Normally a sports car comes accompanied with a hefty yet justified price tag, though unfortunately for Penrith, the Forbes Ferrari seems to have cost a little more the Panthers had originally hoped.
Charlie Staines has had massive wraps placed on his shoulders ever since the outside back's four-try debut against Cronulla in 2020, but it appears Penrith may have jumped the gun a little.
According to The Daily Telegraph,ย Staines will be on a reported $500,000 during the 2023 season, a figure the Panthers will happily leave in their rear view mirror - if they can convince a rival to take him.
The large sum was initially signed off on with the view of Staines transitioning into the club's long-term fullback, however the rapid growth from Dylan Edwards has turned the custodian from a fringe first-grader into one of the NRL's most consistent performers.
The emergence of Taylan May alongside superstar Brian To'o has ensured that there's no room for Staines in the Penrith backline, and with players like Sunia Turuva coming through, the Panthers have no interest in paying the Central West product half-a-million to play reserve grade.
Especially when you have players like Origin star Liam Martin, who has five clubs chasing him, and unless he comes to an agreement with Penrith before November 1st, there'll be some juicy offers floated for the Temora product.
Reports swirled over the last month that the Wests Tigers had taken interest in Staines as a fullback, showing their uncertainty over Daine Laurie as a long-term prospect, however the chatter has gone cold as of late.
Juggling the salary cap was always going to be Penrith's greatest adversary since their sudden form jump in 2020, and with the likes of Martin and more soon to be free to talk to rivals, don't be surprised to see this Ferrari on GumTree sometime soon.
