MOST rugby league fans won't know the name Torrey Craig.
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For the uninitiated, Craig just won a championship ring with Milwaukee in the recently completed NBA Finals. What's remarkable, is that he was playing for Phoenix against the Bucks.
In one of the great 'ate bloomer stories, the now 30-year-old began his professional basketball career in Australia with Cairns and Brisbane, crowned NBL Defensive Players of the Year in 2017.
He subsequently headed back to America after three years and, coming through the G League, has forged a stellar NBA career with Denver, Milwaukee and Phoenix.
What's interesting about his most recent season is that it began with the Bucks, playing 18 games, before he was traded to the Suns. He ultimately went down to his former team 4-2 in the Finals.
Having kitted up for the Bucks, he'll still receive a championship ring. It's an illustration of what truly professional sport looks like.
Does he deserve his ring? It's a yes from me knowing his career trajectory, but it's up for debate.
Same question - does Tevita Pangai Junior deserve one if the Panthers go all the way this season? Should he land on his feet to that degree?
He's a guy who's been a total bust for the Broncos, his on-field efforts falling well short of his price tag. Penrith is basically a transit lounge for him on his way to the Bulldogs next season. If he's there on the big stage as Penrith hoist a premiership trophy, it might not sit well with some.
Rugby league fans still prize loyalty, but it's long gone in the NRL. As Jerry Seinfeld puts it, you're basically cheering for the clothes.
The COVID era has hastened the speed with which the NRL is heading down that path, with loan deals becoming common as the pandemic puts a hold on lower-grade footy.
The Dragons current roster is riddled with such machinations. The club just farewelled Jamayne Taunoa-Brown after a two-game loan stint.
The club's broader roster is subsidised to the tune of nearly a million dollars by the former clubs of Andrew McCullough, Jack Bird (both Broncos) and Josh McGuire (Cowboys).
The club's now in talks with Moses Mbye, for what position it is hard to discern, but one imagines the Tigers would need to chip in a large chunk of the $800,000 they're reportedly on the hook for.
Through COVID, the proliferation of loan deals has shown how seamlessly it can be done. Just about all players who've been party to one have sung its praises.
What it highlights is the need for the NRL to take the next step and formalise trade windows; one at the end of the season, and another mid-season.
State of Origin effectively puts the season on hold for a month and a half as it is, why not let clubs use it to reshape their roster through it. Clubs are already doing it with each other, the NRL already has oversight, why not make it open slather and have it operate as an internal draft?
By mutual agreement, let clubs and players put themselves in the shop window with a price-tag of what's left on their deals. Both retain protections of a contract, but rival clubs can make informed choices on whether to pick it up, or simply clear space in their cap.
Teams swap players, plug holes, cover for injuries suffered earlier in the season, open the door for disgruntled players - of which there are many - with broader options to replace them.
If the Dragons were flying towards the finals, Matt Dufty may be more than happy to see out his deal to the end of the season as it's beneficial for club and player. Given that's not the case, would it benefit club and player to part ways via a trade window?
If players have more than the current year on their existing contracts, let a club retain or forgo those rights at the next window. Lodge all contract offers with the NRL so players concerned can see them independently and not simply believe the sweet nothings player managers whisper in their ears.
That level of ruthless professionalism isn't what we like to associate our game with, but it's the reality of it.
If we are just cheering for the clothes, we might as well know what's underneath.