Be it Brooks, Doueihi, Hastings or Laurie- the Tigers need to settle on a halves combination.
Brooks, by rights, is probably the most rounded of all the options. However, he's also the one thats been the most disappointing.
Doueihi is an athlete. He might lack the polish in his passing game, and he doesn't have a 'complete' kicking game. But he's also probably our most dangerous player with the ball in hand. In my opinion, he's probably equally dangerous at #1 or #6.
Hastings is the best competitor & organisor of the group. He's the least athletic, however. And his kicking game would need some refining. That said- he DOES direct a team around the field. I know Sheens has him (reportedly) down as the #13. But for mine, he's a #7 much in the same way Chad Townsend is. Is he in the top 10 #7's in the game? Of course not. But he might be the best option to letting our other players shine in their roles.
Laurie is a bit weak in his defensive positioning. Hearing that he is training at 5/8 is interesting. He's probably got a nicer passing game that Doueihi. If the idea is to have those 2 swap positions, I can be on board with that. Laurie also has that 'spark'. He looks dangerous with the ball in hand.
Regardless of who is 7, 6 or 1- the success of the team starts with the forwards. If the Tigers can start matching up with teams in the middle, our halves & fullback will automatically look better.
If the future of the club's spine is currently playing in the juniors, what we need is players that can be transitioned out over time for the younger guys to come in.
Api, Hastings, Laurie & Doueihi as 9, 7, 6 & 1 could be the short term solution while our forwards learn how to compete on a regular basis.