James Tedesco says he could still play at a high level in the NRL for at least another three or four campaigns at least, and the star fullback wants those years to be spent extending his Sydney Roosters legacy.
Tedesco, who’s already 31 this year, says he has “no reason” not to keep playing top-flight rugby league considering his body and mind are still firing on all cylinders.
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He didn’t mince words when speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald this week, all but asking the Roosters to extend him before the impending November 1 cutoff. While there’s been some speculation about the tricolours and its fullback situation, Teddy has been great for much of the season; a run he thinks shows enough to stay.
“The body is feeling good, so I don’t think there’s any reason to not want to keep playing,” Tedesco said.
“I’m the captain of the club, I’ve really enjoyed my career here and I want to finish my career here. I don’t know how long that [future] looks like, but in terms of my body and [how I feel] mentally, I’m in a really good place.”
The veteran Roosters captain then added: “I wanted to focus on my footy this year and let that do the talking. There’s no reason to stress or overthink things. Hopefully, we can get something done in the next couple of months. That would be ideal, but I’m putting all my energy into the finals.”
The biggest sticking point is going to, very simply, be how much cash is in the Bondi coffers. Trent Robinson and the Roosters powerbrokers face the very scary possibility of losing Sam Walker with the young gun halfback going to open market at the end of the year. They want to come armed with the biggest pay check in the league.
Walker is expected to go for at least $1.2 to $1.3 million a season, leaving the Chooks facing some salary cap squeeze elsewhere; a halfback payday that could mean Tedesco won’t be offered the seven-figure deal he’s likely to ask for. He could command as much as $1 million despite his age.
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If Teddy does hit the market in November alongside Walker, only one is likely to stay. The Sporting Base imagines Sydney will prioritise 22-year-old Walker over 31-year-old Tedesco, captain or no.
