NRL Player Movements & Rumours

[Kooly87]

Knights offer Ponga $4.5m deal — and leave door ajar for All Blacks switch at 2023 RWC

Knights offer Ponga historic $4.5m mega deal — complete with an All Blacks loophole

www.foxsports.com.au

So it would seem the Knights have moved first to try and lock down Ponga long term with a 4 year deal reported at $4.5 million.

Curious to see what people think of that sort of offer and whether we:

A) Can actually match it?
B) Should actually match it?
C) Will need to offer more/less to tempt him?

Personally I thought the Knights offer would be a little higher. Ponga for well under $1.2 million a season over 4 years, starting in 2022 with the salary cap obviosuly increasing along the way, actually seems to be fairly middle of the road for what some people in the media were suggesting he could attract. Personally I'd be surprised if that's the best deal he can get from anyone.

 

[Waynesaurus]

Yeah you would think the smart move would be for him to hold out and see what the market offers.

 

[Kimlo]

Knights offer Ponga $4.5m deal — and leave door ajar for All Blacks switch at 2023 RWC

Knights offer Ponga historic $4.5m mega deal — complete with an All Blacks loophole

www.foxsports.com.au

So it would seem the Knights have moved first to try and lock down Ponga long term with a 4 year deal reported at $4.5 million.

Curious to see what people think of that sort of offer and whether we:

A) Can actually match it?
B) Should actually match it?
C) Will need to offer more/less to tempt him?

Personally I thought the Knights offer would be a little higher. Ponga for well under $1.2 million a season over 4 years, starting in 2022 with the salary cap obviosuly increasing along the way, actually seems to be fairly middle of the road for what some people in the media were suggesting he could attract. Personally I'd be surprised if that's the best deal he can get from anyone.

A) Yes
B) No
C) Way less

- Why is the salary cap "obviously increasing?" There's no guarantee the next TV deal is any bigger than the current and if we're backing a new team the funds will be split even more than before.

 

[Kooly87]

A) Yes
B) No
C) Way less

- Why is the salary cap "obviously increasing?" There's no guarantee the next TV deal is any bigger than the current and if we're backing a new team the funds will be split even more than before.

The Salary Cap is 'obviously increasing' because the NRL said it is:

2018	$9.1million Top 30 base salary cap for Season 2018 increasing to $9.7m in season 2022 plus $0.2m p.a Veteran and Developed Player allowance and $0.1m p.a car allowance

 

[Kimlo]

The Salary Cap is 'obviously increasing' because the NRL said it is:

2018	$9.1million Top 30 base salary cap for Season 2018 increasing to $9.7m in season 2022 plus $0.2m p.a Veteran and Developed Player allowance and $0.1m p.a car allowance

It's only going up 6.6% in the next 3 years which isn't significant when we're speaking about a 1.2M player salary it's basically inflation, after 2022 I don't see it going up unless the NRL score a killer TV deal.

I wouldn't give Ponga move than 1m unless the salary cap jumped to like 11-12M.

 

[Kooly87]

It's only going up 6.6% in the next 3 years which isn't significant when we're speaking about a 1.2M player salary it's basically inflation, after 2022 I don't see it going up unless the NRL score a killer TV deal.

I wouldn't give Ponga move than 1m unless the salary cap jumped to like 11-12M.

I didn't say anything about any TV deal? I simply said the offer was $1.125 per year over 4 years, and that the cap would have increased from it's current level by the time the deal was relevant, just to ensure the amount was put into the correct context.

You could honestly have just "Apologies, I didn't realise the cap was already scheduled to increase, thanks for letting me know" and it would have saved us all the trouble.

I didn't comment one way or the other on if I felt we should offer Ponga more or less, I simply asked the question, so you're arguing with me to prove a point I haven't even made.

 

[john1420]

If he wants to play for Brisbane, and we have to be near the offer, no problemo.
If he wants to play for the highest bidder, no, he can **** right off.

 

[Kooly87]

If he wants to play for Brisbane, and we have to be near the offer, no problemo.
If he wants to play for the highest bidder, no, he can **** right off.

Yeah, we probably can't, nor should we want to be, the highest bidder. We have lots to offer him that other clubs simply don't or can't at the same level.

I think the Knights offer won't be the most lucrative one he receives by any stretch though.

