New particulars have emerged surrounding Stephen Crichton’s departure from the Panthers — and why the premiership-winning gun was left feeling undesirable by his boyhood membership.
The 22-year-old signed a four-year cope with the Bulldogs final week, becoming a member of former assistant Cameron Ciraldo in making the transfer to Belmore.
Panthers premiership winners Viliame Kikau and Matt Burton will each additionally ply their commerce for the Canterbury-Bankstown membership in 2023.
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Crichton got here off-contract in the identical yr as Liam Martin, Brian To’o and Izack Tago — and with quite a lot of high-profile weapons hoping for improved contracts, the Panthers had been set for a wage cap squeeze.
According to the SMH, Crichton, who has performed 76 video games for the Penrith powerhouse, discovered he was the person to be compelled out on account of cap strain.
From then on, Crichton knew his future lay elsewhere and referred to as coach Ivan Cleary to tell him of his determination final Sunday.
“Through multiple discussions that I had with the club, our camp felt that Penrith were reluctant to come back to the negotiation table and had, in fact, decided to spend the money elsewhere,” Crichton’s supervisor Liam Ayoub stated to the Herald.
“Why else would they tell us, before they had re-signed other players, that Stephen could go to market? And at the same time, despite our attempts, also not come back to us with even a ballpark figure or perceived value from their end.”
The Panthers had been reportedly set to desk Crichton a brand new deal solely a day after he made his determination, with the membership’s final supply coming in May final yr.
Both Brian To’o and Izack Tago had been additionally supplied new contracts on the similar time and each are managed by Ayoub.
Tago’s deal was accomplished swiftly earlier than To’o signed a brand new deal in December, pushing aside negotiations till after the consultant season.
During that point Ayoub reportedly put ahead a one-year extension supply for Crichton which was price upwards of $800,000.
However, the Panthers response was blunt and reportedly left the gun centre feeling undesirable on the membership he made his debut at in 2019.
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“We never received any terms back but were met with a ‘it may be best for Stephen to go to market’,” Ayoub stated.
“That offer from May was also no longer on the table.
“Then we were given an impression that Stephen would need to stay on money far lower than what he was on in 2023 to stay beyond that.”
The Panthers supply in May was reportedly a two-year extension price round $700,000 per-season, however after Ayoub tabled a one-year deal membership powerbrokers believed Crichton was prepared to go away.
The uncertainty surrounding the wage cap additionally muddied negotiations earlier than he put pen to paper on a four-year deal price in extra of $3.3 million {dollars}, in response to Fox League’s James Hooper.
Crichton, who has gained back-to-back premierships in Penrith, might ply his commerce within the centres or at fullback below Ciraldo.
The Bulldogs have additionally tabled a mammoth supply to signal Eels halfback Mitchell Moses, whereas the Tigers have put ahead a contract price round $1.5 million per-season.
Source web site: www.foxsports.com.au
