Cronulla premiership rake Michael Ennis has called the Melbourne Storm's signing spree into question, claiming that the southern franchise had prioritised the wrong signatures.
With star rake Harry Grant and burgeoning playmaker Jahrome Hughes set to ink multi-million dollar deals to remain under Craig Bellamy, the Storm's salary cap is naturally facing a squeeze.
With this in mind, Ennis holds the view that with conceivably less to offer Cameron Munster to stay on in purple, Melbourne could well have dug their own grave.
According to Fox League's Andrew Hooper, Munster has reportedly been offered a two-year extension that is set to kick in at the cessation of the 2023 season.
However, with the Queenslander currently in line to earn $2 million across the course of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the price attached to this new deal - a collective $800,000 - is a fair haircut should Munster sign on the dotted line.
Speaking on NRL 360, Ennis suggested that with the Dolphins circling Munster, the choice to prioritise Hughes on a larger deal could well come back to bite Melbourne in the very near future.
“It pains me to say it because I love watching him as a player, but I think Munster and Grant have to be their two priorities in terms of moving forward,” Ennis explained.
The ex-Knight, Dragon, Bronco, Bulldog and Shark expressed that Ryan Papenhuyzen represented the final pillar of Melbourne's contemporary 'Big Three'.
“I say that because you look at the spine, there is enough creativity, Papenhuyzen signed a long-term deal, we all know what he is capable of," Ennis said of the Clive Churchill medallist.
“Grant is the same, Munster is the competitor, Munster has got class in him, he loves big games, but there is a ferocious competitor there that has been through the system with some of the greats so he knows what the club is about.”
While adamant that a multi-million dollar mistake had been made, Ennis claimed that his stance wasn't based upon anything personal.
“When I say that about Hughes, I love Hughes as a player, but it has been a common trend in Melbourne under the Bellamy system and I don’t mean this disrespectfully,” he added.
“But he was able to transform Cooper (Cronk) who was a utility into arguably one of the greatest halfbacks that the game has had and we have seen what he has been able to do with Jahrome Hughes.
“If you have got Munster, Papenhuyzen and Grant in your spine you can just get someone in there who can control the Melbourne system.”
Grant, Papenhuyzen, Hughes and Munster are all set to line up for Melbourne for their Round 4 clash against Canterbury on Sunday afternoon.
Kick-off is scheduled for 4:05pm AEDT at AAMI Park.