All the debate is about whether or not to get rid of Sheens, so I thought I'd move it on to what an incoming coach would find in his squad. I'm afraid to say I don't have a terribly positive outlook.
**The playmaker situation** for 2013 I would give a B to. Marshall and Farah are among the best in the game, but both are well paid so not really representing a bargain against the salary cap. Also there has to be a decent chance that they have both reached their peak and don't have any improvement left. On the basis of this season I'd say Marshall's days as a consistent running threat are already numbered.
The lack of a half back is well known and does not appear to be an easy one to solve. The best case scenario appears to be to move Marshall to 7 full-time (where he can maximise his passing game and doesn't have to worry so much about losing pace) with Sironen or Anasta at 6\. Both would have a lot to prove. The other option would be to find a 2010 Ben Hornby equivalent - someone who isn't going to cost much money and is a backup playmaker, but has a decent kicking game and isn't a total turnstile.
**The front row** gets a C. I've wondered for a long time whether the strategic plan is to move the Tigers to a more mobile pack setup which doesn't have the standard four prop rotation. However, at this point that either hasn't emerged or isn't working, and what we have is one genuinely representative-quality prop, one who is close (but injury prone) and basically nothing else. I thought at the start of 2012 that we were going into the season a prop light, and the evaporation of Matt Groat only exacerbated that. The amount of game time that limited triers like Cashmere, Moors and Bell got up front this year was unacceptable, and it's no surprise that our ruck defence was crap all season long.
**The back row** gets a D+. I quite like the Pettyborne signing, but the post-Ellis prospects look pretty dodgy otherwise. Barring a major turnaround I think we now have to admit that Blair is likely a contract millstone round our necks for another four years. Murdoch-Masila has finally started to come good on some of his promise but he still doesn't look more than a solid first grader at best. There's nothing else to get excited about.
**The centres** get a C-. A year and a half out from his injury I'm starting to suspect Lawrence's pace is a thing of the past, and without it he's paid like a rep player but isn't able to perform like one. Ayshford is what he is. There's not a game breaker there, and lack of pace has been a huge problem in our backs as a whole.
**The wide backs** get a B+. Ryan has had his best season ever though he's never going to be a superstar on the field. Utai has exceeded expectations and is worth keeping on a low contract. Korobeite and Tedesco (and getting out from under the Tuqiri deal) are what gets the mark up to this level, though - still a lot to prove for different reasons on both counts but at least there is hope there.
What worries me most is that there isn't much flexibility in the squad. We didn't blood a single young forward all season. There are a couple of contracts on the books that will really hurt our salary cap position (Blair, possibly Anasta, Moltzen, hopefully not - but quite possibly - Lawrence). And there don't seem to be obvious solutions to the most obvious problems, like the lack of defensive structure, a half-back, pace in the centres and prop depth.
Basically I'm worried that the window may have closed on the Marshall/Farah era Tigers with the two heartbreakers in 2010 and 2011 and the embarrassment of 2012\. It's a team that's been built for the present rather than the future, but I'm afraid the future may have arrived.
NB - I don't want to get in a fight about this. I'm sure some people will say I'm being far to pessimistic and believe me I hope those people are right.
**The playmaker situation** for 2013 I would give a B to. Marshall and Farah are among the best in the game, but both are well paid so not really representing a bargain against the salary cap. Also there has to be a decent chance that they have both reached their peak and don't have any improvement left. On the basis of this season I'd say Marshall's days as a consistent running threat are already numbered.
The lack of a half back is well known and does not appear to be an easy one to solve. The best case scenario appears to be to move Marshall to 7 full-time (where he can maximise his passing game and doesn't have to worry so much about losing pace) with Sironen or Anasta at 6\. Both would have a lot to prove. The other option would be to find a 2010 Ben Hornby equivalent - someone who isn't going to cost much money and is a backup playmaker, but has a decent kicking game and isn't a total turnstile.
**The front row** gets a C. I've wondered for a long time whether the strategic plan is to move the Tigers to a more mobile pack setup which doesn't have the standard four prop rotation. However, at this point that either hasn't emerged or isn't working, and what we have is one genuinely representative-quality prop, one who is close (but injury prone) and basically nothing else. I thought at the start of 2012 that we were going into the season a prop light, and the evaporation of Matt Groat only exacerbated that. The amount of game time that limited triers like Cashmere, Moors and Bell got up front this year was unacceptable, and it's no surprise that our ruck defence was crap all season long.
**The back row** gets a D+. I quite like the Pettyborne signing, but the post-Ellis prospects look pretty dodgy otherwise. Barring a major turnaround I think we now have to admit that Blair is likely a contract millstone round our necks for another four years. Murdoch-Masila has finally started to come good on some of his promise but he still doesn't look more than a solid first grader at best. There's nothing else to get excited about.
**The centres** get a C-. A year and a half out from his injury I'm starting to suspect Lawrence's pace is a thing of the past, and without it he's paid like a rep player but isn't able to perform like one. Ayshford is what he is. There's not a game breaker there, and lack of pace has been a huge problem in our backs as a whole.
**The wide backs** get a B+. Ryan has had his best season ever though he's never going to be a superstar on the field. Utai has exceeded expectations and is worth keeping on a low contract. Korobeite and Tedesco (and getting out from under the Tuqiri deal) are what gets the mark up to this level, though - still a lot to prove for different reasons on both counts but at least there is hope there.
What worries me most is that there isn't much flexibility in the squad. We didn't blood a single young forward all season. There are a couple of contracts on the books that will really hurt our salary cap position (Blair, possibly Anasta, Moltzen, hopefully not - but quite possibly - Lawrence). And there don't seem to be obvious solutions to the most obvious problems, like the lack of defensive structure, a half-back, pace in the centres and prop depth.
Basically I'm worried that the window may have closed on the Marshall/Farah era Tigers with the two heartbreakers in 2010 and 2011 and the embarrassment of 2012\. It's a team that's been built for the present rather than the future, but I'm afraid the future may have arrived.
NB - I don't want to get in a fight about this. I'm sure some people will say I'm being far to pessimistic and believe me I hope those people are right.
