Are Penrith cheating the salary cap?

[eaglebuzz]

Also, in this article: “Only two players in (the) top eight in (the) highest paid players list are in the top eight (on the NRL ladder), that’s pretty damming.”

Yep, that's the biggest factor killing us. DCE and the Turbos need to do the same as Cleary basically now if they want a serious crack at a premiership.

 

[AlxFromNthNarra]

Penrith are not cheating the Salary Cap. They are playing a smart long-game.

They have access to the breadbasket beyond the Blue Mtns (Lithgow > Griffith East-West: Armidale to Wagga Nth-South - HUGE intake). The personal conditioning developed to 'Play for the Panthers' in those regions provides a very large source of prospective talent. Juniors: Tick.

Helps that they are doing well in the comp nowadays, almost entrenches their privilege as a destination-club. Play with Cleary, Martin, To'o, Edwards, Fisher-H, Leota, Luai, Crichton.... Desirable career-enhancing location: Tick

Combine that with a leagues club with majority ownership, that has the largest amount of Poker Machines in the southern-hemisphere-per-square-meter - bascially milking their fans for a funding source of unparallelled riches which can support aspirations of greatness - and they have the Royal Flush of income. Funding: Tick.

Then they got in Gould, when he still had his faculties, to guide club strategy: (Arugably) Tick...

Penrith have played their hand as well as they could. When up against the might of Newscorp-majority-holder Brisbane, or League-defining-AFL-combating-Storm; Impeccably-managed-and-Politis-fueled-Rooters, or Star-power-Rusty-knobbing-Souths, they have found a way to flourish and out-do them all. Ku. Dos.

Regardless of the means, you have to respect the ends.

We used to have that Big-Mac special sauce at our club, but it has since turned into a simple recipie of leaving Mayonnaise in the sun for the epectation of the same results of bygone eras in the modern game - by the Penns/Execs of today. (Yes, that is a Simpsons reference....Owning it)