What some people are forgetting are these:
1. the spine, minus Api, will be together.
2. only six players, will be missing in 2023.
3. Api will be 30 at the conclusion of his contract
4. Our club is a development club.
5. Api, and Kiks, started of as rookies, and both turned out great.
6. Matt Cameron, Ivan Cleary, and co. knows what they are doing.
What many people seem to be missing is just how much difficulty we have had finding quality players in these positions. Especially centres and hooker.
I can see reason to be hopeful of a strong 2022 season. But the 2023 season however has a lot of holes to try filling from our premiership side.
1. Edwards
2. To'o
3. Crichton
4.
5.
6. Luai
7. Cleary
8. JFH
9.
10. Leota
11. Martin
12.
13. Yeo
14.
15. Scott Sorensen
16. Spencer Leniu
17.
Crichton moves to centre. Meaning we have to fill a wing and centre position. Staines is an option for one, but most people here think he's shit now. Not me personally, but if the haters are correct he's just another issue rather than a solution. Tiny May is another option... but he is an anti vaxer and makes it look like Tyrone was the smart one from that family. I think he's an issue, not a solution. Tago is a centre option... but many people are quick to point out he has barely played centre. So maybe he's a second row option... except many have pointed out he is very small for a second rower. I think he's too small for second row and hope he's a centre first up. But he could absolutely be a flop for all we know.,
Those positions from what we have are far from solved. There's possible solutions but even our own fan base are split on them all as to whether they can deliver for different reasons. Tago/Staines is IMO our best bet. But it's far from a certainty.
Hooker? Well this is the one I have no faith in us filling from within. Zero. I don't care how much talent it looks like our guys have. We have had so many guys that looked like future super stars at hooker flop spectacularly. Masada Iosefa (RIP) was looking like he had the makings of an elite hooker. Never kicked on. Wayde Egan looked like he was a future Cameron Smith, but he never really kicked on either. Sione Katoa... well I never thought he was a star as such but still looked like a promising candidate early on. But again. We just couldn't take an above average reserve grader and make a good first grader.
Hookers can make an entire team look better and a poor one can be such a handbrake the entire team can look worse. They improve the forward packs, they make the halves jobs easier. They do so much work that is crucial to how teams play. Equally as important, possibly moreso than a good #7.
Second row I think we can comfortably make solid first graders. But finding someone who offers what we lost will again be tough. Viliame Kikau is an absolute beast and he made the job of those around him easier whether he was playing well or not. He scared defensive lines and they didn't want to take their focus off him. Capewell we can probably find someone to replace, but doing so at the quality he delivered will be tough.
I think we will go from premiers, to fringe top 4 in 2022 to 6th to 8th in 2023. With Kiks and Api we are still a top 4 team if we stay healthy in 2022. But in 2023 I think we are back to the middle of the table. Even with the best halfback in the game.