A bit to unpack here.
As for the supposed confirmation bias. I am stating what evidence shapes my opinion. I think this is very logical to do in a discussion and not sure why you found it so annoying aside from it being a retort to your comment. You have essentially done the same thing by referencing market values in your argument.
Taking Chunk's one comment, without considering any of his previous comments in the discussion, then you are indeed 100% correct that KPP is better than the few players you mentioned.
However with additional consideration given to his earlier comments, especially given his initial statement was along the lines of our forward pack is a concern as we have no-one of the quality of of the many players on show during these rep games then I think his comments are fair enough and why I think comparing KPP to the hookers playing not a fair comparison. Even more so when a lot of people don't include the hooker when discussing the 'pack' since they've started to refer to them as a member the 'spine'.
As for KPP as a signing. That wasn't part of any of the discussion. He is a good player with the potential to be much better than he has shown thus far in a position we desperately needed. I think he is on a fair salary for what he has shown thus far as well. I think it is an excellent signing for a club in our position. As I said that wasn't the discussion and I see only one backrower from the rep teams mentioned whom I believe KPP is a better player than.
Finally, as for the same people criticising all our signings. I assume you mean me and/or chunk. I don't know Chunk's opinion on most of our signings (or his credentials), I don't typically pay much attention to user names when reading unless I think something is very insightful (Jolls as an example) or very stupid (plenty of examples but I won't name them). To be fair to you I have criticised some of our signings, either the player (Olam, Bird) or the value (Turuva, Sullivan). I have spoken glowingly of some signings (Skelton, Hunt whom I have since been unimpressed by) and been rather neutral on some (Luai doesn't have 1.2m of value in him but is the circuit breaker we needed).