It's amazing how easy it is to overlook the fact that in every game this season we've had at least $400,000 worth of cap sitting on the sidelines.
Rd 1 - No Tuqiri
Rd 2 - No Tuqiri, No Gallaway
Rd 3 - No Tuqiri, No Gallaway, No Ellis
Rd 4 - No Tuqiri, No Gallaway, No Farah
That's four internationals.
Add Tedesco to that, mix in Marika Koroibete and you have your likely boom rookies gone for the season too. So no spark for the Tigers coming from that angle. Not to mention in the games he did play Farah had a broken nose for two of them. Marshall has copped two head shots early in the match in the past two weeks as well. Then there is just the inexcusable play of one Adam "Best Forward in the World" Blair (another 500k that would actually be better off on the sidelines) and the absurd decisions that supercoach makes week in week out and it should give you pause for writing us off entirely.
I don't think it can be explained just how much of an effect losing Tedesco had on the balance of the squad either. The fact that Reddy or Ryan haven't been given the job show that Sheens was never intending to use anyone other than Tedesco, so one can assume that a lot of attacking plays in the off season revolved around him. Especially considering how much involvement he had in the half hour he played in Rd 1.
Sheens treats the first half of the season like trial matches. Has done ever since he was here. It's same old same old. We'll be there at the end of the season.