Dr Dr you can't be this smug & dismissive if you're gonna be wrong.
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Paul Gallen was offered more than twice as much by Brown than he would have got to stay at Cronulla. Source? Paul Gallen:
https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/08/27/why-gallen-turned-down-knights-to-stay-loyal-to-sharks/
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Other names I cited which were chased by the club, that was reported by Barry Toohey:
Newcastle Knights recruitment failures fail to faze coach Nathan Brown
BARRY TOOHEY, The Sunday Telegraph
May 27, 2017 6:30pm
THEIR targets have included some of the game’s biggest names — Kieran Foran, Matt Scott, James Graham and Jack Bird.
Melbourne Storm’s Dale Finucane had a look around the club’s facilities. Likewise Matt Prior, who was offered a good deal to leave the Sharks.
Ben Matulino was spoken to and Cooper Cronk sounded out. An offer was in for Shaun Kenny-Dowall before it was withdrawn following his arrest for alleged cocaine possession.
And they are just the players we know about.
Despite being armed with a $3 million war chest for next season, the battling Newcastle Knights have so far struck out in their bid to land a recruitment blow since the signing of Cowboys wunderkind Kalyn Ponga last November.
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We got Aidan Guerra after this, probably on more than $500K, which I would say turned out okay even though he was a bit cooked, brought some veteran leadership. Connor Watson after this, in July - $600K per season allegedly, yuck. Foran would have cost way way more at the time though, as would have Bird (who I've heard was almost over the line but backed out, source.... Jack Bird:
https://www.nrl.com/news/2017/06/14/why-bird-knocked-back-knights/), and Cronk would have been over a million obviously but we were never in the race,
Ended up with Moga, Ese'ese, Heighington, Lillyman, from memory on top of them, all a bit overpaid.
I don't think it can be plausibly argued that a million is free at the end of 2017 for Pearce if we had Foran already, and over $800K is there for Klemmer if we'd gotten Gal, or Scott, or whichever other old bloke.
"Fox dribble" eh?