James Hooper is reporting that Newcastle are only able to offer Best $650k, with another report saying ratchet clauses would be included, while Parramatta are set to offer $850k. Also, Knights are considering moving Fletcher Sharpe to Centre with Sandon Smith at 7 and Brown at 6 once he returns.
Now firstly, yeah Newcastle are losing Gagai so moving Sharpe might not seem a big deal, though they have Toby Winter and Fletcher Hunt too. So is it worth paying Best that much. I digress, with saying take this with a grain of salt since Hooper can be wrong, as has Kent a fair bit on his show and i reckon they would have similar sources. But it is something as well.
Let's for argument sakes say it is true, surely Parra can throw in an extra $50-100k and maybe a ratchet in there to get him over the line? That would truly blow Newcastle out of the water. Best has done this before where he went in Nov 1. then signed with the Knights anyway. The one thing that is different is he says he wants the best deal for his family. Money can be best for the family. Added is the talk of fiancee wanting to move down to Sydney, not that big of a deal living in Newcastle and not a deal breaker or maker, but it helps.
So again, Hooper has gotten things right but also has gotten his fair share wrong. But let's hope it is all right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhW9c5NlR48&t=1814s Go to about 28:00 mark.
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Hell yeah, I'd pay him close to 1m. And happy to wait till 2028, he is only 25 now.