This type of arrangement is not unprecedented. I remember Sterling and Kenny were allowed to play in England for Hull KR and Wigan respectively in 1985 and they didn't return until about April. Mike Eden was our halfback for our first half a dozen games. Don't remember who played 6, maybe Ron Quinn?
This could be the beginning of something and to be honest can you blame the players for chasing the big money?
Well, you certainly can't blame players for chasing the big money, but you can blame them if, in doing so, they refuse to adhere to the terms of the contract they chose to sign. Nobody forced the bloke to sign his current deal. And you can blame Foran too, if he chases the money, even if he doesn't breach his contact.
The Sterling, Kenny, Ella thing was similar, but also a little different. Those blokes wanted to play for Parra, but we couldn't afford to pay them anywhere near as much as Manly could. So we let them go for part of the season so that they equalise their wages a bit. I'm not sure that Semi is quite so devoted to the Eels...but I might be wong.