the best centres have been developed internally. think about it. Crichton, Olam, Farnworth, Staggs, Best, Manu, Tago, Timoko, Penisini, Koula, Ramien, Billy Smith and Campbell Graham all debuted and were developed at their current clubs. the only "elite" centres that have moved around are Dane Gagai and Val Holmes.
my point is, you're better off either backing your juniors or signing guys that can do a job in your system, like Reimis Smith, Tass, Vailea, Brian Kelly, even Star To'a. centre is not the position it was 10-15 years ago.
Olam will bridge a gap for us in both quality and age. he will do that at approximately $400k a year and will probably be gone in 2026 (PNG). Best on the other hand was going to cost nearly double that and come with the weight of expectation that he plays like Joey Manu or Justin Hodges.
if you're going to use the good sides as a marker then you need to go to find players in the pathways that will become elite centres. To'a absolutely has it in him, we've seen it. Heamasi Makasini is absolutely one of those. Josh Feledy has talent, same with William Craig and Navren Willett. those are your elite centres in waiting, not a bloke worth $800k on the open market.
