the long-term financial security of the game.
The report suggests that winnings for the NRL premiers will rise from $400,000 to $1 million to be shared between players and the club, while winnings for the runner-up who is unsuccessful on grand final day will be up to $400,000 from last year's total of $200,000.
The Penrith Panthers, who are gunning for a three-peat, stand to be the major winners if they can win the hat-trick, having already taken out the last two year's prize pool.
The minor premiership, which is all but down to a two-horse race between the Panthers and Brisbane Broncos, will also see prizemoney raise from $100,000 to $200,000 in a doubling.
As it stands, with three weeks to go, the Panthers and Broncos are equal on competition points, only split by for and against. The Broncos have a bye on the run home though, and the Panthers may need to win three from three to lock up another minor premiership.
The men from the foot of the mountains have shown plenty of willingness to rest players in the final round in seasons gone by, and may lose out on the shield if they do so this year with a clash against the Cowboys to close the campaign.