That was 2006 so allowing for inflation & the COLA I think the AFL could still manage it . Just remember we would never have known had he not come out of retirement & Brissy reneged on the deal.
I’ll be surprised if Sydney actually have 1-1.5mil of cap space taken up by a player no longer on their list (assuming he doesn’t see out the contract). It would massively hamper the club & the AFL have spent too long & too much money making them popular in Sydney to jeopardise that for something as insignificant to the AFL as a fair competition.
I was surprised/disappointed they didn’t go after L Neale when it became clear he wanted to leave Fremantle. He would have been and ideal inclusion also so maybe they held off Neale because they have a good feeling about Coniglio?
Speaking of Coniglio, his 5x goal performance in the 2010 WAFL GF as a 17 year old was overshashed by the brilliant performance of Andrew Krakouer, especially after he kicked the winning goal but after seeing Coniglio in action that day, you knew he could really play.
That one, and Tippett’s pie deal, and even the Ben? holland to Richmond one, make you wonder how many suss deals go on that we never know about, because the player stays put.
I’d certainly know entertainment if it ran down the wing, intentionally smashed an opponent in the jaw with a shoulder, and as usual, received a ‘nothing to see here’ badge to add to its collection.