I would be offering the Tigers.
Paulo to replace Stefano.
If the tigers take him for 650k and we chip in 300k per year for the last 2 years its better then paying him 950k and delivering not much.
OK then who do you replace him with then that actually strengthens our side?
The way I see it we have $650K to spend in your scenario, but where or who is the front rower that takes his place that is actually going to be an improvement to our roster? Or do you think we are flush for quality props?
And if you used that money to buy a back, it would still leave our front row very weak. So what is the solution?
If you were to ask me I wouldn't be moving junior on unless I was certain we had a like for like replacement. Barring that I would be keeping him and then making sure that he and every other useless merkin in the squad trained like, if not even harder then the Storm do every off season. Ryles is the perfect new coach to lay the law down to all our merkins and point the finger at any one with the wrong attitude and deal with him/them the Bellamy way.
I feel Paulo and some of the others who have dropped there intensity and attitude these last two seasons isn't due to injury or even old age, Hell most are still just nudging or just over 30 ffs! The way players are treated, trained and sports science today most that are quality players when at their prime can get to their mid thirties and still be very good and effective. Look at the Dolphins. Their busted roster is full of veterans and they are still in the hunt for the semis while we are in the hunt for the spoon again. But what the Dolphins and other successful rosters have or had with some old farts in their ranks, like the Sharks when they won the GF, is they also had some quality youth with speed out wide. We lack the latter and have for some time.
No attitude and fitness is our greatest immediate problem not that we have an aging roster. If we can move some of the dead wood lesser forwards and backs that we have loved signing so much in the past and add at least one if not two outside backs to next years roster and get them all super fit and plugged in, then I feel most of our declining forwards would regain their form and would surprise most of us supporters, but not me or Hindy of course.
Then in 2026 when many of our players are actually coming off contract, we can punt the ones that didn't move the needle to the positive without issue or carrying any freight which would be so damaging to this current roster due to already having some deficiencies. Well that's what I would be planing for next seasons roster. Add a quality back or two and maintain as many of the best forwards that we have that used to be quality and see what Ryles can do with them over the off season with their fitness and attitude. Assess during the 2025 season and move accordingly from there. Not rocket surgery.
On a different matter but related none the less, my other most pressing issue would be to sort out our pathways and make sure that the best possible people are hired and in place to get the best outcomes moving forward so as we don't find ourselves in this ridiculous and embarrassing horrendous situation ever again.
Period!
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