Thats the decision Brisbane have to make. A team will always pay overs to get a player, but its also dangerous to let good players go because of money when you have the ability to pay them. Sydney went two players less on their main list to help pay the wages of their players and keep them.It's less about not being able to afford him, and more about not wanting to make him (easily) the highest paid player at our club. Neale has a contract in front of him but is probably on his way out; that money would comfortably cover the difference between what we're offering Bailey and what he'd accept.
Andrews and McCluggage are deservedly the highest players at the club and are reportedly making around $1mil a year. Paying Bailey the $1.4mil that Adelaide are would make him (IMO undeservedly) comfortably our highest paid player.
We won back to back flags and signed two big money free agents in positions of need. I think our cap management is fine.
Didn't Adelaide try to pay Petty $1 million a year? Part of Adelaide not "screwing" their cap is they've missed on some of their bigger $$ targets. Credit to them for appearing to get Bailey over the line.
Its harder to find another Zac Bailey than to pay the one you have more.
People said the same thing when we got Eddie Betts. No small forward was worth 550k a year. It would destabilise the team by having him as one of the highest paid players. Now in hindsight do you think Carlton would have matched the Adelaide offer? Absolutely they would have.







