if you believe that at the end of the regular season we were a genuine top 4 team with our performances you're kidding yourself
The same applies to the Sharks.
The fact is since the salary cap has really bitten the competition each year has been made up of 2 maybe 3 quality teams and the rest have been involved in a crap fight for the other spots in the 8.
Id say we were about the 5th best side last year. And no we weren't that good so that says alot about the mediocore competition these days. But i see no reason why we wont be a much better team in 2009. We might however still drop down the ladder because the oppsoition may improve alot, who knows...
Toops is a loss, but Cherrington is ready to take his place and maybe, just maybe he might become a consistent version of Toops. Shillingtons loss is a borderline addition. The big fat powderpuff is easily replaced. And Roberts was a pea-heart who is no big loss either.
But i think we will see all the gains through the improvement of the yougner brigade. Its the same with every team and how Premierships are won...you get a young batch of quality players who after a couple of years there or abouts develop into quality, battle-hardened first graders.
It was the same with the Storm and Sea Eagles. Slater, Inglis, Hoffman, Cronk, Smith, White and Johnson weren't always Origin quality players. They took a couple of years first to develop into a team capable of winning the comp.
And now if the likes of Mitch and James Aubusson, Pearce, Sa, SKD, Cherro, Shackleton, Friend and even Paea go from being 6/10 players to 8/10 players then we'll be a much better team.
I dont think we'll win the comp but its not impossible. Recent history is filled with young teams who come from nowehere and put it together for amazing seasons. Eels in 01, Panthers in 03, Tigers in 05 and Storm in 06.
