Revealed: The full extent of the Knights salary cap woes

[Johns Magic]

I don't even put that on Tinkler/Bennett.

At the time we were signing the best winger in the world who was worth that much. How much he slid in such a short time would have been difficult to foresee and is a risk you have to take with any great player you sign on a long-term contract.

He is only 28, it's not like we signed him for four years ending at 33.

It is just a very unfortunate situation IMO. His contract calamity pales in comparison to plenty of others I've heard of at the club in my eyes.

 

[perverse]

I don't even put that on Tinkler/Bennett.

At the time we were signing the best winger in the world who was worth that much. How much he slid in such a short time would have been difficult to foresee and is a risk you have to take with any great player you sign on a long-term contract.

He is only 28, it's not like we signed him for four years ending at 33.

It is just a very unfortunate situation IMO. His contract calamity pales in comparison to plenty of others I've heard of at the club in my eyes.

I agree with you, I was very supportive of keeping him at the time (I'm sure most of us celebrated the re-signing, actually). We just got burned at the end of the day... it's not like we signed him off a single season of good form, either. He was 3 years running Winger of the Year and looking possible to be one of the great Rugby League wingers.

It's not a very popular opinion with Knights fans, though. If you're going to point the finger anywhere, it has to be at the guys that wrote up the contract. I think I said at the time, or have at least since... but it wasn't really the value of the contract that burned us as much as the length. 3 or even 4 years at $500k would have been easier to deal with than the big 5. 5 year deals seem to have a shocking success rate.

 

[Mr_Knightside]

To be fair to Aku, if someone offered me $500K to do the bare minimum and stay in the town I love then I would probably be happy to stick around in reserve grade too.

 

[Alex28]

It might just be my pettiness and hatred of Manly, if it means we pay a cent of their salary for Aku next year I'd rather he rot in our reggies...

 

[Apey]

Went ahead and moved the Ian discussion (oops) to its own thread in order to not derail this topic any further.

 

[Wizardman]

Bennett eased your cap woes by taking your secretary and son Darius with him to QLD.

 

[perverse]

Bennett eased your cap woes by taking your secretary and son Darius with him to QLD.

Yeah, he's only gotta pay him half of what he had to pay him here, too. lol.