 

[Kimlo]

I didn't say anything about any TV deal? I simply said the offer was $1.125 per year over 4 years, and that the cap would have increased from it's current level by the time the deal was relevant, just to ensure the amount was put into the correct context.

You could honestly have just "Apologies, I didn't realise the cap was already scheduled to increase, thanks for letting me know" and it would have saved us all the trouble.

I didn't comment one way or the other on if I felt we should offer Ponga more or less, I simply asked the question, so you're arguing with me to prove a point I haven't even made.

Oh it's a lot of trouble. You asked for opinions on that Ponga deal, I gave it. The salary cap going up inline with inflation doesn't swing my answer at all. Given we are discussing a 4 year deal beginning in 2022 I assumed any salary cap increase would be relevant after that, the salary cap could go down with the next TV Deal, or freeze for 5 years, we don't know really.

1.2M would put him right up there as the highest earner in the game, you asked the question, you got an answer. Me asking you a clarifying question isn't an argument.

 

[BroncsFan]

Harry Grant asks Storm for a release to join the Wests Tigers

Grant asks Storm for a release, telling club: ‘I need to play footy’

www.foxsports.com.au

Apparently Harry Grant now looking for a release so he can play footy.

Mate the situation hasn't changed from 6 months ago when you re-signed with storm, but now you realise you can't sit behind Cam for the rest of your career.

He should've been looking to move on last year.

 

[Wolfie]

I really wish we would get in there for him. He is going to be streets ahead of any hooker on our books.

 

[BroncsFan]

I really wish we would get in there for him. He is going to be streets ahead of any hooker on our books.

Agreed... I think if he went to market last year, or at least indicated he was going to market, we could've aligned things to have a crack, but he's backed himself into a corner where his options are limited now.

There is a serious dearth of hookers in the NRL at the moment... if he had proposed to move on earlier (instead of intending to sit behind Cam and BSmith) he could well put himself inline for origin... such is the state of the QLD side.

Hopefully if he signs with the tigs it's a short deal and we can have a crack at him again after that.

 

[Kooly87]

Agreed... I think if he went to market last year, or at least indicated he was going to market, we could've aligned things to have a crack, but he's backed himself into a corner where his options are limited now.

There is a serious dearth of hookers in the NRL at the moment... if he had proposed to move on earlier (instead of intending to sit behind Cam and BSmith) he could well put himself inline for origin... such is the state of the QLD side.

Hopefully if he signs with the tigs it's a short deal and we can have a crack at him again after that.

Yeah that's the weird thing about it, he not long ago re-signed and he knew full well who was in front of him at that point, and now he's apparently desperate to get out of the place and play NRL this year. Just seems odd to say the least.

Given Macca and Turpin both looked out of the question for us 12 months ago, it's amazing to think we could easily have been able to table an offer for Harry Grant that might have tempted him.

 

[Kimlo]

Agreed... I think if he went to market last year, or at least indicated he was going to market, we could've aligned things to have a crack, but he's backed himself into a corner where his options are limited now.

There is a serious dearth of hookers in the NRL at the moment... if he had proposed to move on earlier (instead of intending to sit behind Cam and BSmith) he could well put himself inline for origin... such is the state of the QLD side.

Hopefully if he signs with the tigs it's a short deal and we can have a crack at him again after that.

It appears Melbourne will only release him for 1 year, so he can sign elsewhere if they release him but has to go back to them in 2021-2022. Kind of like the whole Kahu thing.

 

[Sproj]

It appears Melbourne will only release him for 1 year, so he can sign elsewhere if they release him but has to go back to them in 2021-2022. Kind of like the whole Kahu thing.

And the NRL will ok it despite being essentially being what they were trying to do but just in a different way.

 

[Foordy]

And the NRL will ok it despite being essentially being what they were trying to do but just in a different way.

The difference being, this time they don't get a player in return

 

[Kimlo]

The difference being, this time they don't get a player in return

Yep, which is what the issue was, the player they wanted would put them over the cap. So they can release him, they just can't sign a player on a higher wage as I assume they're on the edge of their cap space as is.

 

[Sproj]

Yep, which is what the issue was, the player they wanted would put them over the cap. So they can release him, they just can't sign a player on a higher wage as I assume they're on the edge of their cap space as is.

But they still need to replace him with a low wage dude. But yeah, I take the point that it helps them out but they still keep him signed.