Its a juggling act...we have Ramsey and Sloan coming through and we need to create a pathway for them also....Someone will need to make some tough decisions.
Yes it’s interesting Getsmarty with the juniors & pathways
- but I do trust Hook’s judgment ATM - except I have some misgivings about Williame over Feagai,
... although I do get the forward cover offered to some extent - despite the 10 minute only? cameos
I’d hoped Max would’ve had first crack at No 3, as he was sort of the incumbent at year’s end and was playing well IMO.
He & Ramsay were the breath of fresh air we’d waited so long for
But of course Bird & Williame have seemingly blocked this pathway
.... & I do hope the twins don’t get fed up & leave, as their pedigree is excellent
...& Max is the second highest try scorer with excellent run metres in NRL reserves
....despite being in a very average performing team.
He was the standout in the reserves vs Sharks IMO - in the only game I’ve been able to get to.
There must soon be some backline rotation of sorts surely - but not Williame
....if we’re serious about pathways.
Preparation for contingencies is what consistency of team performance in the long haul is all about.
And it takes a very confident (& secure) coach to experiment with different players in a winning side
.... to execute different game plans & strategies against some very different top 8 teams.
Picking horses for courses if you like.
Which is how top coaches strategise
Early days yet I know
Our centres are doing well ATM, but Bird intimated his move to the forwards might be inevitable.
So
Some limited onfield soft shoe shuffle occasionally?
Hook has a reputation for bringing juniors through
(& they’re my special bitch as usual)
.... but I sincerely hope his seeming predilection for more experienced players thus far
has nothing to do with the pressure to perform and achieve instant results because of the insecurities of a 2 year contract.
After 2 years we don’t want to be left with old farts and a coop bereft of talented juniors who’ve left for ‘other opportunities’.
(the euphemism for failed pathways)
If Norman & Bird (& Hunt) are retained in the backline longterm then we may lose the essential pathway for a bevy of purported backline stars in the making.
As you say, tough decisions have to be made, but we need to err on the side of the future IMO
A title this year might ameliorate the talent losses looming
... but FFS look what we were left with in the catastrophic decade after 2010
We need to aim to be consistent top 4
- and that requires at least 24 players ready and fully conditioned & prepared to slot in seamlessly to respond to any eventuality?
Depth
with real experience
please Hook!
...and I’m talking backline
-where the failure to renew & renovate destroyed many a soul
& almost a Club
