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Rumoured Signings

G

gerg

Bench
Messages
2,579
Apey said:
It's really not a valid point. The Storm's team make-up is a lot different to the Panthers. They spend serious $$$ on the spine and little elsewhere, comparably. A strategy my team is about to try starting next year. They're going to do everything they can to keep them, just like Panthers will do the same for their most important players that have been there for all 5 GFs - Cleary, Yeo, To'o etc. Storm would lose their entire spine before Panthers lost Cleary or Yeo.

Panthers have lost great players because they've been a great team across the board. Generally when you're winning competition after competition, the players you lose aren't going to be lesser quality because there are very few lesser quality players to be losing.

As of 2024 GF they had less turnover than Storm so the argument really is baseless.
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So let's just spitball figures. If every storm spine position player is on roughly 1 million each, they have 8 million for the remaining 26 in the squad. That averages out to 320k for every other player. They lured Uti, Coates to the club for more than 320k. Welch was on more than 320k without doubt. Sure there are bit players around them but every player above that 320k threshold immediately lowers the average. Pezet and Wishart both fringe players have turned down offers to move. The young fullback is happy to sit in reserve grade.

Honestly it's not a taboo subject to talk about teams' caps. Manly have 3 million tied up in 3 players, then they had Schuster on ridiculous money, Paseka and Olakatoa and Kaola on decent money.
Like I said I think most teams are doing it but some more blatantly than others.
 
Apey

Apey

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
28,791
gerg said:
So let's just spitball figures. If every storm spine position player is on roughly 1 million each, they have 8 million for the remaining 26 in the squad. That averages out to 320k for every other player. They lured Uti, Coates to the club for more than 320k. Welch was on more than 320k without doubt. Sure there are bit players around them but every player above that 320k threshold immediately lowers the average. Pezet and Wishart both fringe players have turned down offers to move. The young fullback is happy to sit in reserve grade.

Honestly it's not a taboo subject to talk about teams' caps. Manly have 3 million tied up in 3 players, then they had Schuster on ridiculous money, Paseka and Olakatoa and Kaola on decent money.
Like I said I think most teams are doing it but some more blatantly than others.
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No, of course it's not taboo, but your argument is all over the place and I'm not even sure what your point is at this stage. Are you now saying you think they're over the cap because they have a highly paid spine and some other good players too?

Storm have signed 2 players I can think of that weren't rejects of other clubs in the last 5 years.

Sua signed to 2028 last year, Pezet has a clause in his contract that says he's free to negotiate with other clubs if Hughes re-signs past 2026, Wishart had a club option in his current deal to extend him to the end of 2026. Pretty clear they're going to lose one of those players beyond 2026.

Papz is 26 and only signed a 1 year extension for 2026 & a mutual option for 2027. Hardly signing up long term.
 
Bazal

Bazal

Post Whore
Messages
105,405
Apey said:
It's really not a valid point. The Storm's team make-up is a lot different to the Panthers. They spend serious $$$ on the spine and little elsewhere, comparably. A strategy my team is about to try starting next year. They're going to do everything they can to keep them, just like Panthers will do the same for their most important players that have been there for all 5 GFs - Cleary, Yeo, To'o etc. Storm would lose their entire spine before Panthers lost Cleary or Yeo.

Panthers have lost great players because they've been a great team across the board. Generally when you're winning competition after competition, the players you lose aren't going to be lesser quality because there are very few lesser quality players to be losing.

As of 2024 GF they had less turnover than Storm so the argument really is baseless.
Click to expand...

Of course it's a valid point. It's just not indicative of the things people think it is, because they don't take into account all the variables. They just look at perceived cost of the big names and come out with "cheating".

Same with the Roosters tbh. Broncos are a bit different I suppose because of the whole Thoroughbreds thing (is that sill a thing) which I think is super grey at best, but still similar.
 
B

Belza1

Juniors
Messages
164
Bazal said:
It's a valid point. The Storm (and Brisbane) rarely lose their high quality players, but I think the purple f**ks would be mind bogglingly stupid to be cheating the cap again. Well, aside from in the way everyone else does, anyway.

They're a successful team in a one team capital city with a coach who basically gives them all high level Stockholm syndrome. That also comes with a lot of TPA advantages over, say, Wests, but I don't think they're doing anything the rest aren't.

They'll still always be cheats ofc.
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Storm, Eels and Mangy Mutts would have learnt a very harsh lesson when they cheated the cap.
 
G

gerg

Bench
Messages
2,579
Apey said:
No, of course it's not taboo, but your argument is all over the place and I'm not even sure what your point is at this stage. Are you now saying you think they're over the cap because they have a highly paid spine and some other good players too?

Storm have signed 2 players I can think of that weren't rejects of other clubs in the last 5 years.

Sua signed to 2028 last year, Pezet has a clause in his contract that says he's free to negotiate with other clubs if Hughes re-signs past 2026, Wishart had a club option in his current deal to extend him to the end of 2026. Pretty clear they're going to lose one of those players beyond 2026.

Papz is 26 and only signed a 1 year extension for 2026 & a mutual option for 2027. Hardly signing up long term.
Click to expand...

I'm not arguing, we're exchanging ideas, and I wasn't aware that the words I type have a particular framework that is required for you? All I'm saying is to look at the players' clubs have lost, retained and bought and have some discussion and/or scrutiny of it. Rather than simply saying some teams just manage their cap better than others (not suggesting you have done this). Sure there is an element of that but there's things going on.

