hardbaby
Coach
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- 16,007
Like many supporters I am pretty disillusioned by many elements of this season. My main concerns centre around the management, coaching and recruitment strategies. And I have a theory.
It seems like the Dragons are under the salary cap but don't really have money to splash around. Now we know they spent a bomb on Bennett for 3 years. Did we spend too much?
Historically teams struggle after losing a grand final. I wonder if Doust hasn't decided to go with Price for 2 years, thus saving at least $1 million on the coach. Price was endorsed by the master so if it doesn't work out he can apportion the blame. And Price would be bargain basement price. Maybe he needed a cheap coach. Maybe he even expected him to fall on his sword. That's how Boards work.
When Bennett took his core training team with him to the Knights, they were certainly replaced at a lesser price - maybe a saving of $500 000 over two years.
Then we spend under the cap for 2 years - it sounds like about $350 000 this year and seemingly more next year. Maybe we have saved $1 million there as well. We have just saved $2.5 million and that's pretty conservative in my estimation.
We also have long term and well paid servants retiring at the end of next season. With plenty of front loaded contracts we will have opened up space to build an awesome side in the future. That's the advantage of going "unders" in consecutive years.
In 2014 we become financially sound (new tv revenue flows in + 2 years of fiscal prudence). Remember there is a difference between the salary cap and our actual ability to pay. Anyone can spend up to the cap...provided you have the money. I don't think we do. But in 2014 that should have changed.
The nuts and guts of it all is that Doust may have thought we were f**ked one way or the other. Let's take some pain now and hope our senior players and young coach can pull us through. The core nucleus of a great side was still there and the coach was Bennett's protege. Then go hard in 2014 with a new coach, new captain, marquee players etc.
Of course, no one would ever admit to this strategy but the more I look at the situation we are in, the more I think this is exactly what has happened.
Thoughts?
It seems like the Dragons are under the salary cap but don't really have money to splash around. Now we know they spent a bomb on Bennett for 3 years. Did we spend too much?
Historically teams struggle after losing a grand final. I wonder if Doust hasn't decided to go with Price for 2 years, thus saving at least $1 million on the coach. Price was endorsed by the master so if it doesn't work out he can apportion the blame. And Price would be bargain basement price. Maybe he needed a cheap coach. Maybe he even expected him to fall on his sword. That's how Boards work.
When Bennett took his core training team with him to the Knights, they were certainly replaced at a lesser price - maybe a saving of $500 000 over two years.
Then we spend under the cap for 2 years - it sounds like about $350 000 this year and seemingly more next year. Maybe we have saved $1 million there as well. We have just saved $2.5 million and that's pretty conservative in my estimation.
We also have long term and well paid servants retiring at the end of next season. With plenty of front loaded contracts we will have opened up space to build an awesome side in the future. That's the advantage of going "unders" in consecutive years.
In 2014 we become financially sound (new tv revenue flows in + 2 years of fiscal prudence). Remember there is a difference between the salary cap and our actual ability to pay. Anyone can spend up to the cap...provided you have the money. I don't think we do. But in 2014 that should have changed.
The nuts and guts of it all is that Doust may have thought we were f**ked one way or the other. Let's take some pain now and hope our senior players and young coach can pull us through. The core nucleus of a great side was still there and the coach was Bennett's protege. Then go hard in 2014 with a new coach, new captain, marquee players etc.
Of course, no one would ever admit to this strategy but the more I look at the situation we are in, the more I think this is exactly what has happened.
Thoughts?