CANTERBURY are paying just $50,000 to have match-winner Krisnan Inu on their books for the bulk of this season.
Their recent signing of the Kiwi international from the Warriors could turn out to be the best business any club does this season, considering the ability Inu has to either set up or score freakish tries.
Inu was on a contract worth $325,000 a season at the Warriors which ran until the end of next year. And, since player contracts begin on November 1, the Warriors had already paid nearly seven months of his wages - about $182,500 - when they gave him a release last week.
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But of the remaining fee - about $142,500 - the Bulldogs are paying only $50,000, which means Inu is on a second-tier contract at the club. The Herald has learned that, to complete the deal to have Inu taken off their books, the Warriors agreed to pay almost two-thirds of what was left on his deal for this season.
It is not unusual for clubs to pay some of the money left on a player's contract if they want to offload them, and it made sense for the Warriors since Inu was on $325,000 again next season and he had struggled to make first grade this season, appearing just three times in the first 11 rounds.
But one club's trash is sometimes another's treasure, and the Bulldogs were prepared on gamble on finding the key to the enigmatic winger or centre.
The downside of Inu's game is his penchant for making big mistakes as well as big plays, but the Bulldogs are banking on two-time premiership coach Des Hasler weeding the rubbish out of his game and making him the bargain buy of the year.
Canterbury signed Inu until the end of 2015. They originally negotiated to sign him from next season, but after being hit by a dramatic injury toll affecting their rostered wingers they made a successful bid to pick him up immediately. Under the deal, the Warriors are not paying any of Inu's wages for next season, but the Bulldogs still got a potential bargain there as well, because Inu, to get a long-term deal, was prepared to sign for about $100,000 less per season than he was on at the Warriors.
The bonus for the Warriors, and the reason they were prepared to pay some of his remaining wages this season, is that by being able to offload a highly-paid player who they decided was surplus to their needs they suddenly have space under the salary cap for next season.
Asked how the Inu release evolved, Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said: ''We explained to Krisnan that it was unlikely he would be looking at a new contract here, on top of the current one that ended next season.
''His management went looking for opportunities for him and came up with a three-year offer at the Bulldogs, starting next year. Then, with the injuries the Bulldogs had, the club became keen on getting him straight away. We just wanted to do the right thing by the player.
''There were no issues with Krisnan off the field. The situation was that he wasn't getting picked in first grade, and, given the level of contract he was on, that explains it all. He was disappointed to go, and we wished him the best.''
Asked if he wished to confirm the financial arrangement the Warriors and Bulldogs had come to regarding Inu for this season, Scurrah replied: ''I don't want to go into that. We were comfortable with the deal.''
Canterbury chief executive Todd Greenberg didn't want to talk figures either. ''I'm not going to get into contract specifics,'' he said. ''All I will say is that we're very happy with the deal we did on Krisnan.''
Inu starred for Canterbury in their win over Sydney Roosters on Monday night, and will go around again for the Bulldogs in their game against South Sydney at ANZ Stadium tonight.
