Fellow director Mark Bouris, worth about $400m at the time and also host of The Apprentice, thought this was hilarious. "We've all been ringing him this week, asking if he was alright," Bouris joked at the grand final breakfast a few days later. "We wanted to see if he needed a loan." Politis probably scraped through to payday. His wealth is now listed at $594 million. Cronk has come to the biggest city in the country. If he wants to play for its biggest club, supported by the big end of town, they don't get much bigger than the Roosters. On Friday, he told his manager George Mimis he was "inclined" to play on next season should "the right opportunity" come along. Translation: money, good coach, opportunities post-career.

The breaking news moved the Cronk saga along by about an inch. In reality, it resolved nothing. If anything, it sounded very much like a negotiation tactic to drive up the price for whoever wants him the most. The suspicion is Cronk enjoys the intrigue, the mystery, the palaver. I suspect he just won't be rushed into making a decision. A resolution is in sight. He has also indicated he wants his future sorted before the start of the World Cup. Australia play England in the tournament opener in Melbourne next Friday. The Roosters appear to be his only "right opportunity". Souths boss Shane Richardson this week said his club wasn't interested, although it certainly made an approach at one stage.

The Roosters will have to do some deft rejigging of the salary cap jigsaw puzzle before they can offer Cronk the $1 million-a-season he commands. According to the NRL, they have about $400,000 of so-called "wiggle room" in their cap next year. They are trying to off-load Jayden Nikorima to the Broncos. He's reportedly on $370,000 and while Brisbane want him they won't be covering all of that. The Roosters will have to carry some of the freight, so they might have to get rid of another player and back-end Cronk's contract in his second season. So it's complex.

Cronk is looking for the right opportunity – but is he the right opportunity for the Roosters? They will have to move on players and his arrival places great uncertainty over the future of halfback Mitchell Pearce, who is unlikely to stomach being turned into a bench player or a hooker. We all know what Cronk can bring to the Roosters. We all know what he will get out of it. But playing for the biggest club supported by the big end of town brings big expectation.