Ricky Stuart admits the Canberra Raiders can't compete with big money offers from rival NRL clubs, and if they try to he "won't have a football team".
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It comes after the Raiders picked up their fourth win in five games with a 32-18 victory over the Gold Coast Titans at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
The Raiders could lose front-rower Shannon Boyd to the Gold Coast on a deal worth more than $650,000 per season, and he starred against the Titans in a potential audition for his future club.
Junior Paulo is set to return to the Parramatta Eels on a four-year deal worth almost $3 million while Josh Papalii, Aidan Sezer, Blake Austin and Sia Soliola headline a list of 13 Raiders coming off-contract.
Stuart says he would love to keep them all but admits the club can't go for broke in trying to retain their high-profile players, adamant he wants people to be in Canberra for "all the right reasons".
"They are off-contract and I want to keep every one of them, but I can't pay the huge money that has been offered to these boys," Stuart said.
"If Junior and Boyd are getting this astronomical money from other clubs, they go with my best wishes. It's going to affect us as a football team. I wanted to keep stability whilst I'm coaching here because I know stability will get you success at some stage.
"But the money that is being thrown around is astronomical for those two boys and we can't match it, simple as that.
"The one thing I want to do here as a club now is I want players to be here for all the right reasons, not just for getting the most money. That's got nothing to do with Junior or Shannon, but the money they are being offered is huge."
Boyd reportedly knocked back a three-year deal from the Green Machine and the club has reportedly ramped up its bid to sign Melbourne Storm prop Tim Glasby as cover.
Titans coach Garth Brennan says "Shannon's one of a few that are handy to have in your squad, there's no doubt about that" and Stuart jests he had to take action with Boyd carving up the Titans.
"I had to take him off, he has been linked to the Gold Coast on $650,000 a year," Stuart said.
"I said to him when I brought him off 'they want to give you $900,000 now so I got him off to see if we can still try to keep him.
"There was talk all week about the huge money for Shannon, but they've got a number of other blokes up there that they should be looking at as well because they're in their squad right now.
"You can understand why a young bloke like [Jarrod] Wallace would be a bit disgruntled in regards to where he's at. He's off-contract and he is an Origin player too.
"I just think that I've got to have a squad of players here who want to be a Raider as well."
Stuart backed State of Origin incumbent Papalii to earn another maroon jersey after he starred against a Gold Coast outfit featuring fellow Queensland prospect Jai Arrow.
The Raiders have offered Papalii a three-year deal, but he has been linked to a four-year contract worth up to $750,000 per season at either South Sydney or Cronulla.
He is another name Stuart is desperate to retain in Canberra as the club edges towards locking up the likes of Aidan Sezer and Luke Bateman.
"Papa's off-contract, and we've offered Papa a very, very good deal," Stuart said.
"Fingers crossed, I hope that we get an answer on Josh very soon, and a number of the other boys. As I say, I want to keep them all, but we can't go paying that type of money because I won't have a football team."
