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‘Couldn’t afford to lose him’... but can’t afford other stars? Dogs’ big deal sparks fresh dilemma News of Jacob Preston’s contract extension will no doubt please Bulldogs fans, but could it cost them another star player? Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Preston will be at the Bulldogs until at least the end of 2031 and it’s seen as a major coup for the club. But they had to pay more than they wanted to keep the 24-year-old after he knocked back a three-year deal worth $1.9 million last week. The Bulldogs’ new offer of $3 million over four years was much more to Preston and his team’s liking and he signed on the dotted line on Tuesday. “You know how much he means to the Bulldogs and the future of that club. He’s a player that they couldn’t afford to lose,” journalist David Riccio said on NRL 360 on Tuesday night. “They were always confident they’d keep him, and there was certainly a lot of haggling.” The Bulldogs will now have to spend at least an extra $200,000 of their salary cap on Preston each year. “I think that’s fair enough. I think it was justifiable. A four-year deal, it’s a big win for the Dogs,” Riccio said. “He’s just a top-notch footballer. He’s a representative player of the future, and they’ve signed a good one,” fellow journalist Paul Crawley added. NRL 360 host Braith Anasta questioned if Preston’s deal might affect the future of other star players at the club. Despite having two more years left on his lucrative contract, Anasta asked about the future of Viliame Kikau. Spending so much money on two second rowers could throw their cap out of whack. “It’s going to be interesting because if you go through the majority of the NRL clubs, you don’t find too many NRL clubs with circa $700,000, $800,000 back rowers on both sides of the field,” Riccio said. “There’s usually just one dominant highly paid backrower and the rest in the mid mid-$400,000s.” There’s no doubt Preston’s big upgrade will force someone out and general manager Phil Gould knows how to move on players. It may put the future of Matt Burton under the spotlight. He’s on big money but has been playing in the centres which isn’t justifiable. MORE NRL NEWS TALKING PTS: ‘Disgusting joke’ could ruin Dogs’ future; major Cleary dilemma CRAWLS: How masterstroke signing fixed big Warriors issue; forgotten hero in all-time boilover Riccio said he didn’t believe there were ratchet clauses in Preston’s contract which is a positive for the club. He suggested Cameron Ciraldo may move Kikau into the front row to ensure so much money wasn’t spent in one position. “I think it’s going to be interesting. Kikau is probably the most versatile, he’s certainly big enough to play in the middle of the field. That way the Dogs don’t have to go searching for more strike through the middle, going to market for a forward,” Riccio said. “Maybe you can justify the money if you’re played back in the middle. I think it’s going to be interesting to see. “You look through the NRL and I challenge all the viewers out there to go and have a look at the squads and have a look at the pairings of backrowers, see just one who is highly paid. Anasta said the Bulldogs would have to continue paying the big bucks if they wanted to extend Kikau’s contract before he can go to market next year. Kikau’s not going to go, ‘okay, I’ll move into the middle and I’ll take less’. It’s not how it works. They’re going to have to pay him. He is still playing as good as ever,” Anasta said.