Knights’ Recruitment Manager

[HarVeeGee13]

The position he plays is one of the strongest in our roster and I don't think the cat has it in him to bring that trade mark physicality and aggression against guys who are taller than 5'8".

And there are bigger character issues with him than all but a few other high profile players. He has been talking so much rot for years about character and loyalty but apparently now the second things are looking pretty bleak where he is oh all of a sudden the Knights are just fine by him. Nah get stuffed.

Here's my measured stance on the Knights who jumped ship for the greener grass of Canberra:

 

[Alex]

We would need to make an offer of 1 million or more to get Hudson here so yeah.... No thanks.

 

[Billy]

The ban on Hudson taking less than the Canberra offer wouldn't last a second in court if it meant he had to stop earning a living.

 

[Matty James]

Hudson can play for the Pickers if he wants, otherwise get on ya bike lad.

 

[JOJO82]

We would need to make an offer of 1 million or more to get Hudson here so yeah.... No thanks.

Rather that million + for Harry Grant

 

[Seano]

The ban on Hudson taking less than the Canberra offer wouldn't last a second in court if it meant he had to stop earning a living.

Yeah, it shouldn't; it's a restriction of trade, but the RLPA has been involved with the NRL in negotiating this "exceptional circumstances" clause...which, I guess, until it's tested- possibly after Nov. 1 is about as clear as mud.

 

[Wicket]

Yeah, it shouldn't; it's a restriction of trade, but the RLPA has been involved with the NRL in negotiating this "exceptional circumstances" clause...which, I guess, until it's tested- possibly after Nov. 1 is about as clear as mud.

My view of the NRL putting values on players like in the Hudson Young situation, is that it is intended to stop the PNG Chiefs, not the rest of the NRL

I don’t know why once the NRL decided to give the Chiefs players tax free contract concessions, the NRL didn’t reduce the Chiefs salary cap by 30%. That would predominantly offset the tax free contracts as the Chiefs wouldn’t have as much money to throw around. The players would still get their tax free money but their offers would be less

To me that would create a more level playing field

Currently the NRL are just playing whack a mole with all the issues this has created

 

[Wicket]

The more I read about it, the more $18 million looks like the most likely salary cap for 2028, and it would likely not jump that much after the end of the next rights deal.

Guys who have already extended to 2030 will probably then be on deals which look like:

Ponga: $1.8 million (I have heard that, essentially, the deal he agreed to was for 10% of the cap. Which I think if anything is unders)
Brown: $1.3 million (have heard that his ratchet clause doesn't actually kick in until the cap hits $20 million)
Lucas: $950K
Young: $750K

Big scary numbers in a vacuum, but it means that there's $13.2 million allocated beyond that. Hard to wrap your head around it honestly, you have to re-calibrate your thinking lol.

If Best takes that $820K > $1 million deal which has been floated, you then have, essentially, the 2027 NRL salary cap to split between the other 25 players. But in a landscape where the average NRL salary for an experienced first grader is going to jump from $400K to closer to $600K.

So much of the results on the field from 2028-on are going to be dictated by the men in the backrooms. Whoever navigates this stuff the best.

The other big thing to take into consideration moving forward is we are in a far better position talent wise then ever before. We are going to loose players we as fans want to keep, but it’s going to be very easy for us to offload a lot of our players to try and keep some others

Other clubs will want to cherry pick our squad moving forward, so it’ll be easy to move on a player before his contract is up to free up money to re-sign another player

After this year, we are not trying to offload Gamble, Schiller and Arthur type players any more

 

[Vagabond89]

The other big thing to take into consideration moving forward is we are in a far better position talent wise then ever before. We are going to loose players we as fans want to keep, but it’s going to be very easy for us to offload a lot of our players to try and keep some others

Other clubs will want to cherry pick our squad moving forward, so it’ll be easy to move on a player before his contract is up to free up money to re-sign another player

After this year, we are not trying to offload Gamble, Schiller and Arthur type players any more

That's why I am not worried about Nuikore, if we don't want him, I doubt we'll have too much trouble shipping him off if needed...

 

[BTP]

Not losing a junior forward over Hudson.

 

[Seano]

I'll eat my hat if any of the rumoured players we've been linked to in the last few months ever pull on a Knights jersey, H Young, Latrell, Bostock, Grant...but at least we're being linked to quality players...that seems new.