Former Panthers supremo Phil Gould has questioned the value of off-contract Bronco David Fifita.
The 19-year-old sensation comes off his current deal at the end of 2020, with as many as 10 clubs already calling for his services, including Canterbury, Parramatta and the Warriors, according to reports.
It is believed that the Broncos are offering him a deal worth around $700,000 per season, while rivals are prepared to splash up to $1 million to pry him away.
But Gould doesn't think Fifita warrants such a price tag so early in his career.
โIโd find it very, very hard to pay him that sort of money,โ Gould told Channel 9โs 100% Footy.
โTo get him out of Brisbane you have to pay ($700,000). I donโt think Brisbane should have to pay that to keep him.
โHeโs a great young talent, but if youโre going be paying people that sort of money, theyโve got to be contributing to a 70 per cent win rate, theyโve got to be a pointscorer, a points creator.
โI just donโt know in a salary cap whether you can be paying a bloke that kind of money.
โHis best bet is to go to a club where he can win premierships and take less. Play plenty of rep football, win premierships, take a little less money and play with quality players.
โIf someone pays him a million dollars, heโs going to playing for a bottom four club and theyโre going to expect him to win games for them. I just think thatโs not the best thing for his career at the moment.
โThereโs plenty of contracts down the track, but right at this stage, heโs got to be the best footballer he can be and thatโs to be in a good system with good players, playing rep football and getting opportunities to win premierships.
โAt the end of your career, you canโt put a price on that, because at the end of your career, thatโs what matters the most.โ
Sharks great Paul Gallen echoed Gould's thoughts.
โI couldโve gone to other clubs and earned more money and may have won another premiership, maybe not,โ Gallen said.
โTo stay at Cronulla and win a premiership means the world to me. The fact I won a premiership. Thatโs what you need to do as a rugby league player. You need to win a premiership.
โTheyโve got a great roster up there at the moment, the Broncos. Theyโre going really well and theyโre only going to build over the next couple of years.
โItโd be a big consideration to stay there for less money.โ
Does Phil Gould opinion on roster building have any real value given the mess he created & left behind at Penrith??
Did Trent Merrin see out his contract? Did Jamie Soward? How about Dallin? What about Waqa Blake?
How many more are the Panther reportedly shopping around that Gould signed for too long & too much money??
Phoenix, and Mr Negative, aka FrankSpencer, Phil Gould did a lot of positive stuff for the Panthers, he actually saved the club from insolvency.
Hate on Gould, all you want, the man is talking 100% sense, here. He is outlining exactly what will happen if Fifita chases the money. Bottom 4 club and responsibility to win games for them.
As I said on another thread, these last couple of games where fifita has been defended poorly, allowing him to bustle in and get a few tries have really caused the Broncos a lot of problems – because now the hypebeast clubs that are run by fools are getting involved and as is their usual thing, we see them throwing 10% of their salary cap towards players that really can’t have that much influence.
@Panthers18 – I hear you & actually agree.
However on List Management he must surely get an F.
Phoenix, who knows what the players are being paid? We don’t, and taking what the media is saying as fact is wrong.
Also who knows why those players were released. Personally I believe it was a good thing.
Again, Mr Negativity, aka FrankSpencer, and you know how much he is being paid how?
Crapolla Frank, Edwin, Woodrot.
Strayed away from his great groundwork. He did do a lot of great things there.
Players retention, purchase weren’t two of them. Or do you think Whare’s a wonderful centre? Do you like his lack of pace or poor tackling?
Mansour, Ditto.. Could have kept Sivo instead.
Harawira- Naera, was signed for a few years. Offered a point of difference in attack. Let’s release him to the Dogs.
Katoa is crap as a hooker. No running game. Phil loves him.
There’s many more if you’d like to hear about them.
How about coaches? Cleary may have been a mistake. However, Griffin Was a bigger mistake made totally by Phil . Then he re-signed him, when the players totally disliked him , many left because of him. Such as Moylan. Peachey.
Blake, DWZ .. Not his fault.
How much of those things above were genius ? Add to it the reported overpaying on contracts..