It has been revealed Rugby Australia’s offer to Roosters star Angus Crichton was worth less than half the reported two-year, $1.6 million that circulated.
According to The Australian, the “fake $1.6m” offer caused major tension between rugby powerbrokers, with the offer being the focus of a member union meeting on Tuesday.
State bosses raised concerns regarding the contract, however the real value has been revealed to be worth $400,000-per-season as well a third-party bonuses for appearances.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh was forced to reveal the real value of the contract during the meeting and the offer was also retracted on Tuesday.
Crichton’s manager, David Rawlings, slammed Rugby Australia’s dealings with his client, labelling negotiations “bad business”.
“It’s not much of a surprise to us that negotiations have fallen over given the manner in which they’ve been handled since we began discussions,” Rawlings told the SMH.
“Within 12 hours of us receiving an offer, I was getting calls from journalists who were aware that the deal had been tabled. That didn’t come from us, I can assure you.”
Speaking to News Corp, a Rugby Australia source questioned: “why would RA leak a higher number than what they have offered?”
“It’s absolutely illogical to leak a much higher number than what is offered and it caused consternation. The agent has been caught trying to push the price up.
“I don’t think he’s represented his client particularly well.”
Waugh has also responded to Rawlings’ comments, explaining Rugby Australia’s side of the story in a statement.
“RA was approached numerous times by Angus Crichton’s management, trying to pressure RA,” Waugh said.
“Due to the manner in which the discussions progressed and the significant inaccuracies in the numbers reported, we have ceased conversations.”
