Superstar Blue set to turn down $12 million from rival Victorian club - but will another star take it?
St Kilda has made an enormous offer to try and lure Carlton star Jacob Weitering, putting a $12 million deal in front of him – according to Sam McClure.
Speaking on the Tradies podcast, McClure revealed that Weitering is likely to turn down the deal and stay at the Blues.
It comes as the Saints sit on a proverbial salary cap war chest, with stars around the competition being approached by list boss Stephen Silvagni.
“Jacob Weitering is set to turn down one of the biggest offers in football history to stay at Carlton,” McClure said on the podcast.
“That offer, that I am told reliably, is worth $12 million over eight years, is from St Kilda.
“It’s an amazing play. He’s out of contract at the end of next year, an unrestricted free agent, which is exactly the type of player St Kilda is going after.
“They’re adamant that they’re holding onto their first-round pick this year because they know what’s happening in future years with Tassie coming in.
“But they’re making offers. Hugh McCluggage, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Andrew Brayshaw – they’re all aware. Jacob Weitering is the latest one to become aware of this mammoth offer.
“He has told Carlton that he wants to stay. Carlton are of the belief that they will have a large contract extension in front of him and agreed to before the end of the season. They don’t want this going into next year.
“I don’t think this should be framed as St Kilda throwing a lot of darts and missing. I think what you’ve got to understand is Stephen Silvagni and Graeme Allan, who basically built the GWS list, there are probably no two people in footy better connected.
“They know what they are doing if they don’t get these players is forcing their rivals to sign them up for more. If they’re offering Weitering $1.5 million (per yaer), Carlton are going to have to go to $1.3 million instead of $1 million.
“These clubs are going to have to cough up a little bit.”
McClure sees Davies-Uniacke as the more likely player to take the St Kilda money of those he brought up.
“Of the four that I have mentioned, you would think that Davies-Uniacke is the most likely to go. Hard to see Brayshaw getting out of Freo and hard to see them letting him go,” he added.
“McCluggage could leave Brisbane. The further they go down the ladder the more open he must be to a conversation, particularly at the money that we’re hearing.
“And then Weitering is less than a five per cent chance to leave I would think.”
Once Carlton locks in the key defender, they will have had Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow and Weitering all turn down enormous offers from elsewhere to remain at the club.
“There is an argument to say that Carlton’s five best players – who are also their five highest paid players – all turned down bigger money to stay at the Blues,” McClure said.
“Cripps turned down a ton of cash to go to West Coast and stayed.
“Walsh and Curnow both turned down massive offers from Geelong.
“Harry McKay turned down seven years at more than a million dollars from Essendon.
“And now Jacob Weitering turning down one of the biggest offers in football history, bigger than Lance Franklin’s deal to go to Sydney, to stay at Carlton.
“That’s the sign of a fairly stable club and a well-built list – ironically which Stephen Silvagni had a big part in building.”
Weitering has played 166 career games for the Blues and is on the cusp of potentially finally elevating from the All-Australian squad to the team.
