So i look at our club and the other clubs and what we lack is quality at the real top end.
Our 3 highest paid players are Mbye, Brooks, Packer and at the start of the season it was Josh Reynolds
If I compare this to the top 3 in almost every other club then this is really where we fall over.
I would almost go as far to say that if we swapped the top 3 players at every club outside the bottom 4 we would be a top 8 team.
Look at what happened to Manly when Tommy T came back. If we swapped our 3 highest paid for Tom and Jake and DCE or swapped them for Taumalolo, Val Holmes and Micheal Morgan pre injury we would be a top 8 team let alone if we swapped with top 4 clubs - if we swapped our too 3 for Teddy, Keary and Chrichton or Cleary, Kikau and Crichton or Latrell, Murray, Cody W or Munster, Paps, Bromwich/Grant at the storm
What we really need is not a slightly better this or that or but too focus on buying 3 top class players. Now we might not get 3 in one offseason but find the first one as they tried to do with Latrell and JAC we need to find some genuine test level players even if we need to pay signifcant overs for the first one but make it a genuine star.
I actually think we have made good moves in buying some exceptional young players who might well turn into top 3 level players - Laurie, Douehi, Blore, Stefano, Simpkins all have that potential but we need to bring in a top 3 player.
We have gaps in our outside backs , half back and lock so lets aim for one in each of those.
Mayby Hastings is it at halfback so lets find a star outside back and a star lock. I understand why Madge would look at Sam Burgess because he might be that for 18 months and he would set standards on tje field and training paddock although perhap not in life.
Interested in peoples thoughts
Absolutely spot on. Too much money tied up in the top three that are not delivering what they are getting paid. One, Packer, will definitely be gone for 2022. Hopefully we can offload Mbye as well, without paying huge freight. Brooks has until the end of the year IMO, otherwise he can be shopped around as well. That would free up the top 3 money spots for better value players.
I'd suggest the coach is on borrowed time. Blame the players all you want but the extremely poor defence rests with the coach. You want stability, I want our team to improve and we're not getting that under Maguire. No player of note will come here with Maguire as coach.
The players are the ones on the field not the coach. It’s the players that are the problem with a number of them that won’t be here next year.
Fair enough. And if we don't improve in this area next year? It's still the players' fault then too?
End of next year we are obviously in a different position, if Madge only has 1 year to run and he would have had 4 years in charge by that stage, including 2+ years with what is supposed to be the core of a new generation of Tigers - Laurie, Doueihi, Simpkins, Simpkin, Stefano, Blore. He's got a couple of really promising kids also coming through the juniors, so the foundation is there.
You'd have to decide who's available for 2023 at the time.
I think there is a general consensus that Madge has been hampered by mistakes of the past, and that 2021 is really the first year he can lay claim to having had the team long enough, and enough cap space available to do some of what he wants. And that "some" should see some improvements. Not happening so far. Therefore by end of 2022, he'll have had 2 years of that situation, arguably even better in 2022 with Packer's money freeing up (maybe some of Mbye too), and you'll see what's possible with a bit more spending money and year under the belt of the most promising juniors like Laurie, Stefano, Blore.
Don't we also have Reynolds money as well ?