I threw down some numbers about the Storm's spine and their potential value/salary and how that affects their ability to continue to attract and retain talent. This club manages to turn discards into stars better than most. Outside of that spine there are those three players I named ... Welch, Coates and Uti that were/are allegedly on decent contracts. Combined I'd estimate they could be on up to 2 million. On top of the spine that is half the salary cap which drops the average salary for the rest of the squad down to 260k. So 260k average ... to cover a further 10 top 17 players. And then any of those 10 'starters' .. if they're on more than 260k it drops the average further.

You start estimating some squads and it just doesn't add up.
 
soc123_au

soc123_au

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
20,137
gerg said:
I'm not arguing, we're exchanging ideas, and I wasn't aware that the words I type have a particular framework that is required for you? All I'm saying is to look at the players' clubs have lost, retained and bought and have some discussion and/or scrutiny of it. Rather than simply saying some teams just manage their cap better than others (not suggesting you have done this). Sure there is an element of that but there's things going on.

I threw down some numbers about the Storm's spine and their potential value/salary and how that affects their ability to continue to attract and retain talent. This club manages to turn discards into stars better than most. Outside of that spine there are those three players I named ... Welch, Coates and Uti that were/are allegedly on decent contracts. Combined I'd estimate they could be on up to 2 million. On top of the spine that is half the salary cap which drops the average salary for the rest of the squad down to 260k. So 260k average ... to cover a further 10 top 17 players. And then any of those 10 'starters' .. if they're on more than 260k it drops the average further.

You start estimating some squads and it just doesn't add up.
Click to expand...
Maybe they get addicted to the strap on. Bellyache would be an expert pegger by now.

The thing with the Storm is they do a great job of signing them when no one else is that interested and creating loyalty. Apart from Stefano who have they signed as what you would consider a marquee? And to be clear I don't consider Stefanao to be in that category anyway.

As a Panthers fan it annoys me that we at a glance seem to lose more "high end" players than the Storm do, but someone made a point that swapping clubs in Sydney isn't like for like. I hadn't really thought about it until now, but it's an excellent point. Critta, Kiks and Burto for example going to the Dogs, Luai, Api and Turuva to Tigers, Spencer to the pinnacle only needed to punch a new address into the GPS, fill out a form with their bank details to collect those fat stacks and job done, no packing boxes, wives gfs having to move away from jobs, friends, family, kids changing schools etc etc. Apart from Burton who signed before we looked as dominant as we have been, they all have more rings already than most player could hope to get so it's an easier decision. A fair chunk of the Storm players don't have a ring and those that do don't have multiples apart from Munster with 2. While they are at the Storm they are a decent chance of getting one at some point most years.
 
L

Lucas

Juniors
Messages
279
Storm signed Coates, Uti, Katoa, Blore, King, Meaney, Paps, Wishart from other clubs. They didn't sign them because they offered more than every other club, they signed to play under Bellamy, to have a crack at a Premiership and perhaps to escape the Sydney or Brisbane bubble. So they're all on unders. No secret that Storm prioritised signing spine players too. Panthers kept To'o but he's the sort of player that the Storm would have sacrificed to keep Korisau, Burton or Luai for example (like when they lost JAC and Vunivalu).

It's all a moot point anyway, Storm have a stack of talent OOC end of 2026, so we'll be having a different conversation then I'd say.
 
Saxon

Saxon

Bench
Messages
3,439
gerg said:
So let's just spitball figures. If every storm spine position player is on roughly 1 million each, they have 8 million for the remaining 26 in the squad. That averages out to 320k for every other player. They lured Uti, Coates to the club for more than 320k. Welch was on more than 320k without doubt. Sure there are bit players around them but every player above that 320k threshold immediately lowers the average. Pezet and Wishart both fringe players have turned down offers to move. The young fullback is happy to sit in reserve grade.
Click to expand...
1. Hughes and Munster are both 31 this year. Both have significant ongoing injury issues. Paps is only 27 this year but has had a laundry list of serious damage and still has ongoing knee/foot problem. Any of these could be one injury away from ending their career (Hope not. Touch wood)
2. Pezet has a get out clause if Hughes signs a long term deal, same for Sua with Paps. And if you're Wishart you have the option of potentially winning premierships if you stay with Storm, or heading off to Bali at the end of August every year if you sign with Parra.

To quote the meerkat; simples.
 
B

Belza1

Juniors
Messages
164
Saxon said:
1. Hughes and Munster are both 31 this year. Both have significant ongoing injury issues. Paps is only 27 this year but has had a laundry list of serious damage and still has ongoing knee/foot problem. Any of these could be one injury away from ending their career (Hope not. Touch wood)
2. Pezet has a get out clause if Hughes signs a long term deal, same for Sua with Paps. And if you're Wishart you have the option of potentially winning premierships if you stay with Storm, or heading off to Bali at the end of August every year if you sign with Parra.

To quote the meerkat; simples.
Click to expand...
Munster had a double hip op during off season and said he feels te best he ever has
 
P

Pjf04b

Juniors
Messages
588
Penrith have lost 24 players from their 20-24 GF squads, plus an host of juniors to other clubs. Are you sure Melbourne have lost more?
 
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