Well any imbecile with a brain would realise its gonna take a few years to get over last years debacle ... unfortunately i dont know if it can be done by 2018
If we had spent 1.2m for hunt im sure many would be whinging about it deluxe
IMO we have the base of a good team, but we need 1 or 2 more pieces
Plus if we want to compete this year we need our guns to fire ... norman has been a bit sketchy the last couple of games and Semi doesnt really seem interested atm ... matagi started like a steamtrain but seems tired now
Basically this. We were always going to rely a lot on form this year, and our defence which has been a bit off the last few weeks.
But we have a pretty good full strength pack that's nicely balanced and easily a finals level pack. Plenty of metres in it to give Norman a platform to use guys like French and Jennings. Beau Scott is probably starting to be a worry, we may need to look at replacing him with a running lock just to shore up the pack a bit more, but really a tweak or two is all it needs. Edwards is a much bigger miss for us than people think IMO and will make a big difference when he returns.
Norman is rep level, he wouldn't be your first choice especially given the depth in QLD halves but he's certainly good enough. Hell he's better than most of the NSW options. He needs a partner. I love Guth but he's not what we need at six, he's a centre or a fullback ideally. We also need a hooker, it's so important these days to have a quality player in the 9.
Our backline is fine, honestly. People are banging on about Taka but he was pretty excellent for us before this season, brilliant at setting up his winger. Whether he's down on form or fitness or his injuries are jjust starting to catch up with him, who knows. But we don't need to sign a replacement. We already have a top level centre in Jennings, all we need on the other side realistically is someone who can hold their own in defence and run a line, maybe pass. Surely between the likes of Auva'a and the other Jennings, or younger guys like Aukafolau, we can find that within the club if Taka doesn't pull his finger out.
Obviously we have to replace Semi next year unless he does a monumental back flip, but Feldt or Nofoaluma are supposedly being spoken to and would be worthy replacements.
Really, we add a reasonable half and a good hooker to this side, shift Guth to the centres, and it's a totally different side. We aren't far off really.
