NRL Player Movements & Rumours

[Super Freak]

All I see is superstars staying for a lot less money than they could get elsewhere.
This raises big red flags for me considering we know they are willing to cheat the system.

Sure they lost a few, but they have arguably kept their best, and all for unders. The only big loss is Brandon Smith, and they lost him for two reasons.
1 - they have Harry Grant.
2 - their brown paper bags are not as heavy as uncle Nicks.

The Storm have a dirty record for a reason, and their retention of superstars on minimum wage is matched only by the Roosters, who have the running joke in the NRL world as operating under the salary sombrero.

We had a bunch of superstar players in our '06 side that could have made more money going elsewhere, were we cheating the cap?

 

[Midean]

We had a bunch of superstar players in our '06 side that could have made more money going elsewhere, were we cheating the cap?

Probably. That changes nothing in context to the Storm. It also doesn't make it right.
We also have not had a premiership stripped for cheating the cap, so there is no precedence with us.

 

[Super Freak]

Probably. That changes nothing in context to the Storm. It also doesn't make it right.
We also have not had a premiership stripped for cheating the cap, so there is no precedence with us.

It wouldn't make it right if they were, but it's clutching at straws to think this side is over the cap.

Storm sides in the past when Smith was still there, it's plausible. But this one, with the players they have lost and the reported money they were on. It just doesn't add up.

 

[Sproj]

I’m not sure they won’t lose more players in the future. They’ve lost some big money players but also upgraded Grant, Welch, Coates and Hughes. Some significantly.

 

[Culhwch]

Is Munster even worth 1.4 mil a year in Redcliffe? He's a great player, but can he be the guy if he doesn't have much around him? I have some doubts.

Maybe he didn't want that pressure, and preferred to stay in Melbourne where he could be just one of the big guns, play alongside Grant, Hughes and Paps, and potentially win a couple more premierships.

 

[holdzy]

Is Munster even worth 1.4 mil a year in Redcliffe? He's a great player, but can he be the guy if he doesn't have much around him? I have some doubts.

Maybe he didn't want that pressure, and preferred to stay in Melbourne where he could be just one of the big guns, play alongside Grant, Hughes and Paps, and potentially win a couple more premierships.

I wonder how much Bellamy’s ongoing influence after coaching factored into all these long contracts?

 

[Tristan1990]

I'd love to see the make-up of the storm cap... the big 4 doesn't leave alot of money for the rest of the top 30

 

[Bull Shark]

It's a RL cliche but the Roosters' roster & salary cap situation has a lot more question marks and dodginess about it than Melbourne's, imo.. The Roosters have 14 players who'll be involved at the upcoming World Cup. They're loaded from 1 to 13 and have just added Brandon Smith and are upgrading Sam Walker & Suaalii..

 

[IceWorks]

It's a RL cliche but the Roosters' roster & salary cap situation has a lot more question marks and dodginess about it than Melbourne's, imo.. The Roosters have 14 players who'll be involved at the upcoming World Cup. They're loaded from 1 to 13 and have just added Brandon Smith and are upgrading Sam Walker & Suaalii..

Does anyone have figures for the Roosters squad? Presumably they have a lot of players on low salaries to compensate for their half dozen star salaries.. could work but it does seem like they are always upgrading and not downgrading :)

 

[IceWorks]

I'd love to see the make-up of the storm cap... the big 4 doesn't leave alot of money for the rest of the top 30

As I understand it they really get awesome value out of their forwards.. No show ponies on 1M in their forward pack but a lot of underpaid valuable contributors.

 

[Morkel]

Have the Rooters released anyone yet? Last I heard the NRL refused to register Chrighton's contract for next year as it would put them over the cap. Is someone in their squad due a failed drug test?

 

[Foordy]

Have the Rooters released anyone yet? Last I heard the NRL refused to register Chrighton's contract for next year as it would put them over the cap. Is someone in their squad due a failed drug test?

they released Verrills and SST signed elsewhere.

so clearly they now have the money for Brandon Smith, Crichton and Haas. with a bit left over for a rainy day

 

[Bull Shark]

they released Verrills and SST signed elsewhere.

so clearly they now have the money for Brandon Smith, Crichton and Haas. with a bit left over for a rainy day

They’ve probably got a ‘war chest’ after missing out on Munster

 

[Galah]

Have the Rooters released anyone yet? Last I heard the NRL refused to register Chrighton's contract for next year as it would put them over the cap. Is someone in their squad due a failed drug test?

Nostradamus?

 

[Morkel]

Nostradamus?

Nah, my last prediction fell down at the final hurdle. Turns out the world wasn't ending in 2012.

 

[Jason Simmons]

It's just not logical to think they're cheating the cap when you look at their losses and gains. Those 4 players alone would have freed up a very big chunk of their cap.

They had already ‘lost’ all those players when they couldn’t afford to upgrade Munster, in the first place…

Somehow though losing no-one after that offer, they suddenly found a spare $350k a season in their cap to get Munster’s deal over the line…

Interesting they were previously unaware of this money…

 

[Wolfie]

We had a bunch of superstar players in our '06 side that could have made more money going elsewhere, were we cheating the cap?

I've said it on here before, but even in recent times we have used our financial contacts to help us do some dodgy deals for players. For example, getting a $20k plus trade in on a car worth about $4k at best.

 

[Super Freak]

They had already ‘lost’ all those players when they couldn’t afford to upgrade Munster, in the first place…

Somehow though losing no-one after that offer, they suddenly found a spare $350k a season in their cap to get Munster’s deal over the line…

Interesting they were previously unaware of this money…

Right about the amount the cap increases by in 2024.