m0j0 said:You still think you're a chance of getting Orford?
LESStar58 said:Then we signed Crocker. Now its very likely we'll get benny Ross and we have a marginally improved forward pack.
Renowned League Expert said:The Roosters have lost more quality players to the salary cap, and let go more quality players, than any other club over the last four or five seasons.
Barnett
Lam
Bonetti
Mullins
Widders
Sing
Cusack
Heggarty
Solomona
Barnhill
Byrne
Andrew Walker
Fletcher
Fittler
Crocker
Green
Lomu
Hodges
Grothe
And that's just the obvious ones.
So don't tell me the cap isn't biting.
Nuffy said:The salary cap is a convenient excuse for the Roosters to punt blokes whilst bringing in higher paid players.
As for signing Harrison and Anasta and losing a brace of players to accomodate them, olympic class bullsh*t.
Crocker was on a very low contract signed before he was a rep player, Firman has been paid out so his Roosters portion is still attributable to the cap, Ricketson was on a lowball contract signed as an afterthought due to Roosters fans kicking up a stink, Cayless was still on the contract he signed as a reserve grader from Parra. None of this adds up to a massive windfall of new money.
Plus the Roosters have upgraded Flannerys contract, Finch's, Tupou's and signed Harrison and looking at Anasta, Harrison and Anasta have to be a min 600K of new money
To add to a team that contains Wing, Fitzgibbon, Mini, Cross, Morley, Mona's, Roberts.
Then you have to factor in auto upgrades for the young blokes who make FG like Soward?
Even making an allowance for a discount to join a successful roster........it is a roster stacked with current origin and australian reps and top liners in every position.
It makes you wonder how the Roosters can spend 3.25M and assemble a team like that whilst other teams spend the same money and have no where near the same quality of roster.
It just seems too good to be true!
Nuffy said:Kiwi
You may be right, but lets say theres a 100k variation in the amount, still seems a pretty amazing roster compared to most other clubs who may have one or two stars and 3-4 topliners with the rest as solid FG'ers or up and comers.
I'm yet to see a plausible explaination on how the salary cap is actually distributing the talent.............the Roosters lose a Todd Bryne and pick up a Roberts AND Mona's.
Plus I will ask the same question of the Eels, they went on a spending spree last year of at least 1M. After spending that sort of money.............guess what, they can still sign everyone of their name players who are off contract as well as giving Hindmarsh a upgrade, now thats quite an achievement.
Nuffy said:The roster next year will include:
Harrison SOO
Anasta........assuming he signs SOO
Morley International
Cross Rep
Wing SOO / Aust
Mini SOO / Aust
Roberts Rep
Monas Rep
Finch
Topou
Fitzgibbon SOO / Aust
Flannery SOO
Have I missed any? Thats 7 current SOO reps in one team???????
Bumble said:Every member of their first grade starting 13 next year will have played rep football in the last 2 years.
OH, except Soliola.
ParraDude_Jay said:Tri-nations at the end of the year, he'll be there so make that the whole side. Has Monaghan played rep footy though?
Renowned League Expert said:No longer wanted, my arse. We would have liked to have kept 90% of them.
Who have we signed over the last 5 years?
2001 - Morley
2002 - Mullins, Cayless, Robinson, Hodges
2003 - Finch, Catic, Payton, Walker (mid season)
2004 - Lester
Now balance that against the players we have lost.
nqboy said:2005 - Monaghan, Roberts, Firman, Fa'aoso. And none of those came cheap. And then you had to upgrade Mini, Fitzy, Cayless and Tupou inter alia along the way. And you're probably still paying for Hodges to play for Brisbane.
That list of releases posted earlier is a joke. There's hardly a player in there that was on a decent wage at the time he was released.