Test captain Cameron Smith chasing deal to make rugby league

[blazza18]

Good and fair points in my opinion.

[Storm Spirit]

S77...I never said you criticized Cam for taking the deal.

My point...and it was quite clear...was that Cam would not accept ridiculous $$$ at the expense of other players.

C'mon..think about...if management came to Cam and said...here..you can x% of the salary cap to stay...do you really think that Cameron Smith would not understand that it could lead to other players leaving the Club if accepted too high a deal.

He is no dill..he knows what he takes in a salary could affect the roster...

We have no idea how much his contract is worth..how much is through 3rd party deals

If players like Jesse leave...in my opinion..it's because of themselves not because management offered Cam too much money to stay or it's because the player in question want more than they are realistically worth.

It's just my opinion...I know that...but I reckon Cam would had had more than half an eye of what would happen to other players based on the deal he was being offered and would ultimately accept.

I don't think he would just accept stupid $$$ if it meant decimating the roster.

[Ice]

Bills thoughts on the matter which have been said here already and are valid IMO.

http://m.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/mel ... 6852773850

[blazza18]

I get our own guys wanting to stay here because Smith is here but no "star" recruit is coming here with the way we structure our salary. Also not the way we've ever built our roster IMO. Biggest name we've signed under Bellamy is probably Crocker.

[Ice]

You're spot on blazza, we've never signed stars and won't likely in the near future but it's worked out for a just fine for us I reckon. I don't think Bill was saying we'd atract big name stars but again we don't have to, we've won comps or at least one comp without nobody/rejects and certainly not stars. Most other teams would kill for the success we've had and so would the vast majority of fans.

[Mattpoet]

I'm happy with us not chasing big stars for bi bucks, as I have said in another thread, we are very close to fielding a 17 that has all debuted with the Storm and that makes me very proud of our systems

[yourhero]

I get our own guys wanting to stay here because Smith is here but no "star" recruit is coming here with the way we structure our salary. Also not the way we've ever built our roster IMO.

Of course not. The club has decided that The Australian hooker, fullback and halfback are the "stars" for our team. We are not in a position to attract other stars to the club. The question has always been (well for the past decade anyway) how to keep the mid guys or the up and coming kids.

I understand some fans aren't happy with that approach and would prefer to drop a star if it means securing a few up-and-comers. Considering the club's success though, it's kind of hard to argue too much.

Kind of brings up another point on "planning for the future" and the fact that three 30 year old is not the "future". In RL, the only future you can worry about (in terms of planning your roster) is the next 2-3 years. You can invest a bunch of time, effort and money locking away a star kid and just as they break into first grade, be stolen away by a rival club.

Is it realistic to think if Smith left at the end of this year, we locked up some youth/mid-level players, recruited another decent hooker (assuming one is available on the market and agrees to terms with us) + maybe another semi-decent prop, would we be better placed to win a Premiership? Personally I prefer our chances with the Smith, Slater, Cronk combo and Bellamy getting all he can out of a committed support cast.

But hey, it's just my opinion. My armchair expert opinion is no more valid or confirmable than anyone elses

Biggest name we've signed under Bellamy is probably Crocker.

You are probably right. Him or Finch, although Finch was down on form and reputation when we picked him up.

I enjoy seeing the journeymen or players the rest of the comp has given up on, come down to Melbourne and become solid contributors. It is better than paying overs for a player and being bitterly disappointed when salary cap spent does not equal quality output (a'la Tigers and Blair).

[Mattpoet]

finch wasn't signed under normal circumstances though, parra paid the bulk of his salary in '09

[storm77]

S77...I never said you criticized Cam for taking the deal.

My point...and it was quite clear...was that Cam would not accept ridiculous $$$ at the expense of other players.

C'mon..think about...if management came to Cam and said...here..you can x% of the salary cap to stay...do you really think that Cameron Smith would not understand that it could lead to other players leaving the Club if accepted too high a deal.

He is no dill..he knows what he takes in a salary could affect the roster...

We have no idea how much his contract is worth..how much is through 3rd party deals

If players like Jesse leave...in my opinion..it's because of themselves not because management offered Cam too much money to stay or it's because the player in question want more than they are realistically worth.

It's just my opinion...I know that...but I reckon Cam would had had more than half an eye of what would happen to other players based on the deal he was being offered and would ultimately accept.

I don't think he would just accept stupid $$$ if it meant decimating the roster.

I am not saying your wrong but agents don't often worry about anything more then their client. Not to say that Cam didn't ask questions or didn't make it clear that the deal couldn't effect the ability of the team to sign our younger players but usually it is singularly about that player and their contract.

[Michael :P]

Last contract I have no doubt can took as much as he can get. More power to him.

The club would have alsobsaid this is the most we can offer if we want to retain player x

[LESStar58]

Superstar players will not sign with storm because Cam is staying... but it will attract the journeyman type who has one last shot at a premiership (Norrie, Lowe et all)