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MADGE’S HEADACHE AS TIGERS CONSIDER CRICHTON BID
The Wests Tigers may have opted against making a big-money play for back-rower Briton Nikora but now they are setting their sights even higher.
According to a
News Corp report, the Tigers are considering making a play for Sydney Roosters star Angus Crichton.
The report claims that Michael Maguire’s close relationship with Crichton from their time at South Sydney could work in the Tigers favour.
No offer has been made though, with the Tigers only said to have held internal talks about making a potential move for Crichton.
Cricthon is off-contract at the end of this year and is said to have agreed to a two-year extension to the Roosters, although it was more a handshake deal.
As it stands, no contract has been signed or registered from the NRL and a salary cap squeeze could leave the Roosters struggling to retain him.
Angus Crichton may be a man-in-demand.Source: Supplied
If the Tigers were to try sign Crichton, it would leave them facing a similar dilemma to the one that saw them opt out of pursuing Nikora.
“The Tigers have got an interest in him but it’s a bit like the situation with Briton Nikora,”
The Australian’s Brent Read explained on
Fox League’s ‘NRL 360’.
“The Tigers had an interest then but it depends how much he wants. If he wants too much money, the Tigers won’t be in the mix because they’re not interested in paying overs for guys and they won’t pay overs for Angus Crichton.”
There is certainly a need for the Tigers to add to their back-row stocks, with Kelma Tuilagi off to Manly, Luke Garner joining Penrith and Luciano Leilua signing with North Queensland.
Angus Crichton will have to make a big call on his future. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Parramatta’s Isaiah Papali’i is on his way but the club could use more help, although Paul Kent applauds the Tigers for not blowing their cap to find the solution.
“They’re not getting tempted into offering another $100,000,” Kent said.
“I love that the Tigers have actually found the discipline to actually start properly evaluating players and say: ‘This is what we think he’s worth and this is where we sit’. They will negotiate up to that cut-off and that’s it.”
Buzz Rothfield argued back that unless the Tigers are prepared to pay “a little bit more”, they will be stuck with the “same roster” that has consistently not produced results.
But Kent was not buying that argument.
“You’ve got to sell the dream,” he said.
“You can’t keep paying overs. That is what’s got them in this problem. What you’ve got to do is start getting your pathways right, the kids coming through have got to start bringing a little bit of appeal to the club and then you’re going to get players seeing all these kids coming through and say to themselves: ‘I’ll go there’ but you can’t keep paying overs. That’s what gets you in that situation.
“The toughest thing to do in football administration is to get your salary cap right, get it balanced — it is very difficult. The minute you pay even $100,000 more than a player is worth, there is $100,000 you can’t spend elsewhere. That is how it begins.
“Crichton would be a good buy for the Tigers... but they can’t lose their nerve and spend too much. They simply can’t do that because the minute you do that, you can’t spend the money elsewhere where you need it.”