Sporting Declaration: Tough situation when the cap doesn't fit

"It's like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle on roller skates," he said. A tough gig, in other words, for whoever is responsible for juggling all the moving pieces while simultaneously scanning ahead for potential potholes.

The funny thing, with the benefit of hindsight, is that while Smith was widely slaughtered for his 2007 cleanout at the Knights, to my knowledge he only ever moved on one contracted player in his three years at the club.

That was Kade Snowden, who went on to play for NSW and Australia after moving to Cronulla, only to re-join the Knights four years later, apparently because the club's new owner, Nathan Tinkler, was his No.1 fan.

Other than Snowden, the rest of the players to part company with the Knights during Smith's tenure were all off contract, and the club simply opted not to re-sign them.

All of which, I would suggest, is par for the course every season at every club.

In subsequent years, starting during the Wayne Bennett era, Newcastle have dispensed with a long list of players under contract, including Isaac De Gois, Cory Paterson, Antonio Kaufusi, Junior Sa'u, Wes Naiqama, Mark Taufua, Tyrone Roberts, Chris Houston, Akuila Uate, Jake Mamo, Trent Hodkinson, Danny Levi and David Klemmer.

Different management, different coaches, but the same badge on their jerseys and the same dilemma, which is basically that the Knights have had to pay them to play for rival clubs.

Now it appears Newcastle are facing the same unenviable predicament, after Daniel Saifiti confirmed this week that he had been asked to "explore his options" in the marketplace, despite a lucrative deal with the Knights that runs for two seasons after this one.

Saifiti is unlikely to be the only player encouraged to make his way out the back door. Already there has been speculation surrounding Jayden Brailey and Jack Hetherington.

Why do the Knights find themselves in this situation? Well, by all accounts, their salary cap is so tight that they desperately need to free up funds, and the last resort for clubs in such circumstances is to ask contracted players to move on.

The players, of course, are under no obligation to do so and can instead insist they will keep fronting up for training.

What usually happens, however, is that their current clubs negotiate a partial payout, and they then sign with a rival outfit, possibly for a longer term.

So the players aren't financially disadvantaged - more often than not they end up better off - and their new clubs pick up a bargain buy. The original club are then able to use the surplus to spend on other players.

The flip side, of course, is it is just money down the drain, especially as the "golden handshakes" count under the salary cap.

At a rough guess, I would estimate the Knights have spent more than $2 million over the years to pay blokes to play for their opposition. At best, it's counterproductive. At worst, it's just a terrible look.

In the case of Saifiti, in particular, I find it disappointing to think he could well be playing for another team next season.

I first met Daniel and his twin sibling Jacob in late-2015, when they were 19-year-old giants who were yet to make their NRL debuts. You wouldn't come across two more impressive young blokes, or more popular clubmen.

Along with the likes of Mitch Barnett, Josh King and Lachlan Fitzgibbon, they were there during the dark days when the Knights collected three consecutive wooden spoons.

It was nice to imagine that all of them might have one day featured in a fairytale grand final triumph.

Ultimately, however, this is a reminder of the cut-throat industry that rugby league has become, and that there is no room for sentiment in professional sport.