There are so many things wrong with what you have said. First of all, signings are generally completed as soon as the players become available. Most of the time signings are done during the actual playing season (which I disagree with) but there are plenty of instances when players are signed in the off season (i.e. Sonny-Bill, James Roberts etc..) If you remember, Sam was preparing for and ultimately playing in the rugby world cup, so there is no way that he would have had time to think about his playing future. Basically what I am saying is that we got this deal done at the earliest possible time.
Now you made a point about letting him go to Leeds on the basis that we could keep other players. First of all, what makes you so sure that another team like the Roosters, the Sharks, Raiders etc. all who had salary cap space available would not have made a bid and snared him? Remember, under the terms of his release, if we default on offering a deal then he has the right to sign for other clubs. In any case, he openly stated that he missed living in Australia. Secondly, even if we were to sign him after his stint in Leeds, we would still need to shed players to fit him under the cap. Moreover, the players that we let go weren't performing. For instance, Chris McQueen has been in decline for over 2 years and has already been benched by the Titans! Glenn Stewart was both injury prone and probably lacked the motivation to play for a club other than Manly and Tim Grant was nothing special. Dylan Walker is an interesting one. I personally wouldn't have let him go but he hadn't played well all year in 2015 and actually regressed. Additionally, the club also had its disciplinary problems with him and the whole prescription drugs saga was the last straw. Lastly, Grevsmuhl was let go not because we couldn't fit him under the cap but because our offer wasn't large enough for him; he wanted to stay with us but we didn't offer him enough. In all honesty, I've felt that Madge has never really rated him which is illustrated through the numerous key games that Maguire has left Grevsmuhl out of.
In terms of money we still actually have a bit to play with. We chased James Roberts pretty hard right before the season started but he snubbed us because he wanted to play under Wayne Bennett. Also, the young players that we have got now, the likes of Brown, Gray, Musgrove, McInnes, Hunt are all playing in first grade and gaining valuable experience so I don't exactly see what the problem is. Lastly, I completely detest the view that Sam Burgess isn't performing or doing his job. Remember, he is not superman and if you look at the stats he is still making approximately 150 metres a game and close 40 tackles over the last few weeks. That is excellent by any standards let alone being in a team that has played poorly over the last few weeks. I'd be so bold to say that if it weren't for Sam then we would have been beaten by much greater margins than those that were handed out by the Roosters and Cowboys!
So my overriding point by saying all this is that it is wrong to blame our current predicament on Sam Burgess. I get that everyone is frustrated but pointing the finger at our best player is crazy. People seem to forget how good he was over the opening two rounds! Believe me when I say that we are a much stronger side with him than without him!
