Brent Read Clears Up The Guidelines Around A Testimonial Match

Triple M’s Brent Read has cleared up the criteria and the guidelines for a testimonial match, saying Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith won’t pocket as much as what’s been reported.

Reports have suggested the two could earn as much as $1.5 million combined from a testimonial match, which has been confirmed for next pre-season.

It’s a sum that has brought about suggestions it is a loophole and exploiting the salary cap, but Read said that wasn’t the case.

“That’s not entirely correct,” he said on Triple M on Friday night.

“I’ve got the guidelines for a testimonial match here, and some of the money needs to go to charity, so they won’t get all the money.

“The NRL’s saying they’ll get $200,000 each. I think the story said $1.5 million? The NRL’s saying they’ll basically get $400,000 between them.”

He said a testimonial match was worth it given the highly strict guidelines on whether a player deserves one.

"Look, there’s a series of guidelines they’ve got to go through. Basically, they’re about the only two players in the game - Billy Slater is the other one - that would qualify,” he said.

You’ve got to be 10 years consecutively part of a top squad, you’ve got to play 250 first grade games, you can’t have left during your contract, (you) can’t have gone overseas, they take into account your off-field integrity issues, they take into account your standing in the game, whether you’re an Origin player or a test player, seniority and whether the player’s contributed to the game outside what they do with their clubs.

“There’s not many players who fit that."