Correct me if I'm wrong BUT:
Brett and Josh Morris and Eastwood - off contract anyway end of last year (and hence not in this years cap).
Woods, Kasiano, Mbye, Reynolds - we would not be paying a cent towards anymore as they had short contracts anyway.
Klemmer - was a mutual termination and we did not contribute a cent to him leaving.
So the illusion that we had to discard players to get way under the cap is just that, an illusion. There is no factual basis to it. It was more we couldn't SIGN any big name players.
So again... where has all the money gone on our current player lineup?
You are wrong, sorry for correcting you but you are.
Firstly, the NRL audits the salary cap and clubs are only allowed not to spend 5% in any one year. This appears to be audited at least twice per year, once at the beginning of the year and again at the end. There is also a desk review done around 30 June for the items that expire at that time (eg; 30 registered players). So it is next to impossible not to spend the cap in any one year.
Secondly, we have to include players gained as well as players lost. In 2018 the losses of contracted 2019 players were Woods, Kasiano, Mbye (back ended) and Reynolds (also back ended), that's around $3.2m plus Klemmer of course, around $800k . Plus Napa at around $600k. Simple maths (yes, educated guesses);
$13.0m - $3.2m - $0.8m + $0.6m = $9.6m
Plus we gained previously not included in 2019 contract values Cogger, Meaney, Crichton, Sue, CHN, and Smith, albeit not high cost players. To offset the losses in Mozzies x 2, Woolford, Frawley, Fine, Priest, and Eastwood
We can debate forever how much each player is contracted for and how much we think they are worth, which won't achieve anything. But it's not that hard to see how we ended up where we are.
Don't get me wrong, I sure as hell don't like it, but this is where we are. There is dim light at the end of the tunnel for next year, but for 2020 there is plenty of sunshine.
Go Dogs