Jackson off then would give us a lot of that. Dwz gone too. There’s more then enough for future planning. They said 4 mil is off this year for us. I think Napa, hoppa, jmk, Lewis, c Smith, britt, Crichton would likely be under 3 but over 2.5. It shows with arguably big $ to b Smith and staggs we still can afford depth/squad players around them which is what needs to be done. As I said wakeham still depth that bo kid. Lewis goes etc. Dwz year after big $ back to cap. Jacko year after.
Guess we will see.
Having read most of your Cap management posts there are a few things that you (and others) are missing, or perhaps glossing over;
If you get rid of the Captain then someone else has to take over and they don't do it for nothing, it's a big responsibility and they will expect to get a pay rise as a result. Plus it's of no use appointing someone to lead the team who isn't an automatic, never any doubt pick for every game and hence has a contract valued accordingly. In summary I seriously doubt that we would get a captain who costs less than Jackson, especially considering his veteran player eligibility. ie; if we don't have a player eligible for the $200k Veteran Allowance then we simply don't get it. Tolman, the Mozzies are gone, Jackson and Hopoate are on your hit list, so who of your retentions has 8 years in the Top 30 with us or 10 years including other teams? If no one qualifies then we loose $200k of our Cap.
Including the Veteran Allowance the Cap is $9.7m (ignoring the 7% reduction as that won't last forever) and 30 players are required, the average being $323k. So for every $1k over $323k spent on a player you have to have another in the 30 on $1k less than $323k. But you don't get to go below $115k, the minimum for 2021.
With 30 players and an average contract term of ~3 years means that ~10 players every year have contracts expiring in 1 year from 1st November. So retaining / recruiting players is not just a next year task, it's the next 2 years. Which basically doubles the complications.
Relying on "reported" players contracts is unreliable, firstly journalists can't add up and secondly they will aim for the sensationalised $big head line (click bate). Inflating the contract value by including things that the NRL don't include in the Cap (cars, education expenses, insurance, relocation & accommodation costs etc), is a way of getting a better/bigger headline number.
It's pretty unusual to find a back up spine player on the minimum, I wouldn't want to be relying on a ~$115k player to fill the spot when a spine player is injured, on rep duty, suspended or just needs a break to freshen up for the finals. Melbourne base most of their plays around their hooker so much that they had 2 back ups for CSmith in BSmith and Grant, both of whom are on multiples of the minimum. Penrith base most of their plays around their halves, that's why they have 3 back ups. They are a bit lucky (they claim "good management") in that they have a number of grossly underpaid players who came up through their juniors, but that won't last, obviously with Burton going. They either pay more or lose the players.
As everyone knows Flanagan is on a low value contract for an NRL 1/2, we did a good deal and took advantage of the situation, but if he kills it we are looking at a substantial contract increase. If he doesn't kill it then we will be looking for someone else who will undoubtedly cost more. I'm sure the same applies to Hetherington, Averillo, Doorey, etc. In Cap planning there has to be space available to upgrade contracts every year to prevent losing players because they are underpaid. That's where not spending the last 5% can come in handy.
It's all very well to say let this player go and recruit a cheaper one who is also better, but it very rarely happens and when it does they will be looking for a pay rise the next year anyway and the year after.
Go Dogs