CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 22: Cameron Munster of the Storm warms up before the round two NRL match between the Canberra Raiders and the Melbourne Storm at GIO Stadium on March 22, 2019 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)
The ongoing contract situation of Melbourne Storm and Queensland star Cameron Munster has taken a surprise turn, with reports that the impending wooden-spooners Wests Tigers are preparing to enter the race with a massive offer.
The week has already been dominated with headlines of Wayne Bennett’s pursuit of Munster for the Dolphins, but now Fox Sports’ James Hooper reports the Concord club are putting together a five-year, $7 million offer that’s far above anything being currently offered.
The club is preparing for the first step of a rebuild that brings Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall to the coaching ranks as well as Isaiah Papali’i and Apisiai Korisau to the team, but it’s become clear this year that the Tigers will need to be more proactive in the player market if they want to solve the club’s wide-ranging problems.
Fox reports the Tigers have a massive amount of salary cap space for 2024, with an extensive number of players – including spine quartet Adam Doueihi, Luke Brooks, Jackson Hastings and Daine Laurie – all off-contract.
While the future arrival and involvement of Tigers legend Benji Marshall is believed to add some pulling power to the Tigers’ recruitment hopes, it seems hard to believe a player of Munster’s calibre would see any appeal in the current chaos.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett confirmed this week that the NRL’s newest club are monitoring Munster’s situation and will make a play if the opportunity presents itself.
“Everybody knows we’re chasing Cameron Munster and he’s our priority,” Bennett told NewsCorp.
But the Storm haven’t given up on their own prospects of keeping Munster, with reports emerging that a meeting between the club and player on Tuesday landed on a seven-figure annual salary well in excess of the $800,000 the club had initially offered.
“They’ve re-jigged their salary cap numbers and it looks like they’re in a position now to offer him that $1 million-plus a season that will keep him at the club long-term,” the Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis told SEN Radio.
Source:: ZeroTackle
