The last few seasons have seen a number of young prospects sign big money, long-term deals with various NRL clubs. These sorts of deals have made some club hierarchies look like geniuses and other morons.
Take a look below at five clubs that have been vindicated, and others humiliated.
3. Â Wests Tigers
The first failed deal to feature on our list.
Virtually unknown at the time, Moses Suli quickly made a name for himself as the highest paid player in the NRL yet to play a game off the back of his bumper new contract.
In January of 2017, the Tigers trumpeted the re-signing of outside back prospect Suli, to a three-year $1.3 million extension.
Having only featured twice for the Tigers in the now debunked NYC, the Tigers were stumping up some serious cash in order to stave off rival clubs.
However, if they wanted to keep Suli, they were always going to have to show him the money. As according to the Sydney Morning Herald, Des Hasler and Craig Bellamy of the Bulldogs and Storm respectively each made personal pitches to the softly spoken Tongan, which is never easy to compete with.
Sadly, a year-later Suli was released from his contract with Wests. Although the term 'released' sounds gentle, it’s more in the way that a child is asked to leave a school before eventually being expelled.
The reason Suli was released is due to reportedly having ballooned out to 130 kg (20 kg above his playing weight), as well as having a less than impressive attitude towards training. To the point that he would not attend early team gym sessions, instead, he would sleep in a teammate’s car in the Concord Oval carpark.
Moses Suli's mammoth deal at the Tigers has proved to be a cautionary tale for other NRL clubs going forward.
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Don’t worry. Manly will get the best out of Sulli. Just like we turned hopeless TRex into an international before going to the dogs to ruin his career. Des has the same Bellamy touch.