Well-oiled Green Machine all paid up and looking for passengers
By Peter Fitzgerald Rugby league
Monday, 21 February 2005
A comfortable trial victory, no salary cap issues and the prospect of signing one of the best players in the National Rugby League.
Things are looking healthy for the Canberra Raiders.
A day after defeating the Bulldogs 30-4 in a trial match in Gosford, Raiders general manager Don Furner yesterday confirmed Canberra was not one of up to a third of NRL clubs expected to admit to salary cap breaches this week and that Braith Anasta was a player the club would "definitely be interested in" should he not re-sign with the Bulldogs.
Anasta, Willie Mason and Sonny-Bill Williams all come off contract at Belmore at the end of the season and the Bulldogs are deep into negotiations to try and retain their kennel of stars.
It is expected teenage sensation Williams will re-sign in coming weeks for a record five- year deal but it appears the Dogs will struggle to keep both Mason and Anasta and still remain under the $3.25million salary cap.
And that's when the Raiders, like most clubs in the competition, plan to pounce.
"We'd definitely be keen on Anasta," Furner said.
"Everyone's interested in players of that quality but realistically, it may not even get to the stage where offers are possible.
"But would we be interested? Absolutely.
"[The prospect of fielding an offer] has been discussed among coaching staff [at the Raiders] but we are realistic enough to know that until May or June, we probably won't know what we can do with who." The Bulldogs have not given its trio permission to negotiate with other clubs before the NRL's June 30 anti-tampering deadline.
It is believed Anasta's current contract with the Bulldogs is worth around $400,000.
He has already been told by the club should he remain, that he will have to take a pay cut of some description but it is the extent of that cut which will determine whether or not Anasta tests his value on the open market from July.
Should he leave the high-flying club, the Bulldogs have a ready made replacement in Reni Maitua, a 22-year-old held in high regard at Belmore.
Anasta would also fit in perfectly at the Raiders next season.
New recruit Jason Smith is expected to fill the five-eighth position this year but the 32-year-old is only contracted to the club for one season.
While youngster Terry Campese impressed in Gosford on Saturday night, there is little doubt a player of Anasta's reputation would slip straight into the permanent No6 jersey.
The Raiders immediate priority is retaining its own stars Simon Woolford, Clinton Schifcofske, Ryan O'Hara and Ian Hindmarsh for next year.
Should one or more of those players not re- sign, further money would become available for a player such as Anasta.
NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert is in the process of reviewing each club's stance for season 2005.
The Panthers admitted on Saturday to being $30,000 over their $3.25million limit and up to one third of other clubs are expected to be charged for exceeding that amount in the near future.
Furner confirmed yesterday, however, that the Raiders would not be one of those sides.
"We are comfortably under. We were very tight before the Jason Bulgarelli saga and Mark McLinden left us but there are no worries at all for us now."
The Raiders paid an undisclosed sum to Lincoln Withers with some of the money made available when Bulgarelli and McLinden left. Withers' three-year deal with the club was to originally be highly back paid due to tightness in this season's cap but that has "all- but been squared up", according to Furner.
:shock: INTERESTING
By Peter Fitzgerald Rugby league
Monday, 21 February 2005
A comfortable trial victory, no salary cap issues and the prospect of signing one of the best players in the National Rugby League.
Things are looking healthy for the Canberra Raiders.
A day after defeating the Bulldogs 30-4 in a trial match in Gosford, Raiders general manager Don Furner yesterday confirmed Canberra was not one of up to a third of NRL clubs expected to admit to salary cap breaches this week and that Braith Anasta was a player the club would "definitely be interested in" should he not re-sign with the Bulldogs.
Anasta, Willie Mason and Sonny-Bill Williams all come off contract at Belmore at the end of the season and the Bulldogs are deep into negotiations to try and retain their kennel of stars.
It is expected teenage sensation Williams will re-sign in coming weeks for a record five- year deal but it appears the Dogs will struggle to keep both Mason and Anasta and still remain under the $3.25million salary cap.
And that's when the Raiders, like most clubs in the competition, plan to pounce.
"We'd definitely be keen on Anasta," Furner said.
"Everyone's interested in players of that quality but realistically, it may not even get to the stage where offers are possible.
"But would we be interested? Absolutely.
"[The prospect of fielding an offer] has been discussed among coaching staff [at the Raiders] but we are realistic enough to know that until May or June, we probably won't know what we can do with who." The Bulldogs have not given its trio permission to negotiate with other clubs before the NRL's June 30 anti-tampering deadline.
It is believed Anasta's current contract with the Bulldogs is worth around $400,000.
He has already been told by the club should he remain, that he will have to take a pay cut of some description but it is the extent of that cut which will determine whether or not Anasta tests his value on the open market from July.
Should he leave the high-flying club, the Bulldogs have a ready made replacement in Reni Maitua, a 22-year-old held in high regard at Belmore.
Anasta would also fit in perfectly at the Raiders next season.
New recruit Jason Smith is expected to fill the five-eighth position this year but the 32-year-old is only contracted to the club for one season.
While youngster Terry Campese impressed in Gosford on Saturday night, there is little doubt a player of Anasta's reputation would slip straight into the permanent No6 jersey.
The Raiders immediate priority is retaining its own stars Simon Woolford, Clinton Schifcofske, Ryan O'Hara and Ian Hindmarsh for next year.
Should one or more of those players not re- sign, further money would become available for a player such as Anasta.
NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert is in the process of reviewing each club's stance for season 2005.
The Panthers admitted on Saturday to being $30,000 over their $3.25million limit and up to one third of other clubs are expected to be charged for exceeding that amount in the near future.
Furner confirmed yesterday, however, that the Raiders would not be one of those sides.
"We are comfortably under. We were very tight before the Jason Bulgarelli saga and Mark McLinden left us but there are no worries at all for us now."
The Raiders paid an undisclosed sum to Lincoln Withers with some of the money made available when Bulgarelli and McLinden left. Withers' three-year deal with the club was to originally be highly back paid due to tightness in this season's cap but that has "all- but been squared up", according to Furner.
:shock: INTERESTING
