When Jason Taumalolo left South Auckland as a teenager to head over the ditch and join North Queensland Cowboys, we were all none-the-wiser. Stories of kiwi teenagers joining the development systems of NRL clubs are common in South Auckland and around Aotearoa, bordering on local folklore just like NRL scouts watching lunch-time games of footy from outside local schools.

Just another league player who had been scouted, just another league player who would probably return home like the majority of the kids who hadn't quite graduated into the NRL. It soon become apparent however that Taumalolo was destined for something greater as whispers started to filter out of Townsville that the Cowboys had a young toko who was simply a beast. Forget Sonny Bill Williams and possibly Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, the Cowboys' decision to snap up Taumalolo as a youngster will go down in history as the greatest #KiwiNRL recruitment move by an Australian club.

Being on a podium with Cooper Cronk as a Dally M winner is nice, being voted by your peers to win the Players' Champion is another sign that Taumalolo goes alright. Averaging over 10m with every carry he takes leads to ticking through games in which you make over 200m consistently, thanks to a unique combination of power, footwork and big minutes, easily tells the story of how good Taumalolo is. Yet, that Taumalolo made his debut back in 2010 as a 17-year-old is probably the key indicator of his ability.

And now Taumalolo has sealed his future with the Cowboys via a long-term deal. You should really stop worrying yourself with figures and how amazing it is that Taumalolo will earn a cool milly. The only amazing thing about it is the yarn of a South Auckland kid cashing in, other than that Taumalolo is merely earning what he deserves and on top of that, the NRL is currently working its way through a period where players are cashing in. This was evident in the NBA in the last season or two where players were gifted salaries that exceeded their playing ability as NBA teams had plenty of money to spend.

The NRL is in that boom. Whether that broadcasting boom continues to blossom throughout the next decade or whether it plateaus is something that only time will tell; it's highly possible that broadcasters just aren't willing to pay more for the rights when the next deal comes up. Players know what's happening, agents definitely know because it means they earn a bigger slice of a player's deal and NRL clubs obviously know.

Acquaint yourselves with the fact that players will earn a lot more with their next deals (a gang of quality players are off-contract this summer) than they are earning now. NRL clubs will throw big money around and that's only because they can, so all good. Some players deserve that money and others? Well those players are only worth what a club offers them.
Taumalolo deserves every cent.

We now have to wonder about that NFL trial, which will lead to nothing for the next 10 years at least. Sure, Taumalolo is nicely suited to giving the NFL a crack but it's plausible that this was a bit of a ploy to ensure that Taumalolo extracted as many years out of this contract as possible; if the Cowboys signed him for four years, Taumalolo is still young enough to try other things after. 10 years seems crazy but you'd be silly not to lock up Taumalolo for as long as you can, especially given that he showed interest in giving the NFL a go.

There's definitely risk in such a long deal, but it's no different to any other contract. If a player signs a two-year deal, there's still risk involved that that player will get injured at any time or that a range of off-field issues could end his career. There's risk either way and while Taumalolo could not be a $1milly-per-season player in six years, given what he's done, his durability and the potential of what he could do, you'd be silly not to take that risk.

Most notably, Taumalolo wants to be a Cowboy for life. When Taumalolo emerged as a NRL freak, there was a battle between Queensland and Aotearoa for his representative services. Taumalolo chose Aotearoa (after reppin' Tonga) and he has been a huge influence on the success of the Kiwis and will be a huge influence in the World Cup. Taumalolo stayed loyal to is country of birth, where he grew up and now he's staying loyal to the club that plucked him out of South Auckland.

Here's to future in which we see Taumalolo bursting on to the footy at full-pace, slicing back behind the ruck with a dynamic step and then carrying three blokes for a couple of extra metres. Get used to it, but first Taumalolo has a World Cup to win with the Kiwis.