Abacus is spot on here. Tamou signed in 2016, the releases talked about would not have been on the cards then because nobody knew what Cartwright or Moylan were going to do, or whether Peachey was going to have a breakout year (he didn't) or whether Latu finally shows he is a top class prop (he isn't so far) or what would happen to some of our youngsters like Edwards. How could Gus possibly plan what happened so he could accommodate Tamou at $750k and an increase for Cleary?
James Tamou gets crap poured on him on here based purely on a number pulled out of somebody's arse. Meanwhile, people "who know people" say actually its more like $450k, any reasonable analysis of cap management points to about $450k. I have no doubt he has TPA's and a few other things, not included on the cap to top up his package and it would be maybe $550k, but again, I'm guessing. I'm going to judge him based on what he does, not on whether he is good value for money because nobody has a clue what that value is. He is out there getting his head bashed in every week, spilling blood for the club. He doesn't deserve the scorn just because somebody made a number up.
BTW, the cap covers 30 players not 25.
How's this for reasonable? Obviously basing this on reported figures. Or undervalued guesses.
$2.4m cap increase
$600k Moylan
$500k Cartwight
$200k TMM
$200K Rein
$400k Hiku
$300k Latu
Akauolo minimum wage.
$4.7m 'extra'.
Maloney on $850k
Philips on $100k.
5x minimum wage players to take 25 to 30 $500k.
Add another 5 guys in our top 25 at an overstated $300k each (generous since Tamou is supposedly only on $450k and Mansour isnt worth near $400k). $1.5m for these 5 new top 25 players.
That's only $3m out of the $4.4m. For 2019 we are set to lose Peachey and most probably Mansour.
By any reasonable analysis of the cap. The only way you can explain how we are anywhere near thr cap is if the figures about Merrin and Tamou are accurate.
Eels were paying Watmong $850k a season.
Tigers are paying McQueen $400k a season.
Roosters offered Crichton $850k a season.
Cowboys supposedly had a 4 year $2.4m deal to try keeping Tamou and he would have been taking a paycut to stay.
Carty was on $500k before a TPA. Moylan on $600k before one. Yet people think Tamou accepted a pissy $450k contract?
If he were on that then its more concerning that our cap is f**ked. How can we release $2m of talent after a $2.4m cap increase and still be unable to keep guys like Peachey and Mansour?
Paying Tamou $750k a season would be less insane than having all our nobodies filling the top 30 on contracts well above minimum wage.
