Benny's the boss as Snowden deal pulled
Dean Ritchie and Phil Rothfield
April 21, 2011 12:00AM
ANY doubt about who is running the on-field show at Newcastle was laid to rest yesterday when Wayne Bennett overruled billionaire Nathan Tinkler on a big-money offer for boom prop Kade Snowden.
The Courier-Mail has been told Bennett was unwilling to outlay $1.6 million over four years for Snowden despite new Knights owner Tinkler admitting he made a late-night call that led to the Newcastle junior holding off re-signing with the Sharks.
Snowden, 24, is now expected to sign a new deal with Cronulla, tying him to the club until the end of 2015.
The development came on a dramatic day for player movement in the NRL, which included:
* Fellow Sharks prop Luke Douglas signing a lucrative three-year deal with Gold Coast;
* The Knights re-signing inspirational skipper Kurt Gidley until the end of 2015;
* Souths re-signing John Sutton and Nathan Merritt until the end of 2014 but now facing a $1 million battle to keep halfback Chris Sandow, who is being pursued by Parramatta, and;
* Canterbury all but securing England captain James Graham.
Snowden's retention is good news for the Sharks in the wake of losing Douglas to the Titans.
Snowden controversially rejected a Cronulla offer on February 17, despite a press release being issued declaring his retention, and he appeared certain to accept a lucrative deal with Newcastle.
However, Bennett appears to be standing firm on his edict that no prop in the NRL is worth more than $300,000 a season.
One source close to Newcastle said: "This has shown who is in charge. Don't forget, Petero Civoniceva left Brisbane on the same basis.
"He wanted more than $300,000 a season and Wayne wouldn't pay it. Simple as that."
Newcastle's original offer to Snowden, which came before Bennett signed with the club, was about $400,000 a year. That rich offer has now gone.
Sensing Newcastle's diminishing interest, Cronulla bumped up their four-year offer for Snowden to $1.6 million.
That is expected to seal the deal.
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan was reluctant yesterday to admit his club was poised to re-sign Snowden, given Cronulla's press conference fiasco in February.
But asked was he confident of keeping Snowden, Flanagan said: "I'm hopeful, yes.
"I don't know when we will get a decision but I would rather it be sooner than later.
"We want to keep him. We love the kid. Kade is tough and durable and we want him to stay here at Cronulla."
Gidley confirmed he wasn't going anywhere, saying: "I'm a Newcastle boy, I played my junior football with Wests Newcastle and have followed the Knights since the club's inception in 1988.
"It was always a dream of my brother Matt and I to represent our community by playing for the Knights.
"We are lucky enough to have had the opportunity to do so."
of the FB update, it will be positive (i.e. not a retirement or a player leaving)
