THE Panthers are set to pay the price for their success, with the four players chosen for the Blues triggering $45,000 in bonus payments in their contracts.

The Panthers sit on top of the ladder after 12 rounds and were rewarded with the selection of James Maloney, Nathan Cleary, Regan Campbell-Gillard and Tyrone Peachey in Brad Fittler’s team for Origin I.

However the players had stipulations in their contracts, that would reward them with rep bonus payments amounting to $45,000 according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Round 20

Adding to the rep bonuses for the Origin stars, the Panthers face the prospect of an additional payment of $40,000 to their New Zealand players, if they are selected in the Denver Test against England.

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Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, James Fisher-Harris, Corey Harawira-Naera, Dean Whare and Sione Katoa are all in contention for the New Zealand team.

The combination of the rep bonuses could see the club having to pay out as much as $85,000 in rep bonuses which will affect their salary cap.

“That’s where the cap is wrong, the better you go, the more you get penalised,” Penrith CEO Brian Fletcher told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“There’s nothing wrong with us giving them a bonus, we don’t mind paying it, but it’s terrible when you have to put it in the cap. You get penalised twice.”

Perhaps it is time the NRL looked at not including rep bonuses in the cap, so that clubs are not penalised for their player’s success in achieving representative honours.

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