You're not comparing the same thing here though. The Eels paid for potential, and it looks to be working out for them, but it could easily have gone the other way.
Better off comparing Radrara to Sione's deal, rather than Aku's.
The Eel's giving a broken down Watmough 800k a year is more Aku-like, but it looks like they'll get lucky with that deal too.
Its still value for money, when we re-signed him, he wasn't a current rep player but got Origin / AU rep player money. Why and how many more players on the roster are in the same boat.
I've got this image of the Knights panicking when a crowd favourite even hints at leaving, so they throw the kitchen sink at them, they are worried about blowback from the Nanna's. I reckon thats what happened with the Mata utia Bros, we panicked because the Dogs got under our guard and we just went nuts to keep them then Hages, Stone Et al look like they know what they are doing but our cap is a mess behind the scenes.
Re Watmough, I think they've done it specifically to get around the cap, he had no intention of seeing out the deal and they didnt want him to, they just wanted a couple of years at a low $ value, then he gets a big payout thats not under the cap as he is retiring through injury.
