Last Friday night Stephen Crichton phoned a former teammate to gauge his feelings towards Penrith over the way the club had handled his contract negotiations.
Crichton no longer saw his future at a club he believed had been stalling the negotiation process, regardless of what was going to be put on the table the next day. Crichton was never going to be a value-for-money signing for them, especially with the production line of cheap but talented outside backs coming through the system.
One detailed his expectations around what it would take to extend To’o, a deal that was finalised in December. Penrith saw the short-term extension request as a sign Crichton was already thinking about the exit doors, despite later in the year agreeing to a one-year extension for backrower Liam Martin.
It’s why they waited until they finally got NRL approval last week before determining their position on Crichton.
Source: News Formal (newsformal.com)