brett delaney signed a 5 year deal

I'm no petrocelli, but does this mean that McDermott's contract which lasts for infinity was signed one year before the dawn of time?

Time to crack open another calamine in the sun

McDermott's "lifetime" contract is the same as the "lifetime" guarantee you get with a non stick frying pan. Basically it's valid until $h1t starts sticking, then it's not.

Actually this exact sort of situation shows the value of signing players on long term deals. Things are always subject to change, and having the contract there prevents them from being easily snapped up by rival clubs. The transfer fee's a bit of a nonsense, but its is probably only designed to get rid of interest from SL clubs. If Hardaker's determined to leave then the NRL may be his only option.

As it stands though I really can't see any NRL side signing him up in the short term except for the Knights and Titans. Knights because they are a shower of the proverbial and any new player would be welcome, and the Titans because they have a very thin squad. Not sure about the Raiders, as Wighton is a good player (although prone to the odd major stuff up)