Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis defends Angus Crichton deal: 'We run our salary cap better than most clubs'
2017-12-19
If South Sydney decide to reprint the Book of Feuds, there's a new chapter that must be included on the simmering hostility with the Roosters over Angus Crichton.
The 21-year-old back-rower told the Rabbitohs at the weekend he had joined their foundation club arch rivals on a three-year deal from 2019. It was a considerable body blow to the Redfern club. Crichton this year played strong, done fine, as former Souths and Roosters coach Jack Gibson might say.
Souths reckon Crichton's deal is worth about $1 million a year, and they just couldn't match it. The Roosters say that's bullshit: more like $700,000 a year, which is slightly more than Souths' offer and around the same that Cronulla put on the table.
All-powerful Roosters chairman Nick Politis doesn't want to talk too much about Crichton before his deal is done. An announcement is expected in days, though.
But he bristled at claims of the million-buck deal, even though that seems to be the asking rate for a young player who has strung together a couple of man-of-the-match performances.
"The numbers that have been quoted are totally wrong," Politis said bluntly.
The Roosters suspect Souths are floating the exorbitant figures to divert attention from their losing one of their hottest players to the club their fans abhor the most, with the possible exception of Manly. Souths were on the front foot on Monday morning, sending an email to members saying they couldn't keep up with another club's offer.
At face value, $1 million for a player of Crichton's ability and experience seems way too much, regardless of how well he played in 2017 and how well he'll play in years to come, according to better judges than this one.
'We plan five years ahead with our recruitment': Nick Politis explains how the Roosters can afford their star roster.
'We plan five years ahead with our recruitment': Nick Politis explains how the Roosters can afford their star roster. Photo: James Alcock
Roosters and NSW captain Boyd Cordner is off contract at the end of next year. He'll be lucky to touch the magical million-buck mark, too, even if he deserves it as much as any other forward in the game. He's only 25 but his body knows how to find an injury, so he could take less in exchange for the security of a longer-term deal.
Crichton had reasons to join the Roosters other than money. He's said before he was a Roosters fan as a kid growing up in Young, adoring the likes of Brad Fittler and Craig Fitzgibbon.
He played four matches for their SG Ball side in 2014 and was coached by Adam Hartigan, who is now the Roosters' recruitment manager. "He's been a Rooster since he was a kid," Politis said.
What Politis and the Roosters also find bemusing are constant potshots, theories and suspicions about the salary cap, and whether they adhere to it. The pub test would suggest they do not, unless that pub was Ravesis on Bondi Beach.
Clubs don't have to convince the pub but the NRL, and on that score, not a single eyebrow was raised at headquarters when news broke on Monday about Crichton's deal.
Presumably, the NRL's salary cap auditors agree with the Roosters' argument that they have turned over a stack of players since they won the 2013 grand final and their only significant signings since then have been James Tedesco and Cooper Cronk.
Since 2013, the club has lost the likes of Sonny Bill Williams, Anthony Minichello, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck Michael Jennings, James Maloney, Aidan Guerra, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Dale Copley, Jackson Hastings, Conor Watson, Kane Evans, Michael Gordon and Jayden Nikorima …
Oh, and Mitchell Pearce.
"We plan five years ahead with our recruitment," Politis said. "We run our salary cap better than most clubs. We don't back-end contracts, we don't put in ratchet clauses that stymie some clubs. We don't have many third-party agreements. We make some hard calls. We don't always get it right but we correct them quickly.
"The bottom line is there are 10 to 12 players we let go in the last 12 months, and one very expensive one was Pearcey, who covers Cronk. We also had $600,000 left from 2016."
Politis also points out the salary cap jumps from $7 million in 2017 to $9.4 million next year and more than $10 million in 2022.
"The salary cap went up by $2 million — you don't have to be Einstein to work it out," he said. "Every club should have spare cash. It was a fair increase. I don't understand how some clubs don't have enough left."
Doubtless, all of this will fall on the deaf ears of rival fans, not just those of South Sydney.
The Roosters have become the New York Yankees of the NRL: the glamour club from the most glamorous city in the country that has an uncanny ability to snaffle all the glamour players.
Comparisons can be drawn between Politis and late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner (the real one, not the one portrayed on Seinfeld) because he's hands-on and chases down big-name players like it's a business deal.
In 2002, former Boston Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino said of his side and Yankees: "We are like the Jedi Knights taking on the Evil Empire in Star Wars."
South Sydney are certainly trying to position themselves as Jedi Knights – the battlers from the rough side of Anzac Parade who just so happen to be part-owned by a Hollywood star and a businessman worth close to $5 billion.
Politis, also worth many more hundreds of millions than you and me, chuckles his trademark "He, he, he" chuckle when you ask why other clubs keep hating on the poor old Chooks.
"We're the high-flyers from the eastern suburbs," he grinned. "History has always been against the Roosters. They moved the boundaries and brought in the 13-import rule to slow us down. Easts were always the glamour team, with the likes of Perc Galea and Jack Gibson and others involved. They all had that connection. Everyone is jealous of the Roosters. This has been going on for 50 years."
And counting.
Souths co-owner Russell Crowe commissioned Rabbitohs tragic Mark Courtney about 10 years ago to write the Book of Feuds, detailing the club's rivalries with other clubs. It needs another chapter.
May this feud never, ever end.
Credit - Andrew Webster SMH.com.au
Replies
Media , other clubs and mostly the fans are going to have to make a commotion to force change which is hard when teams like the Roosters have league journalists in their pocket pushing their own narrative.
"We don't have many third party agreements." If he was Pinocchio his nose would've doubled in size. Sure, they've let go a lot of players, but they've got nearly a third of next year's cap chewed up in 3 players. The only other club like that was Melbourne and lo and behold they had illegal TPAs and a second set of books.
The NRL aren't worried about the salary cap. They've said as much. They've done nothing to reign in TPAs and have openly said they rely on informants to be made aware of shonky salary cap dealings. When it eventually comes out Politis won't be grinning as much.
Well said Super; the NRL have done nothing about TPA’s nor the cap. It’s all froth and bubble. The media never seem to critically analyse some teams do they? I laughed when he mentioned they do not have many TPA’s- that’s contrary to what we have been led to believe....
“One of them was Pearcey which covered Cronk”.
Nick if you’re gonna lie at least try to remember the details. You signed Cronk with Pearce still at the club. And apparently everyone could still fit in your cap.
No doubt they do a good job of the cap but he’s dead set kidding himself if he expects us to believe they don’t have many TPA’s. Well probably not legitimately registered ones at least.
The 2017 Roosters are starting to resemble the 2009 Storm. It just has that stench about it.
Agreed, last time I checked Cronk was signed with Pearce still there, so in order for them to secure him the NRL would've had believe the Roosters were under the cap for 2018. I don't think that even the NRL would allow a player to be signed that would put the club over the cap just because the club tells them they're selling a player.
Spot on Muttman!!!
Wasn’t Fong banging on how Roosters players have the best TPAs?
I also read yesterday that Crichton was on a front ended deal receiving $1 Mil for the first year and reduced amounts for the balance of the contract. This I put down to Pearce and Nikorima leaving
They basically sign players and then offload others after the fact.
Its not good for a team environment but they do end up under the cap.
The roosters are the most disloyal team in the league
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