I guess what I am saying is that no elite player would actually want to come to the Dragons, if they are being offered equal money by other clubs (our club has been run like a basket case for many years) therefore we are going to have to pay overs. Our juniors are now being targeted by other clubs and if offered equal money are likely to leave to more successful clubs not only for the money but for cultural reasons, and I do make the exception of the born and bred RedV juniors who have supported the RedV for years as kids..ie. Couchmans, Egan, Stewart...Therefore to attract elite players or retain potentially elite juniors we are going to have to offer them something special for a period of time to get us out of the doldrums where we have been for 15 years and establish the club as a powerhouse again.
I know we are all hoping the young juniors coming through will eventually make first grade but I have doubts a lot of them will actually still be around by the time they should be given that opportunity.
This has been our reality for a few years now.. I mean you have to be in it to win it... but our only real path up is with small iterations of roster improvement over time.. and getting more out of those that we have... if we dont do that we will decline and the coach will go in the process.
And yes relying on juniors is just not a strategy to get out of the cellar, its not this contract extension thats even the hard one.. its the next one coming.. when they are approaching actual first grade readiness.
Obviously if a handful of juniors did come through quicker than expected it would be a tremendous boon for us.. it would make all the difference during a difficult period.... and im not counting the couchmen there because if they fail we fail.. @21.5yrs of age... they r the ones keeping the lights on while we slowly say goodbye to the older middles, and waiting patiently for the new ones who are finding their feet..
All while being active on the player market, we still have Franks #30 spot to fill.. and if we can move a couple more on for 2026 (Lawrie/Rav/Sele) there is money and room for atleast a couple of rep level signings if we could land them.. but we might not have that luxury.... time will tell.. but no more plodders.. have to be upgrades from here on in.
