Tigers offer Dusty 800K. Should we trump them?

[White Winmar]

It is being reported on SEN and elsewhere that the Tigers have opened negotiations with Dusty's management with a deal worth $800,000 a year, for four years. We are certainly able to trump that given our salary cap room, but do we want to and more importantly, will we? I'd up the price a fraction and add an extra year. I think we should go for him.

I wouldn't have said that two years ago, but he has matured and settled a bit and his footy was superb last year. I think chopstickgate and the deportation of his father have had a calming, rather than destructive effect. Nothing like a couple of crises to drive home the fact that he is privileged to do what he is doing and that it won't last forever.

Maybe, just maybe, at 25, he is starting to realise his awesome potential. Hopefully, if we do get him, the Tigers will have done the hard work for us. As a bonus, he was a mad saints fan as a kid. Maybe his dad could be a liaison officer in NZ? That last bit was a joke.

[stkmo]

I'd be happy to go 950k for 5 years.

800k seems under for me.

[Enrico_Misso]

Why waste money on a bogan destined for a car crash!

[st.byron]

I'm curious to know how much our top paid player gets. Would it still be Roo? Joey? Jack Steven?

I reckon Martin would be a good get, but not if he's paid hundreds of thousands more than everyone else. Recipe for some discord there I would think. Everyone has been doing the hard yards in the rebuild, getting on board with the game plan and culture and in walks a guy paid way more than anyone else who hasn't earned the respect of the group. Could be challenging to manage.
Nevertheless he's elite and may have turned the corner from his troubled persona. Being a bogan doesn't disqualify him. Hard working, no trouble bogans welcome.

[sunsaint]

Why waste money on a bogan destined for a car crash!

Would the bogan Carlisle car crash cancel out the Martin bogan car crash?
I truly believe we need a proven consistent game impact player on top of our current list

[SuperDuper]

I'd be happy to go 950k for 5 years.

800k seems under for me.

If we get him without using any draft picks... then it seems a decent plan to me.. depending his on and off field performance this year

If the tigers end near the bottom (liklely) they may suck it up, sack Hardwick and take the compo so they get 2 early draft picks and start from there

[BigMart]

Jack Steven and Jake Carlisle head our list of paid players

Jack would be around 700
Jake 600

Roo took a huge pay cut in 2016 - is also a vet

I reckon we have a lot of players from 350 - 500 k

[wally]

I'd love to hear from other players about their true attitude to bringing in someone and getting paid heaps more than them.
It really is similar to many workplaces.
Is it jealousy or this bloke may be the difference to success?
Sydney seem to do it quite often the latest being Buddy.

[SMS]

If we CANT get fyfe or shiel get martin BUT make it 3 years at $1m. Hes elite. I wouldnt want 4 or 5 years.

[saint3d]

Why waste money on a bogan destined for a car crash!

Would the bogan Carlisle car crash cancel out the Martin bogan car crash?
I truly believe we need a proven consistent game impact player on top of our current list

Yep. How good they are at crashing cars doesn't matter.

[shrodes]

IMHO not worth paying over $800K for a tool, even if they are a very good player. Let's go after someone else.

[desertsaint]

would prefer fyfe on a million, or shoel/kelly on $800k, but id we could get dusty for the same and a longer term, or 900k i'd say we go for it, unless the aforementioned is possible.

[The Fireman]

Yes

[markp]

What message does it send to supporters and players if we offer the neck tattooed douche 50% more than our top paid players?

It's not gonna happen.

[loris]

What message does it send to supporters and players if we offer the neck tattooed douche 50% more than our top paid players?

It's not gonna happen.

Just shows the Saints will adopt Essendon's mantra 'Whatever It Takes' if he's taken onboard IMO.

[St Chris]

If he only costs cap space, then sure. 5 years @ $900k is not out of the question.

If the tigers want to match and insist on a trade, then we walk away.

And his contract would need to be pretty rock solid in regards to discipline and behaviour clauses, with strict payout limits if we had reason to sack him mid-contract.

[st.byron]

Jack Steven and Jake Carlisle head our list of paid players

Jack would be around 700
Jake 600

Roo took a huge pay cut in 2016 - is also a vet

I reckon we have a lot of players from 350 - 500 k

So I'd be wary about paying an import with a not flash off-field record $250,000 more than anyone else. Recipe for huge resentment IMO. Or maybe they all accept it's a marketplace and just get on with it. Boyd must have been regarded with some suspicion and resentment at the Dogs. Maybe still is but he played a big part in winning them a flag.

Up to the club to make the call and manage it if Martin ends up a Saint. Have noticed though in the past two years, that the entire club has really made an effort to emphasise team and culture. How does an individual paid $2.5k more than anyone else fit into that?

[Playon]

I'd be tipping the club looks at it like this

1st Shiel - possible target, maybe gone
2nd Kelly - most likely gone
3rd Fyfe - great player but too expensive, 1 mill wont get it done, highly unlikely
4th Martin - What we need apart from his off field issues,If he helps us win a flag who cares, we'll sort it out. But what other options do we have. Possible re-think

We definitely need A graders and now not in 4-5 years time. Thats if were to become a top 4 side. The jury is still out whether we can develop enough of our own.

There are reasons why a player gets more

[footynut]

Now everyone's saying we've got losts of cap space... if this is the case we should be aiming for Martin (FA), Kelly (Trade) & Fyfe (FA). Even if we trade 1 or 2 will be still come out on top, and we'll still have at least 1 first round pick.

[QuestionOfAccuracy]

No we shouldn't trump them.

He's a very good player, but I think there would be better targets for us out there.

For all Dusty's attributes, he's a bit overrated in that a lot of his possessions don't do much.

[Toy Saint]

He's got too many tatoo's and he's a bogan, but he's a gun.

If we need to get a good player I doubt we'll find them at a monastry.

[magnifisaint]

He's got too many tatoo's and he's a bogan, but he's a gun.

If we need to get a good player I doubt we'll find them at a monastry.

Nah, all we'd find would be a pedophile.

[Spinner]

would prefer fyfe on a million, or shoel/kelly on $800k, but id we could get dusty for the same and a longer term, or 900k i'd say we go for it, unless the aforementioned is possible.

If we offer anything around the Richmond offer - he stays. It needs to be extra years and higher figures. Much higher given half goes to tax anyways.

Unless extremely unhappy, disgruntled, players don't move so have to make it worth it financially to take the risk.

[St Loxton]

I would take him in for sure. He won't make a decision until the end of the season. The tigers just want to lock him away, before he realises they will not get near a flag during his career.

[Moods]

I'm curious to know how much our top paid player gets. Would it still be Roo? Joey? Jack Steven?

I reckon Martin would be a good get, but not if he's paid hundreds of thousands more than everyone else. Recipe for some discord there I would think. Everyone has been doing the hard yards in the rebuild, getting on board with the game plan and culture and in walks a guy paid way more than anyone else who hasn't earned the respect of the group. Could be challenging to manage.

Agree with this. Cats have the template right I reckon. Got Danger for the right reasons at the right price. Gets paid roughly what the skipper gets, not $100's of $1000's more. And when he arrives he plays his heart out and looks like he loves the place. Personally I reckon $800 is a fraction dear for Dusty but I understand that the Tiges want to keep him so I don't blame them. It's probably what you have to pau to land a big star. I'm not that comfortable paying more than that for him.