Um wasnt Simmonds a bargain buy at the time?
Something like 250000 per year over 5 years. Thats pretty cheap for a ruckman, he could command much more. Isnt Cain HACKland on $300,000?
The others, yeah, pretty much gifted a big contract although Im not sure about Polak.
No one was calling Browny money hungry after the first 9 rounds of 2005 nor Simmo after 2006. As you say tigersalive Simmo is on a modest salary for an AFL player. The risk was in offering him a long 5 year deal given the risk of injury. Despite missing most of last year he's basically from now on on a relative cheapish 2-year deal so he's hardly bursting the tiger coffers. I would argue we've overrated and overpayed our own over the years rather than those we've traded for and brought to Punt Rd.